What Is A Solutions Architect?: Role & Responsibilities

With the changing technology in this rapidly growing world, organizations are demanding modifications in their operating techniques and methods to meet the emerging business challenges and varying customer demands. 

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. 

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. 

To scale, perform effectively, and fulfill the predefined business requirements, a software solution should have an accurate architecture that accounts for various technical and customer variations to scale, function effectively, and meet the predefined business requirements. 

In simple terms, the lasting success of any IT project depends on the input from a solutions architect who should have:

• Business analysis skills,
• Technical expertise, 
• Project management proficiency, and more. 

What Is A Solution Architect?

A solution architect is a person who comes up with the best tech solutions to clients’ business issues. 

Let’s go deeper to understand it better.

The solution architect bridges the business needs, and tech means that developers should consider meeting such demands. Architects are experts at speaking both ‘business; language with the clients and ‘technical’ language with the developers. 

Let’s make it simple. A solution architect accounts for developing a complete architecture for a software solution and offering strategic direction all through the development phase. 

Types Of Architects

Architectural responsibilities are divided into three categories:

• Enterprise architect
• Solution architect
• Software architect

What Is The Role Of A Solutions Architect?

A solution architect finds the required software solution and works with a clear project vision and a clear understanding of the client’s business requirements. 

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. 

A solution architect helps the development team understand the project’s vision and plays an important role all through the complete system development lifecycle. They are also responsible for the solution’s future updates. 

Roles & Responsibilities Of Solution Architect

Now, we will know what a solution architect does and his roles and responsibilities before and throughout the development process. 

Roles of Solution Architect

The solution architect ensures the outcome fulfills all the business needs and stakeholders’ requirements. 

First, they craft a technical vision to exhibit how the software will meet the business requirements. 

After that, they pass on their tech vision to their development team, who next starts their work.  

When the development team follows the Agile methodology, the solution architect supports the team, guiding the project at the implementation phase. Simultaneously, they build prototypes to recognize tech limitations or jump onto the product design. 

Let’s list out the roles of a Solution Architect:

• Recommend the best practices for the whole solution.
• Design the solutions that match perfectly with an enterprise environment.
• Comply with every business and technical need. 
• Pick the technology stack and evaluate resources. 
• Inspect project limitations to analyze alternatives, run process re-engineering, and reduce risks as needed. 
• Act as an association between the sales and technical teams to convert the needs into results. 

Responsibilities Of Solution Architect

Next, we will check out the responsibilities of a solution architect. We have chosen four main processes for which solution architects are responsible:

1. Fulfilling Functional Needs

Any business needs that specify the functional requirements of the software are met here. 

For example, the mobile app should also include some functions that work in an offline mode also. 

2. Fulfilling Non-Functional Needs

Some non-functional needs also exist that point out how the software performs a specific action. 

For example, the mobile app supports native fonts only. 

3. Finalizing A Technology Stack

The tech architect approach directly relies on the solution architect’s technology stack. 

Various programming languages, libraries, frameworks, architectural patterns, databases, and standards are there. The solution architect accounts for choosing tools that best suit the specific project, and this demands tech proficiency to compare and access tools. 

4. Dealing With Project Limitations

Every project comes with constraints that can be time risks, money, and licensing. 

For example, if you want to make a healthcare app, it must comply with HIPAA. If you need to release a streaming service app, you should hold the content licenses and copyrights.

So, such constraints may significantly modify the product, affecting its time to market and cost. 

Here, the role of solutions architect starts. 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. 

What Are The Skills Of A Solution Architect?

A solutions architect should hold a specific skill set that’s enough to successfully craft, build, and guide the software development solution. 

Let’s have a look at the essential skills a solutions architect should have:

1. Technical Skills 

To perform a solution architect’s role, one needs to complete a technical education and practical experience across every central area of software development process and hardware engineering proficiency. 

2. In-Depth Analysis

The integrated systems and software architectures perform together. So, a solutions architect should be attentive towards them. If he misses even a single detail, it may affect the app development process and result in breakdowns or inefficient software solutions.

3. Superior Communication

A solutions architect should hold the caliber to communicate effectively with project managers, stakeholders, software vendors, and iOS and android developers in the software development process. 

4. Risk Identification And Management

A solution architect should know how to analyze and identify potential short-term and long-term risks that may lead to technical issues and hinder future app business operations. 

5. Project and Resource Management

However, a solution architect is not involved directly in project development. Still, they should ensure that the project resources are used effectively. 

When Do We Need A Solutions Architect?

Obviously, there’s no need for an individual solution architect for every product. Sometimes, when organizations’ projects become challenging and complex, they look for the one who performs a solutions architect’s duties perfectly. 

If you craft landing pages, make minor changes, integrate small modules, the chances are less you would need a solution architect. 

An IT solution architect guides your processes when your target is enterprise solutions or to make your existing product grow. 

The companies that develop software on an industrial level hire solution architects who can communicate with their clients during contracts or guide the architecture from beginning to finish. 

Here we will check out top cases when looking for a solutions architect. 

1. Fit New Software Into The Current System

A new product never works alone; it should go well with the current enterprise architecture that already exists in the company. So, architects choose the best suitable software that can perform when with the existing ecosystem. 

2. Craft A Product Roadmap

Holding a complete plan of future software and a list of essential and needed technologies is best despite having just an idea. You can impress your investors better if you hold complete knowledge of your product and issues to resolve. 

A solution architect will suit your product needs with the best ways to implement them while explaining everything clearly according to the business terms. 

3. Hold A Large-Scale Project

Having a large-scale project may demand hiring a Solution architect as he will help with the management of software architects and the teams involved to emerge with a best-quality outcome.

Conclusion

A solution architect accounts for developing and implementing IT systems architecture that fulfills the planned business needs. They start their role by accumulating business requirements, learning its specifications, and performing with stakeholders to deliver the expected solution. 

Now, we hope you have answers to all the solutions architects’ relevant queries and more. If you have other questions, feel free to reach us, we would be more than happy to sort out your business issues.