I have been coding for over 40 years and have designed many systems from small embedded systems the size of my little finger to huge, globe-spanning telecommunications systems. For all of those systems, the various teams' designs were basically as Gergely Orosz talked about. A few times I did some UML drawings, but the time to get them "right" was not worth it.
So, what is my role as an architect (I have been doing that role for about 15 years)? For various start-ups, I made sure that designs were compatible with each other (primarily through APIs and protocols). This was especially important at the startups since each team was running full speed to get a project done and often forgot the company's big picture.
For larger companies, I would be the interface between the customer and engineering to ensure both sides understood the requirements, expectations, and deliverables.
In all cases, I would also continue to code as well as document. An architect who doesn't code quickly loses sight of what is real and what is important in the ultimate expression of the design - the code itself.
So, what is my role as an architect (I have been doing that role for about 15 years)? For various start-ups, I made sure that designs were compatible with each other (primarily through APIs and protocols). This was especially important at the startups since each team was running full speed to get a project done and often forgot the company's big picture.
For larger companies, I would be the interface between the customer and engineering to ensure both sides understood the requirements, expectations, and deliverables.
In all cases, I would also continue to code as well as document. An architect who doesn't code quickly loses sight of what is real and what is important in the ultimate expression of the design - the code itself.