Shadow Architects: The Rise of Freelancers in Enterprise Architecture

Welcome to Episode 7!

Hello, architects! This week, we delve into a growing phenomenon: the rise of shadow architects—a mysterious breed of freelance and contract EAs who swoop in, shake up the architecture landscape, and disappear before anyone can say “governance framework.”

The Main Story: The Mystery of the Vanishing Architect

Picture this: A high-profile transformation project is kicking off. The organization hires an external enterprise architectto bring in fresh expertise and align everything with TOGAF.

At first, all is well—stakeholders nod in agreement, documentation flows smoothly, and frameworks are respected. But just as things start getting tricky (read: actual implementation), poof! The architect’s contract is up, and they vanish into the ether, leaving behind a cryptic repository and a PowerPoint deck of “strategic recommendations.”

Meanwhile, the internal IT team is left staring at a TOGAF metamodel they didn’t ask for, wondering how to translate it into something actionable. The project team, realizing they have to work without their guiding architect, resorts to its ancestral survival method: improvisation.

TOGAF’s Take: Managing External Expertise

TOGAF acknowledges the need for external architects—after all, fresh perspectives can drive innovation. But without continuity and integration with internal teams, even the best plans risk falling into the abyss of forgotten documentation.

How to Work with (or as) a Shadow Architect:

1. Build Knowledge Transfer into the Contract: Ensure external EAs mentor internal teams instead of just delivering artifacts.

2. Clarify Accountability: Who owns the architecture when the freelancer leaves? Define clear handover processes.

3. Avoid the ‘Drive-By Architecture’ Effect: External consultants should help implement, not just recommend and disappear.

Humor in Diagrams

Share Your Shadow Architect Stories

Have you ever worked with a mysterious freelancer who changed everything and left? Or have you been that architect, disappearing before the chaos begins? Share your tales!

Wrapping Up

Freelance EAs bring value, but architecture isn’t just about creating diagrams—it’s about sustaining change. Whether in-house or external, architects need to build continuity into their work.

Next Week’s Sneak Peek:

“The Data Lake Swamp: When Your Clean Data Plan Sinks into the Mud”

Until next time, stay visible, stay strategic!