The first thing to do, which does not involve writing any code, is put on my hat as a systems analyst. An architect must have an understanding of each phase of the process ranging from first collecting information from the current system in place, talking to each person involved in that current system, sitting down and doing some of the work of some of those people (this provides very valuable information that was not submitted earlier, as it was not considered valuable), and basically learning to understand and appreciate the data. Knowing the data is the first and most crucial step, otherwise, the models and subsequent work based on it will be useless and can cost a company resources it cannot afford. Knowing the data well provides the architect with perspectives that the company may not be considering. That is, there may be better options available that have not been considered that could exceed their objectives. It is the objectives that are key in the entire process. A basic developer will resolve a specific issue concentrating on the key, but the architect must have an understanding of the entire forest, so to speak, and must concentrate on understanding the data and the company's current and future objectives.