𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Realizing the responsibilities of a solutions architect does not come easy, especially for a burgeoning developer. It takes careful decision-making to take on the role as its importance to the software or product development cycle cannot be understated. Solutions architects are arbiters of technology solutions – they have a great influence over the trajectory of a project and specializes in the analysis and management of solutions that address specific business requirements. As I gradually transition to this role, I have noted several key takeaways that materialized during my short tenure yet as a solutions architect within the context of our project.

• Communicate technical specifications to developers in concise text

Friction can arise when developers are not able to completely comprehend the technical requirements of a solution. In this case, frequent back-to-back exchanges with the developer and architect may occur which may extend the delivery of solution in needlessly longer time. Using concise text to describe the specifications of a solution by way of a shared technical and common vocabulary that the architect and developers alike understand may cut back these unnecessary exchanges.

• Take planned, conscious steps in outlining solutions requirements

It is important to understand that potential solutions may be dependent on other existing solutions or features. These dependencies facilitate the need for careful planning in outlining the steps or stages in delivering a solution to avoid introducing conflicts or blockers to the development flow. Even simply renaming a field on an API endpoint may cause hurdles to the front-end and backend teams if not handled properly.

• Set active measures to hold potential solutions to strong standards

Part of the responsibility of a solutions architect is to oversee the delivery of a solution in its whole development cycle. Right from the get-go, proposed solutions should uphold the standards or conventions set for a project. Another way to preserve quality of a proposed solution is to perform code reviews and require code testing. While testing is already a common development practice, I cannot reiterate enough its importance in developing software. Tests help catch problematic code before any feature is finalized or delivered to clients.