Principal Software Engineer vs Architect | How to Differ Them?

There is no rulebook for job titles in the IT industry. We sometimes use them interchangeably, but it’s good to be specific, so let’s examine the differences in detail.

One thing is for sure:

• Titles might not be the most important thing, but they can make a difference.
• Our job titles define how others see us, they’re a big part of our first impression, and they convey what we do.
• For managers in technological companies, it’s important to know who does what. Proper titles can even improve teamwork. It’s easier to ask for help when you’re aware of your teammates’ responsibilities.
• One of the most mysterious titles is Software Architect. How is this job different from software engineering? First, we’ll look at the “soft” side of things, and we’ll get more technical in the second part.

The Mysterious Software Architect

In a (very tiny) nutshell, software engineering is more on the technical side, and software architecture is a bit more on the business side. It’s important to bear in mind that in private companies and SMBs, these titles won’t always mean the same thing.

The corporate environment is a bit more structured and requires detailed job titles, whereas smaller teams have a bit more leeway. So in smaller companies, you might find a Principal Software Architect on outstaffing service whose job, in reality, is limited to Engineering.

Why limited? Because the Architect usually covers a wider range of responsibilities. To put it simply, in a normal team hierarchy, the head of engineering would be tasked with building a product that fits the senior architect’s vision. From an education perspective, Software Engineers with a college education know about software architecture.

Realistically, then, these titles are interchangeable. At least to a certain degree. When Engineers choose a job at a tech company, they can specialize in producing high-quality software, or planning and managing that production. This would lead to either a senior Engineer or senior Architect title as they became more specialized and gained more experience.

Lots of people like building start-ups because it allows them to take on many roles at once. In the archetypical two-person start-up, there’s the business partner and the technology partner. The tech partner does the architecture, planning, engineering, testing, bug-fixing, from the backend to the frontend.

As the software project grows, the tech partner becomes the technological manager, and then – principal software engineer or architect. Whichever he prefers, and thinks describes his job best. In reality, and in accordance with the definition (which you’ll see in a bit), he was the architect from the start anyway.

Now, a different situation. The manager needs to gather a team for a big project with specific requirements, a budget, and a deadline. Should she specifically look for a software architect? Not necessarily! A senior software engineer with relevant experience would most likely be able to take on the role of the senior architect.

One of the crucial aspects of the Architect role is that sometimes the architect isn’t a programmer. Architects don’t always code. But, as Anthony Langsworth (and many professional software developers) would argue, a good architect should be able to write code, because it:

• “Verifies the code written by developers matches the design and identifies deviations.
• Helps the architect learn about changes or new features. […]
• Allows the architect to write a proof of concepts or prototype. […]
• Provides another pair of capable hands during the project crunch periods.
• Makes the architect more forgiving of bugs because the architect has likely made similar mistakes in the past.”

This brings us back to the fact that a senior software Architect on some teams can in fact be an Engineer, despite their title. Anybody who designs a product or a system can be called an Architect if the role isn’t clearly defined.

Titles can mean different things from project to project. On the technical side, however, things are a lot more clear.