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Comment by Aeolun | Hacker News Reader

I’m not sure what this role even does. As far as I see them they just appear in meetings once in a while to mess up our (the actual dev team) carefully balanced schedule by suddenly requiring us to do something completely different.

Like suggesting it would be better to stick with Javascript over Typescript since it would be more stable.

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Simplisticly they do the same as you when you think about the building blocks or components of an app. They just do it at that dreaded "higher level".

Higher level can be a bit ambiguous. Typically it's systems (ALL the apps in your org, their purpose, interrelationships, security, and so on).

The good ones are able to identify, analyse and optimise processes, old and new tech, finance, and regulations the Co. is bound by (know your customer, HIPAA, GDPR and so on). They talk to C-level boss types and make a case for whatever they're making a case for.

They do stuff like tracking and magaging risk and stakeholders, but at a higher level than dev.

They (the good ones) also sleep less than you do, and know EVERYTHING about coffee.

I've been doing this for some time and wrote down some of the things I learnt - https://www.wittenburg.co.uk/Work/Consulting.aspx

Thanks for this resource, definitely going to look into it. I am currently considering to make the freelance/consulting jump, so timing is ideal.

Very good resource, thanks for publishing your thoughts. The reference model is similar in spirit to the PRINCE2 overall framework: https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/res/prince2-processes-activ...

Thanks and yes it is. The model is in fact an extrapolation of Microsoft's Solution Framework from the '90s. On the problem solving side I was far more impressed by a book from Betty Vandenbosch (Designing Solutions for Your Business Problems: A Structured Process for Managers and Consultants) than I was by Prince.

Great, thanks for the book reference. I will look into that. Even the PRINCE2 framework itself states that it is meant to be adapted to the context where it is applied. It is way overkill when applied 100%, which has led to several IT fiascos[0]. But the workflows and overall goals PRINCE2 seeks to achieve are productive I would say. I have applied it to orgs where there was NO insight into how to run projects and programs, it has at given a meaning to what we have been working on. It has also given legitimacy of why one chose to focus heavily on things which might seem uninteresting to some managers.

Whenever I deviate we just say "since we're now in agile mode, we don't have to do this particular step here" :)

0, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRINCE2#Advantages_and_critici...

I agree. ANY structured process will be better than chaos. Most people dislike Prince especially just because it seeks to tame the chaos that came before. People don't like change.

That is probably a good example of the _bad_ architects the article mentions

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