6.7 Conclusions

Software architects have a unique leadership role in the software development effort. They educate their development teams on technical issues when time permits, sell them on the defined vision when there isn't enough time to educate, and rely on the cultivated trust between the architect and the team in the remaining cases. Regardless of the method, architects keep the team focus on the overall technical vision and have the difficult tasks of verifying that their teams are on the same technical page based on work products and communicating with the team. The architects must serve as the technical role model to team members and maintain their respect on technical issues to effectively guide the project toward the desired technical goals.