Link: http://www.etc-architect.com/?p=71
From ETC-Architect » IT Architect Global | IT Architect, Global | Infrastructure Architect, Global
When as an architect you work in the business or in IT you will often meet people that will tell you that they are not interested in the details when you want to present them with the big picture, but at the same time spend endless days in discussing the screen layout of a single screen or trying to sell a concept. What this really means is that they are really only interested in certain details and some business drivers. The real problem is that they really think that they are smart with this approach in showing off as knowledgable and that they are usually also the people in charge.
This stupidity and ignorance is often not just limited to managers, as there are many who will refuse to see the big picture and will go away with their ideas and often implement them in a neat solution that later turns out to be completely useless as it does not fit into delivering the business need. However the added stupidity is often with the people that have got the overview on how the entities interact as they fail to understand that not everyone is capable to think at an abstract level and that to communicate they have to break down their message in many concrete pieces with others never understanding the pattern behind it.
So while ignorance and stupidity are non exclusive and we all need to reexamine ourselves according to the saying of casting the first stone, we nevertheless have to constant action break down abstract concepts in user stories and never make the mistake to assume that other people will understand the connections that we can see blindfolded. It may happen that you will meet managers with a good abstraction outside of architecture, as it is also likely to meet architects without any abstraction level, but then both occasions are rare.
