Characteristics of a software architect

Peter Eeles, Senior IT Architect, IBM wrote an article about Characteristics of a software architect. He lists not a few skills:

• The architect is a technical leader
• The architect role may be fulfilled by a team
• The architect understands the software development process
• The architect has knowledge of the business domain
• The architect has technology knowledge
• The architect has design skills
• The architect has programming skills
• The architect is a good communicator
• The architect makes decisions
• The architect is aware of organizational politics
• The architect is a negotiator

I must agree on them all, especially the aware of organizational politics and knowledge of the business domain are parts that could be improved on many software architects I’ve met.