What Is A Solutions Architect?: Role & Responsibilities

Furthermore, a solution architect starts too soon in the project with a plan to achieve. Usually, he begins picking the right technology for the business issues and handling architectural concerns to ensure the outcomes are more effective and productive. As this change is quite complicated, every brand seeks an expert holding the required skillset and proficiency in balancing the business requirements with distinct modifications of technology solutions. Or we can say, as per the time’s demand, businesses need to run the digital transformation of their primary operations of transferring core processes to software solutions efficiently.

role of a solution architect

A solution architect accounts for developing a complete architecture for a software solution and offering strategic direction all through the development phase. While these aspects are constraints in themselves, each of them has its own limitations. The solution architect must understand all these constraints, compare them, and then make a number of technological and managerial decisions to reconcile these restrictions with project goals. A solution architect isn’t directly involved in project management but needs to ensure deadlines are met, and the appropriate resources are involved.

AWS solution architect certification

Understanding these aspects, they will be able to design a specific solution that fits the environment best. In brief, solution architects are hugely important decision-makers who test plans of their development teams, determine which projects are most beneficial. They should be business-minded professionals striving to achieve the best business results solution architect role while optimizing available resources. But solution architect is a broader concept and may include technical architect responsibilities. A solution architect is responsible for not only the technical part of an IT system but also for business processes, analysis of domain area, data processing, cooperation with the digital marketing team, etc.

role of a solution architect

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. EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) is a dynamic and truly global delivery network. From accountants to coders to advisory consultants, we offer a wide variety of fulfilling career opportunities that span all business disciplines. In GDS, you will collaborate with EY teams on exciting projects and work with well-known brands from across the globe. We’ll introduce you to an ever-expanding ecosystem of people, learning, skills and insights that will stay with you throughout your career.

The Roles & Responsibilities of a Solution Architect

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. A solution architect
This specialist thinks through the implementation of the selected solution or feasibility of a certain change in the tech ecosystem. Depending on the solution architect’s technical skills and area of expertise, there are several types of professionals, e.g. those who deal with networks, security, data, DevOps flows, or infrastructure. They work closely with the development teams to agree on IT strategies and describe the practices to be followed throughout the project. The main difference between a technical architect and a solution architect in these two roles is that the former focuses primarily on the engineering side.

role of a solution architect

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. The process requires regular feedback, adjustments, and problem-solving in order to properly design and implement potential solutions. Perhaps the most critical skills for the SA are the ability to create consensus and understanding around the architecture. The final component to the role of solution architect is the motivation and guidance of the development leads. Development leaders need to buy into and accept the architecture, to know how the pieces will fit together at a high level.

Solution architect job description

Ultimately, you will work with the organization’s leaders to identify problems and then work with our IT Team to address those problems with innovative software solutions. Additionally, a solution architect exercises a leadership role over a project manager (PM). Such a role presupposes working closely with a PM to make sure resources, plans, and strategies are in tune with the project’s objectives. In a quickly changing IT world, companies need to change their modus operandi to meet their current business needs. This digital makeover calls for a particular expertise and knowing how to re-adjust business interests with IT solutions. There are many solution architect certifications available to master a specific technology.

  • As such, an IT Solutions Architect’s role becomes important and indispensable to orchestrating this transformation.
  • Next, the proposal for a business improvement has to be submitted together with the work package that shows the candidate’s practical skills in applying the ITIL principles in real-world business cases.
  • However, it is noteworthy that Solutions Architects are often among the highest-compensated professionals in the IT industry.
  • In addition to research on technologies and approaches critical to the architecture, there is often a review of patterns that might be useful to the architecture.

The solution architecture was designed considering all the business requirements. We’ve considered a role-based access control (RBAC) with three different roles to enable access level management. Our team has also implemented core logical modules, features, and logical layers such as management of Documents, Actions, Training Records, and Human Resources to bring more value to our Customer. The interconnection of modules and solution elements is presented on the detailed product scheme.

Solution architect roles in brief

They also should be able to understand the technical specifications of many different software solutions and hardware and perform analysis of different business layers. Architects are also responsible for the project context from the very beginning to the current moment. They need to remember all the details of the projects and ideas to validate and approve them on time. You need to forge a link between the existing enterprise architecture and the particular project.

As such, an IT Solutions Architect’s role becomes important and indispensable to orchestrating this transformation. At the first stage of a project, a solution architect gathers the requirements for a software solution from stakeholders. 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 exam will be suitable not only for solutions architects but also for any experts dealing with Google Cloud technologies.

Solution Architect Description and Key Skills

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. Good and well-considered architecture is essential for the effective development of any software. The correct architectural solution makes it possible to scale the product at minimal cost and painlessly for an existing product and customers. Simply put, this is the foundation of the product on which the long-term success of any project depends. Solution architecture is oriented on specific business problems of the company and serves to achieve business goals.

role of a solution architect

In addition, it is a bonus to know about business analysis techniques and processes. Most solutions architects have spent at least a few years in software development. This gives them a strong understanding of the tools and technologies involved in designing solutions. Five to 10 years of hands-on experience in network administration or information technology systems is common, but it varies based on what a specific company is looking for. In general, solution architect roles and responsibilities include designing a solution architecture and implementing it in practice. They have a clear vision of a product and understand how this product should benefit a business.

The Indispensable Expert: Exploring the Role of a Solution Architect

A senior architect needs to have a proven track record of delivering successful solutions, as well as the ability to mentor and inspire others. A technical architect is a role that focuses on the technical aspects of the solution, such as the infrastructure, platforms, tools, frameworks, and technologies. A technical architect defines the technical architecture and the technical requirements for the solution, as well as the technical risks and mitigation strategies. A technical architect also evaluates and selects the appropriate technical solutions and vendors, and ensures that they comply with the technical standards and regulations. A technical architect needs to have a strong knowledge and skills in the technical domain, as well as the ability to research and innovate new technologies and solutions. The Enterprise Architect operates at the macro level, focusing on the overarching IT environment of the organization.

Defining and Communicating Architecture Vision

Thus, a skilled solution architect should have a good listening ear and an empathetic heart. The role of a solution architect is to ensure the product meets business requirements and requirements from other stakeholders. The primary role of a solution architect is to ensure the product meets business requirements and requirements from other stakeholders. Usually, it’s senior developers, team leads, and project managers who have skills required for a solution architect. They have the needed tech background, business expertise, and are excellent communicators. Basically, as soon as a software engineer starts thinking about business needs, they are on their way to becoming a solution architect.

The architect must recognize the corporate strategy and realize all business processes that define how a company achieves its strategic goals. As a result, solution architects constantly deal with analytical work and move between various business layers. In a rapidly changing technology environment, organizations face the need to transform their processes and systems to meet emerging business requirements. This digital transformation demands specific expertise and a set of practices to align business focus with technology solutions.