IT Architect - answered

Last week i was talking to my Lead Architect when i asked him what it takes to become a top-notch architect.Well he said every IT architect has a different answer. His views are

Technical Competence
The individual must have experience and knowledge relevant to the level in which they seek to Architect.

Clear Communication
Can the individual articulate clearly in the given language? Does the individual create clear and concise emails or documentation?

Presentation Skills
If the architect is presenting an architecture to a client, boss, team or other group of people, the presenter must be able to clearly explain their ideas, defend them, and win over the audience through presentation. One will not win all of the battles, but ultimately, One need to win the war.

Listening Skills
Can the individual listen? Don't confuse the inability of the individual to speak a given language (shyness) with their ability to listen. The skill to listening is tricky and can be difficult. reiterate back take-aways from a meeting to insure that you do not bungle this important facet of communication.

Business Vision
Many architects or architect-wanna-bees lack the ability to present or defend their ideas. Sometimes, this is because they lack business vision or do not understand how a business works or, they miss an entire spectrum of thought for a decision process.

Few tips that will help all of us to understand how businesses operate:

Subscribe and read the free Industry magazines
The most important item that My Lead Architect key in on is ROI and the business.I have found that my Lead Architect does homework from the business perspective rarely get cornered during a presentation.

Attend events, seminars and conferences build / have networks

Process Compliance
The ability to understand these process models can be a huge factor in the job you are trying to land. Software Change Management, version control, quality assurance are among some of the key processes that drive enterprise architecture and implementation.
There are five levels of CMM maturity, each a layer in the foundation for on-going process improvement, designated by the numbers one through five with five being the highest. Higher maturity levels signify lower risks to successful program execution. From the architecture, development and delivery standpoints, this requires more modular processes, more paperwork, very rigorous testing, but in the end delivers in a timely and highly successful fashion.