Why Every ServiceNow Architect Should Periodically Return to Development

[Abhijeet Upadh2]

As architects become more senior, it is natural for their responsibilities to shift away from hands-on development. They spend more time on strategy, governance, stakeholder engagement, and solution design.

However, I strongly believe architects should periodically return to development activities.

This does not mean architects should become full-time developers. Rather, they should maintain enough hands-on experience to understand how design decisions affect implementation teams.

Technology evolves rapidly. New ServiceNow capabilities, development frameworks, AI features, and platform enhancements are introduced regularly. Architects who become disconnected from implementation realities may unintentionally introduce designs that are theoretically sound but difficult to deliver.

Hands-on engagement also improves credibility. Delivery teams are more likely to trust architectural guidance when they know architects understand practical implementation challenges.

Some of the most valuable insights emerge while building, testing, troubleshooting, and configuring solutions directly within the platform. These experiences often reveal opportunities or constraints that may not be visible through documentation alone.

Maintaining technical depth also improves architectural decision-making. It helps architects distinguish between genuine technical limitations and perceived limitations based on outdated assumptions.

Throughout my career, I have found that alternating between strategic thinking and practical implementation creates a stronger architectural perspective.

Architecture provides direction.

Development provides reality.

The most effective architects understand both.

[MichaelLutfi]

I strongly agree with everything you said. I've noticed a change in attitude and respect from developers when they see me roll up my sleeves and build something out. I've learnt that the best way to understand the avalanche of new features in the platform, require getting your hands dirty so you can truly understand and solution around the limitation and capabilities. 

I would like to add that architects need to also humble themselves in front of their team members and be able to say they don't understand how it works and they want to setup an exploration session with the technical team to discover and understand it better. This doesn't put you on the same level as a developer because end of the day an architect has a different mindset of how it all comes together, how it serves long term business needs, and potential for negative implications.