Jonne Kats’ Post

Just finished reading "The Software Architect Elevator” by Gregor Hohpe. Gregor Hohpe is an authority on software architecture and coauthor of the Enterprise Integration Patterns book, which I think is a must read for software architects. The Software Architect Elevator is about how the digital economy is changing, what this means for traditional IT organizations and how this also impacts the role of the IT architect. Traditional IT organizations are optimized for the “economies of scale”, but to stay competitive they need to transform to the “economies of speed". This transformation is driven by IT innovation, which requires a thorough understanding of technology and is why IT architects have such an important role in this transformation. To make sure that the executive board room and the IT engine room are connected, the architect needs to ride the "architect elevator” in both directions. The scope of the book is quiet broad and it's full with great tips and advice. There is a great section with tips on how to improve communication. There also is a section on organizations and how to navigate them, which is refreshing for an IT book. The book is written in an entertaining way, full with anecdotes and some beautiful metaphors. Every chapter contains a ton of interesting book references, so I already know what I will be reading next (The Art of Action: How Leaders Close the Gaps between Plans, Actions and Results by Stephen Bungay). A very inspiring and interesting book, I would highly recommend it to any (aspiring) software architects.