LinkedIn: I have conducted tons of research regarding the 'enterprise architect'. And, it seems that the 'jury still out' as to what

<question discussion="Enterprise Architect User Group">
I have conducted tons of research regarding the 'enterprise architect'. And, it seems that the 'jury still out' as to what (education, experience and skill) makes a great enterprise architect.

The questions I am attempting to answer are relatively simple:

(1) Please describe what you believe to be an ideal candidate for an entry level enterprise architect position. What would one look like in terms of education, skill, and experience?

(2) Please describe a great veteran enterprise architect, including their education, skills and background?

Please be specific (e.g. education - MBA, PhD, etc.).

</question>


Transgrowth.com website provides an excellent definition of “architect”:
An architect is someone who translates wishes, dreams and expectations of a client into a workable plan and guides others in executing that plan.

In the case of enterprise architect, the "roles" from this definition can filled in the following way:
“client” = stakeholders, top management
“wishes, dreams and expectations” = merger, changing of unit’s internal structure, survival in heavy competition, cost cutting, modernisation of legacy applications, outsourcing the whole unit or just its IT environment, portfolio rationalization, etc.
“others” = the whole enterprise

In my experience, enterprise architects work simultaneously in the following positions :

• Scribe who keeps up to date the documentation about EA artefacts and the relationships between them. This is the traditional role of an enterprise architect.
• Scout who brings new technologies into the enterprise.
• Salesman who finds good arguments for investments in not-so-obvious improvements.
• Superman who is usually asked to provide a quick rescue for a rotten IT project, often by completing during the weekend work that should have been done over many man-months!
• Sociologist who has to understand the concerns and fears of everyone in the enterprise.
• Servant who is at the service of all others in the enterprise.
• Scientist who uses scientifically proven methods in his/her work.
• Student who is ready to learn quickly new technologies, new tools and new business domains.
• Shepherd who can guide others.
• Secretary “de luxe” who helps others to do some work (although this may be considered as a rather low qualification, it is nonetheless important to achieve the common goal).
• Skipper who can lead complex projects.
• Swiss-knife which can solve any problems.

So, an ideal candidate has to be good in these positions; the great enterprise architect masters them (e.g. a scientist with PhD in an applied science)

Thanks,
AS