the 3 a's: author, architect & archer

Welcome to funeabook.com.

In this site, you will learn more about my points of view on architecture.  As I am a rather eclectic individual, you will also find out more about the various topics that interest me, that I hope will also interest you. 

In this inaugural blog post, wanted to share three things about me: 
1. I am an author.  
2. I am an architect. 
These first two were probably not a surprise, since this is the Fundamentals of Enterprise Architecture site inspired by my first O'Reilly book. 
3. I am an archer.  A target barebow archer to be specific.

What do archery and architecture have in common? 

To get good at target archery, one must become adept at precision - the ability to consistently shoot a tight grouping of arrows, and accuracy - the ability to aim that grouping to score points.  This requires good form and attention to detail. Achieving good form requires an openness to constructive criticism and a willingness to learn to do things the right way.  

Architecture defines what ‘do things the right way’ means for delivering technology solutions.  Just like with archery, the details can make a significant difference to figuring out the big picture.  Thus, thoroughly analyzing a problem statement with all impacted stakeholders inclusive of product and engineering is essential. Similar to archery, I have to be willing to learn to be a better architect. There is no shortcut for learning from experience and other people. 

In archery, I take shots as an individual, but I only get better with practice and through collaboration with my team and my coach. This is the same philosophy that I bring to practicing architecture. It is only through collaboration with diverse perspectives that we identify the best solutions and the best business outcomes.  It is only with the broad perspective of what is right for the company, rather than a narrow view of what is right for me, that we can provide lasting value.  

What parallels do you draw between architecture and other things in your life?  Leave a comment and share!