What Does A Solution Architect Do?

Definition

A Solution Architect performs important IT tasks and makes many key decisions around solutions. A Solution Architect is responsible for creating a comprehensive architecture on the one hand for a software solution and also the strategic direction throughout the development process. He/she must ensure that the new solution fits into the existing enterprise architecture from a technical, business and user perspective. Solution architects collaborate with all teams involved in the development process. In most cases, the responsibility is to ensure that the software solutions match the resources, risk identification and planning of a client company.

What are the Responsibilities of the Solution Architect?

• Technical planning of complex enterprise client implementations
• Advise on business decisions from a technical perspective
• Develop mature technical solution design according to business requirements
• Defining optimal solutions
• Ensuring that IT solutions meet the requirements and standards of the overall IT strategy
• Developing innovative applications
• Resolving technical issues as they arise
• Analyzing the impact that a technical decision has on a client’s business processes
• Lead and coordinate the development team
• Continually researches new technologies and proposes changes to existing architecture

What Does a Day at Work as a Solution Architect Look Like?

At the beginning of the day, the solution architect sits down with the development team to discuss upcoming tasks and find common solutions to technical problems.
The task consists of putting together the solution for the customer’s needs and requirements. This starts with the first contact. At this point technical or other problems often arise that hold up the process and thus need to be solved quickly. Furthermore, market-relevant solutions are created and integrated for customers in the digital environment.

Another task is to analyze and identify potential short- and longterm risks that may cause technical problems and hinder business operations in the future. To do this, there is usually a meeting with the product owner once a day to discuss any potential solutions. Depending on the day’s tasks or problems, a solution architect remains flexible and finds innovative solutions.
In the evening, he summarizes the important tasks for the next day so that he can complete the most important To Dos right away the next day.

What are the Special Features?

Teamwork and coordination skills, as well as flexibility, are of high importance. It is absolutely necessary to always be aware of the latest innovations and technical possibilities. As expected, the role requires technical training and hands-on experience in all major areas of the software development process, as well as hardware engineering expertise (for software projects that rely on hardware). A solution architect should therefore have experience in the following areas:

• Business Analysis
• IT infrastructure
• Software architecture design
• Cloud development
• DevOps

What are the Communication Skills?

Communication skills are just as important as technical understanding. Effective communication with stakeholders, project managers, developers and others involved in the software development process is essential for a solution architect. Since the architect plays a central role in every project and leads every team in it, ineffective communication can lead to major bottlenecks. So, a solution architect should be able to clearly explain, understand, listen, advise and influence everyone’s point of view.