Worldwide Institute of Software Architects

Michelangelo was an architect. So too, was the ill-fated fellow in the Dark Ages who was rewarded for his design by having his hands chopped off, thus preventing him from designing a similar marvel for a rival king. Throughout human history, architects have ranged from learned men revered by royalty to anonymous craftsmen rising through the ranks of guilds. Castles, cathedrals, and chateaux have been built by both. Until the last century, there were no schools of architecture, no building codes - and few billable hours, no doubt. There were no ready-made building materials to purchase - structures were handcrafted from whole timbers and quarried stone. Anyone could hang out a shingle as an architect, and did.

The transformation of civilization in the industrial revolution - Toffler’s Second Wave - expanded the types of buildings needed: Railroad stations, offices, and factories, to name a few. Manufactured building materials allowed more diverse structures and technological improvements in electrical, heating and plumbing demanded greater complexity, safety and precision in building design.

The era of "bigness" was emerging. Businesses were acquiring the infrastructure needed to become the behemoths of the 1900’s. These enterprises required large specialized spaces and desired a fitting edifice suited to their image and aspirations. The nouveau riche emerged in large numbers, swelling the demand for aesthetically endowed custom homes.

To meet these challenges, to protect public safety, and to promote a code of ethics and formal architectural education, the American Institute of Architects took root in the years following its formation in 1857. Despite the resistance from those "architects" of the building trades - a century's old tension - the need for a formal, modern discipline of architecture was clear. The AIA went on to become an amazing success story and has grown to 56,000 members.

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There is a compelling analogy between building and software construction. It is not new, but it has never taken root and bloomed. The analogy is not just convenient or superficial. It is truly profound. It not only raises the right questions, it has the answer to what has been called "The Software Crisis."

Software architecture is now at a point identical to where building architecture was in the mid-1800’s as it faced the inventive momentum of the industrial revolution. Now, as then, people with very different skills and roles can - and do - call themselves architects. Today, they refer to themselves as software architects despite training as engineers or programmers, not architects. However, it is no longer adequate for a software craftsman with a flair for design to build the huge, complex infrastructures of the information revolution.

Recent, very public, catastrophes in software development painfully attest to this fact. Large sums of money have been thrown at the salvage efforts, but money cannot make up for the lack of an architectural plan. Just as builders with a good carpentry background can design and build a suburban "Five, Four, and a Door," they do not refer to themselves as architects and they are never expected to design and execute an important structure.

Software systems are being built in a manner akin to erecting an office building without an architect and without clear roles. It is as though a collection of specialists are brought together, many with Ph.D’s in "Building Science." They all have their favorite tools and materials and plan to use them wherever they go. Some are in charge of bathrooms, there is an office designer and carpenter. An electrician is hired and sometimes functions as an engineer, designer, and even a plumber.

Problems in function and layout become evident as construction continues. Some of the tools are inadequate for the scope of the job. There are stairways leading to nowhere. Dead space. Bad lighting. Subcontractors are waiting for others to finish their work before they can proceed. The building looks and feels unappealing to the users. No number of change requests, money, or rolling deadlines can fix this building which just doesn't "work." Style? Aesthetics? It’s very difficult to be artistic in a crisis.

This stunning lack of clarity in software construction has created a savage gulf between "owners" and "builders." When the CEO of IBM wanted a new headquarters complex built, he called I.M. Pei, of course. When Life Magazine wanted to feature an American Dream House, they called Robert A.M. Stern. Know this. It would never have occurred to them to call a "Building Scientist."

To the "owners" of software structures there are only ill-defined "techies" with scary lingo. They hold degrees in Computer Science, but ordinary people do not know what that means. It is assumed they know what they are doing, what choice is there? There are no clear blueprints understandable to the inexpert, no standards of communication, no vision of an overall structure, and no predictable processes.

We are now on the crest of The Third Wave with ever increasing numbers of people working from their electronic cottages, yet there is no place to look for true software architects in The Yellow Pages, and there is not even a school of software architecture. There is certainly no I.M. Pei in the software construction field.

is inviting like-minded professionals, students, and clients to become members of this new organization. Like the American Institute of Architects, we will work toward the establishment of the profession of software architecture, promote formal academic degrees in software architecture, and advance the software construction industry to new levels. In the interim, we will assist each other, guide the tool builders and researchers, and give our customers increased confidence and hope.

It will be software architects who form the link between the "owners" and the "builders," as architects always have. This pivotal profession will design and build the elegant bridges advancing the software industry out of the current mire. Software practically runs the world. The opportunities are vast. Architectural software structures, attuned to human patterns and needs, will do nothing less than carry us forward on "The Third Wave."