Hidden or Formal Architects: Understanding Who Makes Architectural Decisions in Practice

2026-07-13

AI Summary

In organizations lacking a formal architect role, software architecture decisions are frequently made by practitioners without such titles. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a survey of 54 practitioners with in-depth interviews of 7 participants, to investigate who actually makes architectural decisions and under what contextual conditions. The findings reveal that informal architects are extensively involved in critical architectural choices, while formally designated architect roles are primarily deemed necessary in large enterprises or complex teams. These results challenge the prevailing research paradigm that centers on formal architects, instead illuminating how architectural responsibilities are distributed across real-world development environments and highlighting their strong dependence on organizational context.

Abstract

Empirical research on software architecture sometimes focuses on individuals holding the formal title of software architect. However, not all companies have individuals hired in such roles. Despite no formal architects, all systems have architectures, and there must be practitioners making the architectural decisions. This study aims to identify who, in practice, makes architectural decisions and in what environments the existence of a formal architect is perceived as necessary. This research employed a method consisting of a questionnaire with 54 participants from different companies and seven follow-up interviews. The findings indicate that architectural decisions are often made by individuals without a formal architect title. A formal architect is perceived as essential mainly in large companies and large teams. The results of this study show that many practitioners taking part in ADM may have been omitted by previous research, particularly if it focused on formal architects.

Problem

• software architecture
• architectural decisions
• formal architect
• decision-making

Innovation

• architectural decision-making
• software architecture
• empirical study
• formal architect
• hidden architect