Continuing to Write Code

Practice · Chapter 17

Why keep coding

• To improve continuously, architects should keep writing code and avoid becoming ivory-tower architects — isolated designers who never touch implementation (see What is the software architect role?).
• Skills you stop exercising erode. Stop coding and you lose touch with implementation realities and the challenges your developers face.

Assigning yourself coding tasks

• Take some development tasks on the project to stay close to the team.
• If none are planned for you, ask the project manager; keep assignments limited so they do not consume time needed for other responsibilities.

Working on your own project

• A side project keeps programming skills sharp — it may even be an open source project, or a private one when you do not want to share.
• Choose projects that challenge your current skills: if you are strong in backend, work on frontend, and vice versa.

Reading code

• When coding less, keep skills sharp by reading others’ code:
  • Code reviews keep you familiar with the team’s implementations.
  • Study high-quality open source code from experienced professionals.
  • Watch live-streamed / recorded sessions from respected programmers.
  • Pair programming exposes you to unfamiliar code.

Citations

• Software Architect’s Handbook (Packt, 2018), Ch.17 “Continuing to write code”, pp. 1177-1180.