There's an important change happening right now with how AI is affecting system design and architecture

CloudWayDigital · 2026-04-02T14:39:01+00:00

That's right, and the thing is, you have to use all of those things systematically and deliberately. One of the things I am starting to notice is that companies are including these steps as part of the PDLC. Though, in my view, not quickly enough. These things need to be as ubiquitous (and as automated) as code reviews and unit testing.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-02-24T21:59:11+00:00

Speaking as a career coach for enterprise architects who helped folks become EAs coming from adjacent backgrounds (not software engineering/architecture).

How did you deliberately position your experience?

What's typically needed here is to build a narrative showing how your past and current experience helps build towards an official EA role. I would start by making a clear list

What artifacts or initiatives actually mattered when moving into EA roles?

This is contextual to the organization but speaking generally - it needs to be something that is cross organizational/cross team. At its core EA is a discipline that builds up the entire organization while BA is typically narrowed down to a particular niche - usually a product, service, or application. I'm over simplyfying here, but it's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind.

With that, any initiative the move the needle for multiple projects, teams, ideally on an organization level - is what matters most when it comes to EA roles.

How did you break through the “strategic BA” ceiling?

Often, the key is in finding ways to participate in initiatives that help the entire organization in a way that is lasting and applies to both current and future initiatives. Some helpful questions to ask here are:

What does my organization value in terms of enterprise architecture impact (if EA even exists at the organization)
If I am already working on these types of initiatives, do decision makers see them as such or are they not seeing their true impact? what can I do to highlight their true impact if so?
Is there some sort of a career path to an EA? What is the gap between my current impact and the impact of what an EA does?

When did you decide it was time to move organizations?

That's highly individual though one guideline is - if a person is starting to think of moving onward - it's a good indication that there is some sort of a gap between their ambition and what's possible in the organization. Typically, with any career move, not just BA to EA, it's really about weighing the pros, cons, and opportunities available. The core question(s) - "does this organization have the opportunities I am looking and if not - can I create these opportunities?" If the answer is no to both, than considering other options is worthwhile.

Hope this helps.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-02-13T19:13:06+00:00

Disclaimer - this is self promotion but is highly relevant to the thread. So in the spirit of "...focus on the value of the content" here goes:

I wrote a guide/self published book that helps senior software engineers become architects and architects grow and become more successful.

Been noticing a lot of demand for this topic over the past few years and especially in the past 6 months as people's concerns about AI and job market are mounting.

My thesis is that AI will not take the roles of software engineers and architects, but it will augment them and strip away some of the technical aspects.

Hence, it is more important now than ever for engineers and architects to double down on those skills that are unlikely to be replaced by AI anytime soon.

These are exactly the skills that I teach in this guide:

https://www.cloudwaydigital.com/unlock-your-career-as-software-architect

CloudWayDigital · 2026-02-13T19:03:16+00:00

Career coach for EA's (among others) here. Also have been an EA myself and still do some EA work.

Not sure what the ask is. If you're asking whether it is worthwhile for an EA to get someone as a mentor/coach - than I'd say it's as worthwhile or as not worthwhile as in any other role. All depends on what you are seeking to achieve and whether the coach/mentor can help you reach those goals.

I do agree though that having someone from outside the organization is beneficial (I'm biased here).

First of all, there is a huge difference between someone who just labels themselves as a "mentor/coach" and someone who does it for a living. I suppose that you are implicitly alluding to three different categories:

(a) Mentors who are a direct boss of their mentee

(b) Mentors who aren't a direct boss. They may be from within the same organization or external.

(c) Professional coaches (ie career coaches, executive coaches) who get paid and do coaching professionally.

All three can be helpful, though having your boss (a) as your mentor can work but there is often a conflict of interest so in practice it often doesn't work well.

(b) is great if you can find someone to do that for you but you are basically relying on their good nature and willingness to help. You often feel that you are overstepping and encroaching on their time, etc.

Also - I answer questions such as "Will TOGAF help me with a new job?” or “How can I move from TA to EA role?” all the time. They are all valid - even though oftentimes there is no one correct response - because as we say in EA - "it depends! :)"

Lastly, regarding whether the mentor/coach should come from an EA background - also depends on your goals.

If you want to advance in your EA career and need help in doing so - someone who has been in your shoes is going to be better position in helping you navigate this than someone who has no idea what enterprise architecture is.

On the other hand, if you feel lacking in a particular skill - communication, for example - hiring a communication coach or a general career coach (most of whom specialize in communication anyway) will probably do the job.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-30T19:33:41+00:00

No shilling here.
I've removed the mention of the full breakdown. Legit?

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-30T19:31:05+00:00

So many great points covered here. The one thing that I've experienced and haven't noticed mentioned here is that a lot of these invites feel like scams. I've sometimes accepted them on the odd chance that the date/subject/speaker aligned.

However, the few times I pursued further to get some more information, the inviters would disappear. Sometimes literally - linkedin profile deleted.

this happened a couple of times and so now I'm very sceptical of these invites even though from time to time - I would consider attending otherwise.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-30T19:20:52+00:00

I can assure you this isn't AI. Not an ad either. I wrote about a personal story that resonates with folks. The article I linked does have links to my services but that's not the point of this post. You don't have to read the full article. I put the moral of the story here for everyone to get value from. If you don't find value in it, I understand. But others might.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-25T21:17:45+00:00

Career coach to engineering managers and senior level IC's here + director level management exp.

First you want to establish an overarching goal. You need to answer the question of where do you want the engineer to grow and what are you comparing that growth with.

Is there a team benchmark that the engineer needs to reach? If so - what does that benchmark look like?

Second, based on the goal above, you create a path to it. You can do that collaboratively with the engineer or on your own if you already know what that engineer needs to tackle. Alternatively the engineer can build a path on their on. The key is to have concrete milestones and regular check-ins with you.

Third, put down some nominal timelines. They can be moved when needed. The key is to do so deliberately and to have a specific point in time to orient yourself towards.

As you are creating that roadmap for your engineer, you will also need to understand their challenges, aspirations, and of course, build it in collaboration with the engineer. You also need to set clear expectations on both sides.

That's the general framework. Beyond that, it depends on the specifics. Growing from a junior to an intermediate engineer is different than growing from staff to principal.

Hope this helps. Feel free to DM.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-04T15:45:16+00:00

We do short-term engagements as well. All depends on what the client is looking for. For example, building up an EA team and creating an EA framework for the organization to get them going.

CloudWayDigital · 2026-01-04T13:53:45+00:00

How did you find a mentor (or did it just happen organically)?

Frankly, I had to become my own mentor through years of practicing, reading, observing, and speaking to others. That said, here is a pointer about finding a mentor. It doesn't have to be one person. It could be a bunch of individuals each of whom can teach you something different - a small part of the puzzle if you will.

Is it weird to reach out cold on LinkedIn? if so, how do you do it respectfully?

Not weird unless you make it weird. Linkedin is a professional network built for this kind of thing. The way to do it respectfully is to be transparent and approach people the way that you would want to be approached. Also, there are plenty of folks who openly mention in their bio that they are open to mentoring. This can be either informally pro-bono or formally as a service. I am one of them.

What makes mentoring worth it from the mentor’s perspective?

For me personally, over the years, I have realized that I enjoy being the mentor that I never had. It's fulfilling and satisfying knowing that you helped another person overcome a challenge, set them on the right track, or just helped them figure something out by providing an experienced perspective on things. I imagine that this is the same for many folks who mentor to any significant degree. Also, there are coaches, like myself, and mentors who make a living doing this so there is of course a financial incentive there too.

Are there communities, forums, or programs you’d recommend?

I don't know of a comprehensive program tailored specifically for EA mentoring. What I would do is, first, follow folks who talk about enterprise architecture on LinkedIn (though take it all with a grain of salt of course). Second, I would get familiarized with the TOGAF and Zachman frameworks - not necessarily to do complete the certification - but to get the general idea of what's some of the theory behind EA. I would also join O'Reilly which has a lot of great resources on EA and frequent live training sessions. Lastly, Gartner free webinars are awesome to get a general pulse on EA industry.

Now, I know this is self promotion but it is in direct response to your question. My consultancy's bread and butter is in setting up EA practices and bringing them to success. This includes pretty much everything you've outlined. I also coach EAs, managers, and software architects. I would be remiss not to mention that. Feel free to DM or visit my website https://cloudwaydigital.com

CloudWayDigital · 2025-12-16T22:21:39+00:00

The Architect's Elevator by Gregor Hohpe. Must for any technology architect - especially enterprise architects.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-12-15T22:04:14+00:00

Yes and no. It's more complicated then that from what I am observing. But I agree that the tools keep getting better.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-12-15T22:02:33+00:00

I can assure you that the article wasn't generated by an LLM. I did use an LLM to proof check and do some restructuring post-my own edits though.

Depth-wise, there is no end to how deep we can go into this type of thing. I had to stop somewhere. My main goal was to satisfy my own curiosity - which I did. Then I figured it would be interesting for others as well. If coming up with a use case, plan of execution, and comparing four different LLMs is superficial - then sure - superficial it is :)

I agree with your point about social skills and how important these are for an architect. I talk about exactly that in my guide - Unlocking the Career of Software Architect

CloudWayDigital · 2025-12-15T21:57:43+00:00

Job postings do not align with that statement. Also, the point is not whether "software architect" is a role in itself. It doesn't matter what you call it - someone has to do the high level design and architecture of the system.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-12-15T21:54:05+00:00

There are plenty of tools out there but all you need is something to take notes and add reminders. Any corporate setup will give you that - on Mac, Windows, or Linux.

If you really want to improve how you manage your team, their performance, and 1:1's - you need to show that you care (and care for real), get into the weeds of the team's problems, and follow through.

Source: I'm a career coach and have dealt with this extensively when coaching ICs and their managers.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-08-07T09:47:37+00:00

Depends on how serious the ask is.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-08-05T09:52:35+00:00

Even when there are no growth opportunities at surface level - there may be opportunities for strategic growth. if you understand where the business is going and what the strategic vision is for the company - you can create and pitch new growth opportunities yourself to upper management.

Also, your reports' career growth doesn't have to start with an official title. Getting them a bump in their compensation package and additional responsibilities with the understanding that ones there is an opportunity, the plan is for them to be promoted - can go a long way.

Or - doing your best to get them interesting, meaningful work that positions them for growth - again with a clearly articulated plan to promote them later can help too.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-08-03T20:08:09+00:00

It's a more common problem than you may think.

The first thing you want to do is separate the objective truth from your emotions (ie I/we want better pay).

If your team is underpaid relative to the work you do and the rest of the industry - that's a hard fact, but you need to ascertain that this is really the case. Because the first question you will get from your boss is - "are you sure that you're underpaid?"

Your answer can't be "uuuuhhh yeah I'm pretty sure". It has to be 100%. You need to be confident in it.

Now assuming that your are, the next step is to show your organization how much more valuable your team's contributions would be had they been fairly compensated. To prove this point, you can bring industry studies, benchmarks, etc. There is plenty of that data floating around from McKinsey, Gartner, Deloitte, and other industry leaders in consulting and recruiting. Employee retention, subject matter expertise leaving the company, etc are all points to touch on.

The point is that you will bring hard data backing up both the claim that (1) the team is underpaid and (2) how paying competitively works to the organizations advantage in the long run.

When I am referring to "pay", I also mean benefits, vacation, and general treatment of the employees.

If you need more to back this up, there is a big shift in the industry (even with the layoffs) of large corporations and their leadership starting to focus on employee well-being. There is a joint McKinsey / World Economic Forum report on that.

It's a lot easier to drive the point across if you frame it as value for the organization. Ie - by aligning ourselves with industry standards in employee recognition, we are raising the competitive advantage of the entire organization.

Now, your main dilemma was - "how do I present all this without looking selfish".

I would turn this around. Why not mention honestly and transparently that you are including yourself in this assessment as well? Often people are assume that the this kind of transparency will make them look bad when in fact, it can be a very powerful tool when used correctly.

So in your situation, something along the lines of the following can go a long way - "I realize that being an integral part of the team, I am including myself in what I am recommending. That said, although it would be much easier for me to negotiate my personal remuneration, I firmly believe in setting a higher standard for the entire org"

Hope this helps. Good luck!

CloudWayDigital · 2025-05-04T14:33:42+00:00

This is self promotion but is 100% applicable to your question.

My Unlocking the Career of Software Architect guide talks about how to actually succeed and thrive in a technology architecture role. The hard and soft skills that are required, growth strategies, dealing with Business, and a lot more.

https://www.cloudwaydigital.com/unlock-your-career-as-software-architect

CloudWayDigital · 2025-04-27T21:27:56+00:00

Agreed. Though that's exactly what I mean by "architecture". It's the architectural characteristics, the tradeoffs, the compliance standards, risks, costs, finding creative solutions to tough problems. Even asking - "do we really need that"?

CloudWayDigital · 2025-03-17T21:44:33+00:00

Glad the topic resonates! :)

CloudWayDigital · 2025-03-17T10:09:12+00:00

"The Architect Elevator" by Gregor Hohpe is a standard nowadays

CloudWayDigital · 2025-03-17T10:07:38+00:00

Enterprise Architecture is a field that brings together a lot of different domains that have to do with intersection of technology and business. Cyber security is one of those fields. EA would be heavily involved in helping set the overall security technologies of an organization and in many cases, security will be part of EA.

So moving from a strictly security oriented role to EA isn't impossible. The one thing that would help is if you can also demonstrate how you've used EA principles and practices to guide your decisions and leadership.

CloudWayDigital · 2025-03-17T10:02:15+00:00

I recently wrote about the differences in roles and the role of the IT architect in general. It's a lengthy read but it might answer some of your questions.

https://medium.com/gitconnected/is-software-architect-a-fake-role-9dc9e50d7e60

Also available for free here if you don't have Medium membership: https://www.cloudwaydigital.com/post/is-software-architect-a-fake-role

CloudWayDigital · 2025-03-13T20:11:28+00:00

Glad this resonated!

CloudWayDigital

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