What is a Solution Architect? Roles & Responsibilities

Solutions architects are a vital role in any organization that wants to align its business goals and needs with IT services, products, software, and infrastructure. Most of the certification platforms, besides the exam itself, offer training courses, learning materials, and practice tests. However, the solution architect can take the exam without previous preparation. All that is required is an in-depth knowledge of the architecture concepts and principles and vast hands-on experience in the industry. To be successful as a solution architect, you should be able to integrate any updated specifications and requirements into the systems architecture.

Enterprise architecture, which we covered in a dedicated article, focuses on building complex enterprise ecosystems and solves high-level strategic issues. Enterprise architecture defines the strategic directions of the business architecture, which then leads to an understanding of what technology facilities are needed to support that architecture. So, in other words, the enterprise architect defines what has to be done, while the solution architect then decides how to do it. It is the work process that solutions architects perform to bring business excellence and efficiency.

In terms of organization structure, would you think Solution Architecture team should be under Enterprise Architecture or as a standalone unit in par with Enterprise Architecture? Everything has become online, from ordering food to online cloth shopping, and has applications for that… Every project has a constraint that keeps varying from one type of project to the other. The most common project constraints incorporate – Money, time, risk, limitation, and licensing. The website does not support offline mode; without an internet connection, the users cannot access anything.

Qualifications for Solution Architect

A solutions architect is responsible for translating the vision for the project to the development team and plays a pivotal part throughout the entire systems development lifecycle. A solutions architect is responsible for creating a comprehensive architecture for a software solution and providing strategic direction throughout the development process. You make a good point that to find a solution architecture function to see what’s best for the building you’ll need technology assessment and comparison.

Nevertheless, the exam can be taken without any previous preparation in case a professional has a deep understanding of the architecture principles along with solid experience in the IT industry. You may have a large project that requires someone to manage designers, technical or business architect teams to produce a quality technical project outcome. The ITIL Expert certificate is a prerequisite for gaining this credential. The candidate is also required to have over 5 years of experience in leadership, managerial, or high-level advisory roles.

Enterprise architect vs solution architect and how they are different from the technical architect

In short, this specialist comes into play after a business analyst finishes prioritizing features and eliciting limitations. Their core task is to create exhaustive documentation, e.g. well-elaborated specifications and thorough diagrams. Solution architect’s role and their place in a team can be illustrated as follows. This position requires at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or software engineering. Although experience is not always required, several years of network administration experience is beneficial. Updates stakeholders on the status of product development processes and budgets.

• The SA skill set is slightly broader and requires a bit more finesse, however, fundamentally the same.
• So, being the one who knows the ultimate target, they guide the development process accordingly.
• Ultimately, their main responsibility is regarding the vision underlying the solution and how to execute that vision.
• Solution architect’s role and their place in a team can be illustrated as follows.
• Solution architects design or modify systems architecture to meet certain business needs.
• The strategic directions of business architecture are defined by enterprise architecture.

On average, a solution architect in the US earns $64 an hour which makes the annual total of over $133,000 – a pretty solid sum. What can you do if your company can’t afford to splurge such outrageous money on the services of a solution architect? If you fish for a solution architect in areas with a lower payment threshold, you can save prodigious sums.

Deep analytical skills

They are well-versed with such constraints and bring the best ways to deal with them. And the more rapidly you deal with them; the more it will deliver the products cheaper and faster. A solution architect accounts for developing a complete architecture for a software solution and offering strategic direction all through the development phase. Facilitate CDP development – Solution AEs collaborate with the Agile teams and the System Teamto define and build the CDP environments for the solution’s varying component technologies. Defining enablers – Solution AEs are primarily responsible for defining the enablers that explore alternatives and build the architectural runway that support the solution’s future functionality. Enablers are also used to refactor the system and reduce the technical debt inherent in evolving systems.

Feel free to see the list of top client cases to see how our team has solved the business challenges of our clients and how custom software solutions can take operations to the next level. The overarching goal of an enterprise architect is to ensure that the company has smooth development lifecycles and uses available resources for every enterprise application effectively. A solutions architect must be capable of analyzing and identifying potential short and long-term risks that may cause technical issues and impede business operations in the future. An IT solutions architect is an expert and one of the most significant and client-facing roles in the IT industry.

Information security architecture

They use a framework platform or tech-stack to create a solution to a project. They are concerned with how an application will look https://globalcloudteam.com/ like, what the modules will be and how they interact. They additionally figure out the risk in third-party frameworks/platforms.

They create prototypes simultaneously to identify technological constraints or advance the product concept. Understand the business requirements and goals of the organization and design solutions that align with them. A good Solution Architect must have excellent analytical skills to understand the needs of an organization and find solutions to help move the organization forward. They also must have good communication skills as they work with the organization’s leadership and IT professionals throughout a project. Modern enterprises extensively employ state-of-the-art software to provide effective workflow and satisfy the needs of their target audience.

Solution Architect/Engineering

The project involvement of the solution architect starts when the requirements are being developed by the computer systems analyst. Thereafter, their involvement continues throughout the rest of the project. The task of development is organized by them, motivating and guiding the development time during the systems development life cycle.

Collaboratively define the system with Specification and Design WorkshopsDecompose the solution – Solution AEs decompose the solution into components that reduce the teams’ and ARTs’ cognitive load . In addition, the decomposition leverages existing solutions from internal and external suppliers, which accelerates development and reduces costs. In contrast, these large solutions are composed of many bespoke components built by ARTs and suppliers. Consequently, solution trains require additional coordination for co-development, compliance, and long-term support .

Risk Identification And Management

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. Now, we hope you have answers to all the solutions architects’ relevant queries and more.

Amidst his busy work schedule, Joydip loves to spend time on writing blogs and contributing to the opensource community. Larger projects require someone for managing the designers, business or technical architect teams for producing quality outcomes. For example, the technologies used for building a product should suit the requirements of its modules. The software documentation defines the scope of a project, which includes its goals, features, functions, and tasks.

Solution architect roles in brief

Intellectsoft has extensive experience across various industries such as healthcare, logistics, construction, fintech, and others. Now, you probably want to know what the salary of a qualified Solutions Architect is. solution architecture responsibilities According to job search sites, the average salary for a Solutions Architect role can vary widely depending on the location, education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years in the profession, etc.

They develop a budget for producing a software product based on that vision. A solutions architect creates the overall technical vision for a specific solution to a business problem. In many ways, this person builds the bridge between a business problem and the technology solution and outlines each of the phases and requirements required to make that solution work. Superior CommunicationBeing 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 the architect has a central role in any project and leads every team on it, ineffective communication can lead to big bottlenecks. So, a solutions architect should be able to clearly explain, understand everyone’s point of view, listen, advise, and influence.

Considering that this role entails negotiating with stakeholders, understanding the needs of all parties, managing risks, and product delivery, the lack of communication skills can create a real bottleneck. The position requires working closely with enterprise and software architects, business analysts, and project teams. So, an experienced solution architect should be able to listen, advise, empathize, and explain.