The Solution Architect Role and Responsibilities Explained

We have a detailed article describing the role of a software architect and the importance of this position to the company’s success. This scope of work requires a particular set of skills that can make the process efficient and productive. Perhaps the most critical skills for the SA are the ability to create consensus and understanding around the architecture. While a development lead my need to involve a few people in their detailed design the architecture of the application touches every member of the team and there’s a need to get them to understand it and agree with it.

• The 4-1U cloud module instances that are stacked together are configured for management domain – each instance is configured to offer 12.8 TB of RAW storage , 384 GB of memory and 32 cores.
• An enterprise architect is a role that defines and governs the overall architecture of an organization, across multiple domains, systems, and solutions.
• Once everything is agreed upon, he or she monitors the process of development and keeps stakeholders informed about the progress.
• After the stakeholders have agreed on the project, the solutions architect is responsible for monitoring the process and keeping stakeholders updated and informed on the progress.
• This requires them to manage all aspects of the project, plan the timeline, coordinate resources, and manage risks.
• The candidate’s in-depth mastery of cloud computing and solution architect’s certification requires special mention.
• Analyze the impact of the solution on the state of the business’ goals and direct outcomes of solution implementation.

They have to explain how to make each part of the software so that everything fits into a single product. What is a solutions architect, their roles and responsibilities, and how they’re different from software engineers and Project managers — find out in this article. Both roles are vital, but their primary differentiation lies in their focus areas. A Solution Architect zeroes in on particular business problems and designs solutions. At the same time, an Enterprise Architect surveys the broader architectural landscape across the organization and outlines strategic direction and standards. As the bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders, strong communication and interpersonal skills are crucial for a Solutions Architect.

How to write a solution architect job description

While possessing a profound understanding of project technologies and demonstrating coding expertise is essential, these are not the only nor the definitive attributes of a Solution Architect. An IT solutions architect is responsible for creating and implementing an IT architecture that satisfies the intended business requirements. They begin by gathering business needs, learning the requirements’ details, and working solution architect roles and responsibilities with stakeholders to provide the desired outcome. No matter, whatever might be your business domain, solution architects may work in a variety of industries, including information technology, finance, healthcare, and retail, among others. The solution architect must understand all of these constraints and consider the technical and business factors that ultimately need to align with the project’s goals.

The above definition is linked with construction as the operations that an enterprise solution architect takes part in are rather complex and require a generalized view of the situation. In summary, these savvy employees must have an equally good understanding of how an enterprise runs and how to address various issues by adroitly leveraging technologies. Solutions architects also evaluate system architecture to ensure it is up-to-date, secure, and compliant with industry standards.

Infrastructure Solution Architects

Working in close cooperation with development crews, these guys are also charged with the support and maintenance of the solutions the creation of which they supervise. Individuals motivated by problem-solving, creating systems, and using technology to solve challenges, should consider a career as a solutions architect. If you want to become a solutions architect, then you should consider following the academic and career path outlined in this guide. A solution architect should have strong relational skills, good at identifying areas of improvement, and be able to negotiate between the IT team and management. They should also have good relationships with IT vendors and providers interacting with the company to ensure seamless service.

In this guide, we’ll define who a solutions architect is and their responsibilities in an organization. Besides that, it’s important that solution architects consider the project from a long-term perspective and understand that the solution might need to scale and adapt to possible changes in the future. So, being the one who knows the ultimate target, they guide the development process accordingly. While a solution architect doesn’t directly get involved in project management, accounting for deadlines and given resources is inevitable. Solution architects must be able to make decisions about which solutions are advantageous and which are worthless in a given situation.

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In other words, architect duties are connected with integrating software and hardware. Being able to communicate effectively with stakeholders, project managers, developers, and software vendors involved in the software development process is essential for a solutions architect. As an architect has a central role in any project and leads every team on it, ineffective communication can lead to big bottlenecks.

Nowadays, it’s impossible to imagine a successful business without a solid software foundation. Therefore, more and more organizations and companies all over the world are facing the ultimate need to go digital and adopt innovations and high-end software to multiply their efforts and keep growing. If you are creative, analytical, outgoing, pragmatic, and can explain problems and solutions on both a technical and non-technical level, you could have a future as a solutions architect.

Develop career skills and credentials to stand out

Over the past couple of years, the demand for solution architects has grown dramatically due to the ability to solve a wide range of problems in companies. Solution Architects are often considered consultants who examine a system’s architecture, as well as business and technical aspects to suggest a solution. Thus, it’s important that Solution Architects hold a degree, certifications or provable IT experience. Given the strategic place that Solution Architects hold, their technical background and experience prior to entering this role must be evaluated and meet a specific set of needs. Generally speaking, a software product’s goal is aimed at solving a particular collection of tasks. Traditionally, this would be a niche application that adequately solves issues and meets user needs in terms of calculations, storage, and data processing.

For instance, there is often a fair amount of research that happens during this phase. The research may be targeted at testing a technology that will become critical to the architecture. For instance, the SA may test to see if USB or serial port access is available from Java if there’s a need to read a device without downloading software. This process can either be done alone or depending upon the size and velocity of the project can be delegated to a development lead.

Key Processes in Solution Architecture

A solutions architect designs and implements IT systems architectures that meet the set business requirements. Their role starts with gathering the requirements, understanding the specifications, evaluating the systems that are in place, and working closely with stakeholders to deliver the right solution. As the name suggests, a technical architect focuses on engineering aspects of architecture and usually does not make financial or strategic decisions, unlike infrastructure or enterprise architects.

The exam lasts 130 minutes and requires a registration fee, depending on the exam type. The minimum experience needed for this test is at least 1 year working in the field. The certificate is valid for 3 years and requires recertification once it expires. One crucial thing that we also want to mention related to the IT solutions architect is their certifications, which are needed to validate their skills and qualifications.

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Sometimes, when organizations’ projects become challenging and complex, they look for the one who performs a solutions architect’s duties perfectly. A solution architect finds the required software solution and works with a clear project vision and a clear understanding of the client’s business requirements. Solution architecture is the underpinning for any IT project, regardless of whether you actually adopt this practice or not. By deliberately introducing solution architecture, you build the framework that aligns technology, resources, and skills with defined business goals. Digital transformation requires businesses to reconsider either how they deliver value to their customers or what they will eventually deliver.

Azure solution architect certification

Software architecture and systems integrated into it are numerous details that work together. An architect needs to be very attentive to those details, as overlooking something may hinder the development process, lead to breakdowns, or make the software solution inefficient. They also should be able to understand the technical specifications of many different software solutions and hardware and perform analysis of different business layers.

Who Is A Solutions Architect?

If SA is involved in the development, you can be completely confident that the new software product will solve key business problems. This means that at the end of development, the company receives not just a working application, but a product that will lead to scaling. Solution architecture is concerned with defining and designing the building blocks for a program and a very high level. It is about understanding the current state, its impact on the overall architecture, and defining new blocks and their interfaces.