But as the same time, having an architect from the outside, whose time is billed to every project, can help streamline the requirements process. "Every design has a cost to it.

So we put that cost to the business and let them figure out whether they are under- or over-designing. Once we did that their requirements became clearer, they started doing their homework better and scope creep became minimal."

With the advent of SOA, many say that architects will become an essential part of the IT landscape. But only time will tell. For now, in India, it seems it will fall into the category of what cannot be defined, cannot have a place in the slowdown.