How can you ensure that your System Architecture career is sustainable?

Demand and get continuous feedback from engineering team. They are your main customers, and the ones who "suffer" the most from your very nice and simple ideas. It is very easy to change a small arrow on UML or Visio diagram, but can cost a lot of engineering effort when they come to implement it. Beware of: "Small step for architect, tons of steps for engineering team"... You must not get too far from the engineering work, understand the major pain-points they encounter, listen to their complaints, and most important, try to help solving them with all your power and experience. Always remember, you were also an engineer before you became a System Architect.

First, it is needed to read all the time. Even scientific articles. Filter out popular googled blogs as those rarely have useful technical expertise. Choose intentionally what you read. Do not use ChatGPT. And then, install Linux, and try to create various architecture backends. And develop some considerable amount of code by using all pro programming patterns at once. No easy 2 lines of the code programming when learning new technologies.

Having a wide system view, focusing on the big picture but be constantly aware that small details are the building block of a complex system

To sustain a systems engineering career from a learning perspective, prioritize continuous education through certifications, workshops, and conferences. Engage with professional communities for knowledge exchange. Embrace a culture of perpetual curiosity, keeping abreast of emerging technologies and methodologies to remain relevant and adaptable in the ever-evolving field.

To ensure sustainable system architecture, prioritize scalability, flexibility, and maintainability. Embrace modular design principles to accommodate future changes and updates. Employ robust documentation and adhere to industry best practices for clear comprehension and seamless handovers. Regularly review and update the architecture to align with evolving business needs and technological advancements. Additionally, promote a culture of continuous learning and innovation within the team to sustainably evolve and enhance the system architecture over time.

Stay adaptable to changing technologies and methodologies. Embrace new paradigms and be willing to learn and adapt quickly. Be open to feedback and continuously refine your approach based on lessons learned.

There is fine line between an open architecture and fit for purpose. A balancing act between tactical, operational, and strategical requirements. An architect will typically have a sound understanding of what is expected from the systems architecture, now and in the future, or at least the next five years. Within that vision there is room for change, adaptability. This is an iterative process. Observing how business changes direction, operating models change and move the architecture in the right direction.

Again, unfortunately, “AI” is going to render this point moot … as well as writing software, software engineering, cyber security … all can be done by AI faster and cheaper, with minimal human interaction be enticing or oversight …

As an architect, develop flexibility, agility and an open mindset. Be ready to re-evaluate designs based on evolving needs and constraints. View disruption as an opportunity to offer innovative solutions. Anticipate issues and work with product owners on contingencies. Collaborate cross-functionally to understand varied views and balance trade-offs. Effective communication and influence are key to navigate relationships during transitions. While maintaining principles, learn when prescribed patterns no longer apply. Embrace uncertainties and trust your ability to learn quickly. With a growth mindset and curiosity, architects can smoothly shepherd solutions across unpredictable landscapes

This is perhaps the most challenging aspect of being a system architect. Different viewpoints originate from different backgrounds and motivation. The architect must somehow meet in the middle without restricting the design (too much) in order to stay prepared for future changes. To convey this is hard. All too often the short term has the upper hand and with hindsight challenging the past decision(s) is considered uncooperative, irrelevant even. But for the engineer, architect it is quite the opposite: he/she wants to learn and better cope with similar scenarios in the future.

Effective communication is pivotal for architects given their role influencing diverse stakeholders. Conveying complex designs requires tailoring delivery styles to varied audiences. Simplified visuals help non-technical partners while detailed specifications provide needed context for technical teams. Communication must be bi-directional - soliciting feedback improves designs. Active listening helps align expectations across departments. Willingness to negotiate balances technical excellence with operational realities. Documentation serves as an essential reference. Periodic status updates maintain transparency. Architects must engage deeply with every level, adapting delivery methods to strengthen comprehension shared objectives.

Innovating creatively, especially when stems from real-world-need is a great way to showcase proficiency. Many teams across organization(s) solve the same problem, multiple times; so, after creating the solution sharing it with relevant other teams cultivates cooperation. In addition the joy of creation fuels you and the team with motivation and the feel of "we can overcome all challenges" spirit.

Creativity is what safes the day of an architect. Finding a workable, efficient, yet open solution for the seemingly contradicting requirements is at times very challenging and requires out-of-the-box thinking. This fuels the desire to investigate new technologies that may unlock new patterns, or different implementation of business processes to avoid 'unsolvable' design questions.

The work of an architect requires creativity which is hard to manage by its very nature. It is liking writing a book and the feared writer's block. Hard to prevent and when you are facing it, it is time to do the other things, distract your mind and find the flow. This combines poorly with milestones and deadlines...

Invest in your team! As systems evolve, it's only natural that the complexity increases. Make sure that you do not become a bottleneck by trying to architect everything. Invest and mentor your team, delegate and trust people to make sound decisions. Be there as a support system and let your team members take the lead.

Here some suggestions: - Continuous learning. - Understanding the big picture (techniques appear and gone) - Possessing E2E tech stack - Autodidact-ion.