Years and lessons working at ThoughtWorks
<p><pre><code>    Architects make the best decisions when they code

    In the Tech Lead courses I run, I advocate for Tech
    Leads to spend at least 30% of their time coding. 
    Spending time with the code helps build trust, respect
    and a current understanding of the system. Making 
    architectural decisions without regard for the  
    constraints of the current system are often bad decisions.
</code></pre>
I really hate it when people don&#x27;t know the difference between an architect and a tech lead.   I&#x27;m happy that you gave your tech lead a title bump if that&#x27;s what you want to do, but there is a difference.   If you have your architects coding you are wasting time and money.  Hire another programmer and have your architect do what they are supposed to.