The technology space constantly evolving, businesses have started getting inclined towards bringing adjustments in their operating methods. An inclination that would prepare them to meet emerging challenges and the constantly changing customer demands.
This change, although necessary, can prove to be very complicated, which is why businesses look for experts who hold the essential proficiency and skill set for balancing business needs with distinct technological solutions.
This is where solutions architects come into the picture.
In layman’s terms, the true success of an IT project would depend heavily on the inputs that a solutions architect gives through their:
- Business analysis skills
- Technical knowledge
- Project management skill set
But who are these solutions architects, and what role do they play in businesses’ success? We will dive into that in this article which is all about what is a solutions architect and his/her role.
What is a solutions architect?
A solutions architect is responsible for the evaluation of the business needs and identifying how the IT system can support those needs using hardware, software, and infrastructure. They help determine, develop, and improve the technical solutions that are aligned with business objectives.
They also link business and IT teams, ensuring that everyone is aligned with developing and implementing technical solutions for business.
Now when we talk about IT architects, there are three terms that are interchangeably used. Let’s look into them next.
IT solutions architect roles and responsibilities
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. But when it comes to day-to-day operations, what tasks do they perform? Here’s what the solution architect roles entail.
Match solutions with the business environment
Generally, businesses have operating systems, information context, and integration facilities. A solutions architect ensures that any new system that gets introduced fits into the current business environment.
Meet stakeholders requirements
One of the primary set of tasks that answers what a solution architect does is meeting the individual stakeholders’ requirements. Typically, these requirements come in from both technical and non-technical stakeholders where both have to be accounted for in the project.
Account for project constraints
Every software comes with its own set of limitations. They can be:
- scope
- technology
- quality
- time
- cost
- unanticipated risks
- resources
While these elements are “constraints”, they come with their own set of limitations.
Select technology stack
A key part of building architecture is to select the best technologies needed for product development. There are a number of approaches to choosing the best tools, platforms, APIs, and programming languages.
Comply with non-functional needs
All the software projects should meet a set number of non-functional requirements which define the system’s characteristics.
Solutions architect skill sets
As the answer to what is the role of a solution architect, these individuals wear many hats. A variety that calls for multifaceted skills.
Technical expertise
Since typically the role is technical in nature, a solutions architect should have an extensive experience in IT sectors, specifically in domains like –
- OS and Computer systems
- Software architecture design
- Infrastructure design
- Creation of web platforms
- Cloud computing
- Product management
- Database management
- Hardware management
- DevOps practices
- Analytical skills
- System and data security
Project management
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.
In addition to this, they must maintain a long-term view of the software in terms of scalability and change management.
Risk management
The solutions architects should be able to gauge not just the technical and business implications of the solution they are proposing but also the kind of risk it may add and the impact which the risk would carry.
Superior communication
While the skill sets that we have mentioned above are crucial in nature, the solutions architects will also need to have a knack for clear communication. As a part of everyday activities, they will have to interact with developers, managers, project teams, and software architects plus the different stakeholders.
Conclusion
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.