Well, I can tell you easily how a large system (to the degree that it requires a architect to understand) get successful: They don't.
Successful systems may get large, and as a general rule, large systems do not get successful. Once in a while a large system is so well written that it fits inside the head of anybody, and it has a chance of success. You can never get one of those later if there's interference of people that do not code directly.
Successful systems may get large, and as a general rule, large systems do not get successful. Once in a while a large system is so well written that it fits inside the head of anybody, and it has a chance of success. You can never get one of those later if there's interference of people that do not code directly.