It was already mentioned that in many cases, a solution architect will act as support for project managers. In such cases, the architect will need to influence decisions made by the manager, which can include objecting to technology uses when necessary. A solution architect helps a project succeed by the simple virtue of making those problems go away.
Architects speak both the “technical” and “business” languages with their clients, helping them merge the gap between the two. The roles and responsibilities that answer what solution architects do, as you would have reckoned, is fairly wide. Although the true list of non-technical elements depends on the software complexity, a general one would consist of performance, maintainability, security, usability, and scalability.
User Story Acceptance Criteria Explained with Examples
Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals. Plan, design and execute complex company level storage solution configuration. Ensure application architecture team delivers robust system solution to architect business. Conduct architectural evaluation, design and analysis of enterprise wide systems throughout entire Sterling business.
That someone can be a business solution architect from a reliable IT consulting company with his/her advanced technical skill set. These individuals are responsible for engineering, creating software architecture, and implementing technology. A company typically needs a Solution Architect when it is on the cusp of designing, developing, or implementing a sophisticated technology solution to address a specific business issue or realize a particular goal. These intricate problems may be rooted in operational inefficiencies, a need for process automation, or evolving business requirements that necessitate technological adaptation or transformation.
Solutions Architect Education and Experience
They meticulously analyze various facets such as cost, timeline, and expected returns, weaving together a comprehensive understanding of the project’s viability and potential. This estimation process is a crucial safeguard, ensuring that projects remain within budgetary and time constraints while aligning with the organization’s strategic objectives. They provide technical leadership and make decisions regarding the most crucial elements of a system being created. The elements that would be hard to change after implementing and elements that may be related to failure risks. Also, the architect may sometimes propose technical standards, including coding standards, tools, or platforms. Software architects may also be engaged in the design of the architecture of the hardware environment.
Although solutions architects are not directly involved in project development, they still need to ensure that project resources are being used efficiently and impactfully. They should be business-minded and capable of identifying the most effective solution at every turn for every part of the architecture. It is their responsibility https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ to focus on business goals, including hiring new people, and understand how to achieve them in the set timeframe and within the given budget. However important the above-mentioned skills might be, they won’t help a solution architect to reach their goals unless (s)he can efficiently interact with other people involved in the project.
Account for project constraints
They will play a role in talking to the stakeholders as well, converting technical information into layman’s. Even though project development is not a part of a solutions architect’s role, they are held accountable when deadlines and resource management are brought into consideration. They are required to select the best solution and discard the one that does not fit in the process or business goals, well within time. This far, we have established how a solutions architect helps IT and business teams with building products on time and on budget while ensuring that problems get solved. Even the most sophisticated software product is worth investing in only if it can bring real business value. A software architect is a person who ensures that you spend money on tech solutions wisely instead of taking a shot in the dark.
A lead architect needs to have a high level of leadership and management skills, as well as the ability to influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders and sponsors. The salary of a solutions architect varies a lot and depends on multiple factors. For example, in the US, an expert can get between $142K – 238K yearly, whereas in Ukraine, a professional with the same qualifications can get between $68K – 90K per year. Moreover, the salary is also based on years of experience, technical skills, seniority, and soft skills as well. To successfully design, create, and lead the development of a software solution, an architect needs to have a certain skill set.
Your Guide to Choosing the Ideal IT Consulting Strategy and Firm for Your Business
S/he carries an understanding of how the different elements of the business model works in unison and how to design a solution that would best meet this mix of operating system, processes, and architecture. Securing the expertise of a solutions architect on your team, whether internally or through a development partner, guarantees a host of undeniable benefits. With their invaluable contributions, you can be confident in achieving optimal project outcomes.
As the bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders, strong communication and interpersonal skills are crucial for a Solutions Architect. They must effectively articulate technical complexities to non-technical personnel and facilitate discussions to drive consensus and decision-making. Familiarity with DevOps practices like continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD), and infrastructure as code (IaC) is pivotal in the current software development and deployment landscape. Experience with tools like Jenkins, Docker, and Kubernetes is essential to streamline and automate development processes.
Accounting for project constraints
So, this specialist should be able to clearly explain, understand everyone’s point of view, listen, advise, and influence. The concept of a solution architecture is rather complex and includes many aspects required to create a custom software solution with a specific purpose. That’s why there are several subtypes of architecture that handle various functional and non-functional solution architect performance goals requirements and aspects. For example, they include business, information, security, system, technology, and so on. The Enterprise Architect operates at the macro level, focusing on the overarching IT environment of the organization. They are tasked with defining, maintaining, and enforcing an organization’s architectural vision, ensuring alignment with business strategy.
- Being a project leader cannot be easy, but solution architects are masters at this.
- This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks.
- According to Zippia, 66 percent of solutions architects have a bachelor’s degree, and 24 percent have a master’s [3].
- Just as the ability of the Functional Analyst to create a requirements document is one part science and wrote procedure so is the creation of the architecture.
- Coordination and collaboration with diverse stakeholders is an essential endeavor for Solutions Architects.
Solution architecture’s aim is to ensure that all their requirements are taken into account. Stakeholders have to be regularly informed about product development processes, costs, and budgeting. These tasks are usually done by a solution architect who translates technical project details into a language that management and non-technical stakeholders can understand.
When do you need to hire a solution architect?
Those three sound the same, so they are often mistaken for each other and are even used interchangeably in discussions. In the time to come, the need for solution architects roles is only going to grow. However, this remains a dynamic, work in progress role where new responsibilities are getting added as we speak. When you have to add a link between the current enterprise and the specific project, business solution architects would be able to help you with the best solution. Once a business’s software becomes complicated and starts getting introduced with risks and processes, know it’s time for hiring a solutions architect. One of the solution architect roles is to identify which combination would be best for which project – something that they can gauge on the basis of in-depth technological assessment and comparisons.