A Solutions Architect is the ultimate “big picture” role. They must give their team an overarching picture of what needs to be done so that a company’s technical staff can deliver tailored tech solutions on time and within budget. Depending on the company, they may also focus on external projects such as app development.
Historically, solution architecture has focused on functional (i.e., what the system should do) and non-functional (such as performance, availability, recoverability, integrity and security) requirements. On a day-to-day level, that means solutions architects might do anything from recommending tools to teams to analyzing a project lifecycle for any inefficiencies.
Many industry leaders think that a Solutions Architect role is purely technical, but it also involves “soft skills” such as empathy and communication, as solutions architects must secure buy-in from other stakeholders throughout an organization to solve IT and business problems in the most efficient way possible.
A Mix of Technical, Interpersonal Skills
Ramesh Nallapu, Solutions Architect, SAP presales, Cloud Digital Transformation at Lemongrass, says that successful solutions architects need both technical skills and interpersonal skills to design, describe, and manage technology solutions for specific problems. They need to adapt, respond, predict, and plan whatever may come next.
“One of the key principles to becoming a Solutions Architect is to have robust problem-solving skills, which is earned via trial, error and practice,” he says, advising that interested candidates seek education in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering (for business), Programming, or a related field.
“A graduate degree, such as a Master of Science or an MBA in Information Technology, will be very helpful, as these studies will not only educate you on the nuances of systems design, program management and computer architecture theory, but also in business, finance and people management,” he says.
Early in your solutions architect career, study anything related to ITIL, PMBOK, COBIT and TOGAF: ITIL is architecture for service management, while TOGAF is an enterprise architecture framework that helps define business goals and align them with architecture objectives around enterprise software development.
“Once past their studies, Solution Architects usually begin their careers as a software developer or network administrator, managing extensive databases and business intelligence tools,” Nallapu says. “Then, with five to 10 years of experience, they usually reach the level of Solutions Architect.”
Multiple Progression Paths
How far can you go in a Solutions Architect role? “It all depends on one’s career objectives,” Nallapu says. “Once settled in the role of a Solutions Architect, there are still several interesting progression paths, including that from a solutions architect to a senior or lead solutions architect, then onwards to an enterprise architect role.”
Continuing Education Important for Career Advancement
Nallapu says he thinks it’s important to maintain qualifications, licenses and certifications necessary for solutions architecture roles, and even beyond that, those of enterprise architect roles.
“Even if a Solutions Architect isn’t yet in a more advanced position, having those education certifications are extremely helpful, as this person can segue into these roles on either a consulting basis, or pinch hit for colleagues already there,” he says.
Continuous learning is key, especially as companies blend emerging technologies such as machine learning into current projects. “Also, I always recommend colleagues staying current by reading industry publications, and attending in-person events such as Qcon, Devoxx, DevDay or ApiDay, or virtual events hosted by AWS, Microsoft or Google,” Nallapu says.
Check out the career positions at Lemongrass for more information.
Published: DICE
