One of the changes that I have seen over the years in the trade is the change in the terminal technical job description for a programmer.

Names have never meant much to me. I have performed the same job as a System Analyst, IT Architect, or a Software Engineer. I have been called all three over the years. It has never made a difference in my work. There is a job and it pays. Just do it.

However, it tends to orient early career professionals on how they function. But, customers only care about three things: (a) Does it work acceptably? (b) How much did it cost originally? (c) How much does it cost to continue to use and maintain?

I have been stuck maintaining code that is eloquent and demonstrates all the possible functions within a language and its libraries. I am sure it would have gotten an ‘A’ in a class. Grades are not given at the bank though. For example, if there are five different ways to read a file and print available then a few will use all five. This is a worthless exercise that merely lets everyone know you read the manual to the end.

I have been stuck in meetings with architects that have designed complete systems without the first piece of analysis. Design is not analysis and analysis is not design. Any design without initial research is totally worthless. How is the data grouped? How does it flow through the system now? What is the significance of the data elements? How is the data accumulated? How is data understood by the different stakeholders? How accurate is the data? What is a tolerable level of error? I have been stunned by the number of young architects that I have seen come to meetings with complete systems ‘designed’ without any research into those basic questions.

Then there is the professional that is forever collecting information but never solves a problem. At some point you have to show tangible results. My dad taught me early a practical application of basic physics that has served me all through my life. Work is not measured in effort.  Work is measured in results. It is measured in results even if it is only 80% of the result you want.

Let me summarize the point I am trying to make here. Regardless what you are called, you need to wear all three hats: analyst,  engineer, and architect. And always remember Raymond’s Rule: Work is measured in results, not effort.