There are now several myriad books out there on the topic of software architecture, including this one I have contributed to. There are other skills an architect needs to do their job which are not just to be found in IT books however. Here are six books which have helped me in my job together with a few reasons why I think they are useful:

1. Change by Design by Tim Brown. Tim Brown is the CEO of IDEO a design company based in Palo Alto, California. Introduces the concepts of “design thinking” that can be applied to any problem and shows how empathy, play, storytelling and prototyping can all be bought together in coming up with new and innovative designs. Top tip: Deploy interdisciplinary teams of multi-talented people (i.e. true versatilists) to solve hard design problems. Even if you don’t get the book at least visit the link I’ve given to view the wonderful mid map.
2. Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. Garr is the master of giving advice on how to create simple, clear and relevant presentations. Here he applies the zen principles of simplicity that will change how you think about creating presentations using PowerPoint or Keynote. Top tip: Picture superiority effect. Pictures are remembered better than words. Humans are hardwired for using images to communicate. Go visual wherever and whenever you can.
3. A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink. Dan describe how, if we are to survive in the 21st century world of work, we must make more use of the left side, the creative side, of our brain rather than the traditional right (logical thinking) side. Top tip: Use stories to help illustrate your ideas. Stories represent a pathway to understanding that doesn’t run through the left side of the brain.
4. Notes on the Synthesis of Form by Christopher Alexander. Alexander recognises that problems come with multiple, poorly understood requirements that interact with each other, creating conflicts and contradictions. Something we in IT have known for years. This book describes an approach for dealing with often multiple conflicting requirements to come up with the “best fit” solution. Top tip: It is difficult to specify a complete set of requirements that need to be met to achieve a “best fit”. A practical approach is to define ‘good fit’ as the absence of ‘misfits’, since these are usually what makes the problem obvious and can be ascertained through inspection of prior designs. Although designers may argue over the importance of a particular misfit, they are less likely to disagree on whether the misfit exists.
5. Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod. Hugh is an artist that makes a living creating art on the back of business cards, selling wine and running an extremely insightful web site on applying creativity to help you improve your job as well as your life. Top tip: Don’t try to stand out from the crowd, avoid crowds altogether.
6. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo. Great book with lots of example on how Steve Jobs creates, prepares for and delivers his presentations to introduce new Apple gadgetry on the world. Top tip from book: Use plain English and photographs rather than techno mumbo-jumbo and slides densely packed with indecipherable text and bullet points.