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

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.