The Secrets of Great Architects

having just posted an Article on the topic of too much abstraction, (too conceptual in my article), its quite a conincidence that the next article I read is The Secrets of Great Architects posted on MSDN, about the extact same topic.  Here is a short extract:

All great architects have mastered the ability to conceptualize a solution at distinct levels of abstraction. By organizing the solution into discrete levels, architects are able to focus on a single aspect of the solution while ignoring all remaining complexities. Presents techniques for applying levels of abstraction to IT solutions, and compares this to other engineering disciplines

Read both and you should have a good balenced view!