In the last couple of years, the rise in demand for Solution Architects has exploded because of the broad array of skills they bring to a project’s framework. There are several Solution Architect roles covered under the umbrella of the position. Also, real customer exposure helped to condition my brain to real-life applications. If you’re only reading books, remember, a book can only capture that one author or individual’s perspective, not a wider perspective. Michael believes not only in doing his job but doing his job right; acting more as an advocate for change, rather than just another person trying to sell the next great system. You will be an integral part of the Web Development Team closely working with the Digital Technical Lead, the Infrastructure Solution Architect as well as Project teams and directly reporting into the Technological Lead.
That’s why there are several subtypes of architecture that handle various functional and non-functional requirements and aspects. For example, they include business, information, security, system, technology, and so on. Ideally, a solution architect should have technical https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ skills and past architecture experience. Solution architects are the link between the business strategy and IT operations and therefore need to have an understanding of an organization’s architectural environment as well as real-life technical solutions.
Solution architect skillset and background
The solution architect’s role is to analyze all non-functional requirements and ensure that further product development will meet them. In addition to the project’s technical specifics, the architect must understand the business processes inside and outside the company and how it builds its corporate strategy and goals faces. As a result, we can say that a solution architect’s work consists of analytical work, not just technical work. One of the most sought-after roles in software development companies is as a solution architect. The solution architect works with the development team to create and integrate information and computing systems that meet specific needs.
In such a situation, the solution architect must understand the company’s business processes in the solutions that are already used in the company. By understanding these processes, they will design a specific solution that is most suitable for the environment. A well-planned solution architecture helps the team working on a project to meet deadlines, act on the budget, and create a solution according to previously agreed customer requirements. Let’s take a look at what specific processes the solution architect works with. It’s also worth mentioning that the role of a solution architect is not limited just to ideation. To make it clearer, let’s look at the tasks solution architect job description should include.
More articles on Solution Architecture
Specifically, it communicates an idea of a product with business owners, top executives, and possibly customers to understand their pain points and requirements and define the future system’s right vision. This article will provide solutions architect job description, how their role is different from other similar positions, and what kind of projects require input from these specialists. Among the responsibilities of solution architects is making sure the software they work on meets all functional requirements. The workplace of a solution architect can vary depending on the organization they work for and the nature of the projects they are involved in. Solution architects may work in various settings, including corporate offices, IT consulting firms, and software development companies. A solutions architect also bridges communication between IT and business operations to ensure everyone is aligned in developing and implementing technical solutions for business problems.
They have a clear vision of a product and understand how this product should benefit a business. A solution architect also translates this vision to a coding team to build a highly tailored product to the enterprise’s needs and requirements. Solution architecture describes how different components solutions architect meaning of business, information, and technology architectures are used in a particular solution. As solution architecture is more focused on details and solution technologies to address a specific business problem, it provides a channel between enterprise architecture and technical architecture.
Key Processes in Solution Architecture
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 an IT 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.
- By building on the structure and organization of this outline and customizing it with your specific job duties and requirements, you can turn those candidates into applicants.
- This person leads the team responsible for providing technical consultancy for channel and alliance partners of all types.
- This role is also responsible for modeling complex business problems and discovering business insights through the use of statistical, algorithmic, mining, and visualization techniques.
- So, those conversations basically can be very high level — like a 10,000 feet away kind of view — or a detailed technical conversation.
As per Glassdoor salary estimates, a Field Solution Architect earns an average of $ $116,171/annum for full-time in the United States. Moreover, as per indeed salary estimate, the normal salary for Field Solutions Architect varies from about $87,451 per year. Lowest wage may vary by geographical location, and you can refer the employer for actual salary data. Next, the requirements must be validated and assessed to meet the necessary criteria. If you want to launch a streaming service, you must own the copyrights and content licenses. For example, here’s the tech stack we used while working on Blockbuster, a video streaming platform.
What the Solution Architect’s Roles and Responsibilities Are, and How to Know When You Need One
They bridge business requirements and tech means developers need to use to meet these requirements. Architects speak both ‘technical’ language with developers and ‘business’ language with clients. Having a clear vision for the project and a clear understanding of the client’s business needs, a solutions architect maps out the parts that will constitute the software solution and how they are going to work together.
The initial high-level design will need to be monitored to confirm that it is consistent and compared with the solution’s overall design. He or she is mainly responsible for building a proper infrastructure to support a company’s business strategy. This is one crucial point, as there are many different practices related to platforms, programming languages, and tools. The architect needs to determine which of the technologies will be most suitable for a particular project.
What Is a Solutions Architect? Roles, Skills, and Responsibilities
Simply put, solution architecture is a high-level description of a software product in the context of the problems it solves. In other words, solution architecture shows how a system and its specific features help a company reach its determined business goals. A Solution Architect is a professional who designs and manages the implementation of a specific solution or set of solutions within an organization. These solutions typically involve software or technology systems and are designed to solve specific problems or to improve specific processes within the company. Usually, it’s senior developers, team leads, and project managers who have skills required for a solution architect.
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.
Job brief
A solutions architect in a client-facing role will also need to understand how to manage customer satisfaction and set proper expectations for the end-product. A lead architect is a role that leads and manages a team of architects, either within a project, a program, or a portfolio. A lead architect defines the architecture vision and strategy for the team, as well as the architecture governance and processes. A lead architect also mentors and coaches the team members, and monitors and reports on the architecture performance and quality.