The option includes freelance platforms, outsource or outstaff agencies, and the GlobalCloudTeam. A whole list of companies can be found on Glassdoor or any similar website with salaries and job offers. Considering deadlines and resources is a necessary part of solution planning.
As an architect has a central role in any project and leads every team on it, ineffective communication can lead to big bottlenecks. So, this specialist should be able to clearly explain, understand everyone’s point of view, listen, advise, and influence. As the name suggests, a technical solution architect definition architect focuses on engineering aspects of architecture and usually does not make financial or strategic decisions, unlike infrastructure or enterprise architects. These specialists determine how exactly software technologies should be used to meet the customer’s demands.
What does a solutions architect do?
We have covered the meaning of a solution architect, responsibilities, skills, and salaries. This information should motivate you to become a qualified expert in the field. If we speak of freelancers, they request the lowest fees in the industry. We do not recommend hiring a freelancer and expecting high-grade results because it is unlikely for such an architect to understand all your business processes. According to the statistics in the US, the average salary of a solution architect is $99,769 per year. A newcomer in the profession earns up to $40 per hour, while a senior specialist gets up to $70 per hour.
Once everything is approved, SA traces the process of development and keeps clients tabs on the progress. During the development stage, the solution architect delves into each of the product areas. They have to explain how to make each part of the software so that everything fits into a single product. Let’s talk a bit more about solution architect responsibilities and roles before and during the development process.
Solution architect vs. software architect
As for the business owners, it allows them to assess candidates’ tech knowledge and to define if they’re experienced enough to be involved in your project. A solution architect is sometimes confused with enterprise architect and software architect. This is because their positions sound similar and the responsibilities overlap partially. Yet, each role is essential for a project’s success and cannot be substituted by another position.
Solution architecture is usually implemented as a part of enterprise architecture. The latter determines what business structure, processes, and operations allow a company to meet its strategic objectives. Alternatively, we may say that enterprise architecture defines how a company’s business strategy can be executed most efficiently. At the same time, solution architecture is responsible for the technological support of such execution. Developer.com features tutorials, news, and how-tos focused on topics relevant to software engineers, web developers, programmers, and product managers of development teams. This includes coverage of software management systems and project management (PM) software – all aimed at helping to shorten the software development lifecycle (SDL).
The Definition, Concept, and Impact of Solution Architecture
Although solutions architects are not directly involved in project development, they still need to ensure that project resources are being used efficiently and impactfully. They should be business-minded and capable of identifying the most effective solution at every turn for every part of the architecture. It is their responsibility to focus on business goals, including hiring new people, and understand how to achieve them in the set timeframe and within the given budget.
- The exam lasts 130 minutes and requires a registration fee, depending on the exam type.
- What is a solutions architect, their roles and responsibilities, and how they’re different from software engineers and Project managers — find out in this article.
- With companies increasingly relying on software and emerging technologies, the role of this expert will continue to gain weight.
- In reference to my role, the customer can bring me a long way in the conversation.
- If the team follows the Agile methodology, the solution architect’s role is to support the development team, accompanying the project at the implementation stage.
- In general, solution architect roles and responsibilities include designing a solution architecture and implementing it in practice.
As the process is always heavy on the budget and highly risky, every company should have an architect to implement new solutions and scale them successfully. This specialist can be introduced to a company’s enterprise structure through software architecture consulting services. A solution architect’s job here is to explain how this app can be built, what tools — programming languages, frameworks, APIs — should be used, and how much time this process will take. For that, architects do some solution architecture — draw diagrams to understand which components are required for this app. Even the most sophisticated software product is worth investing in only if it can bring real business value.
Types of Solutions Architects: Specialization
So be confident in understanding OS and what it is, how people use it, and all the different OS out there, and then learn to program — Python, YAML, etc. Then explore automation, Kubernetes, and other topics, such as databases. When you understand all this you can now jump into simple code; you can now automate whatever, and deploy applications. We are not selling the product, we are providing them the best solutions they can use to solve their problems.
The overall need for SAs will continue to increase as the problems that the SMEs present are more complex and thus they require more complex solutions. The more complex the solution, the more SAs will be required to create it. Solution architect day-to-day work involves designing and providing recommendations and roadmaps for proposed solutions.
Solution architect vs. application architect
Where the development lead focuses on detailed knowledge of a particular area the SA is very broad. Instead of getting mired down into the details of implementing one specific thing the SA focuses on integrating various parts of the solution into one cohesive network that solves the larger problem. Another approach to becoming a SA is to become a distinguished Development Lead (DL). The SA role and the role of the DL are very similar in the skill sets needed. The SA skill set is slightly broader and requires a bit more finesse, however, fundamentally the same. The SA lays out the architecture for the overall solution whereas the DL converts that architecture into detailed design.
If you are a sysadmin and you’re just focused on making yourself awesome on bash scripting, for instance, that’s not going to elevate your career in the long run. You will always get an opportunity if you’re working for an enterprise as a junior sysadmin to understand a problem, design a solution, and implement said solution. I’ve done that in my career many times with the aim that I’m going to be a Solution Architect or an enterprise architect in the future. My experience as a sysadmin taught me that gaining trust and exemplifying integrity in front of the people you’re dealing with is the way to go in every kind of conversation, sales-related or not. In reference to my role, the customer can bring me a long way in the conversation.
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To do this, they collaborate with various Solution Train roles and Agile Teams to elaborate the solution, validate technology assumptions, evaluate implementation alternatives, and converge on the final solution. Domain architects focus on specific areas, for example an application architect or network architect. Enterprise architects look at solutions for the enterprise aligining tightly with the enterprise strategy.