What does a Solution Architect do?
We asked our colleague Wouter Schaubroeck how his typical day looks like.
Description
The INNOCOM Solution Architect is an architecture professional with strong knowledge and interest of/in Technology Architecture (Infrastructure, Application, Integration and/or Data) and understanding of Business and Enterprise Architecture.
Our Solution Architect roles are project facing and provide two areas of support:
- With a business focus, ensuring the solution meets the business requirements.
- With an enterprise focus ensuring that the enterprise requirements for reuse, compliance to standards, principles, traceability to enterprise reference models, and alignment with the target enterprise architecture vision.
Also
- Define, document, and communicate it.
- Protect (own) the solution architecture and protect its integrity and consistency. Make sure everyone is using it, and using it correctly.
- Make sure that it comes out in stages in a timely way so that the overall organization can make progress before it’s complete.
- Make sure the software and system architectures are in synchronization.
- Act as the emissary of solution architectures.
- Make sure stakeholders and management understand it (to the detail necessary).
- Make sure that the right modeling is being done, to know that qualities like performance are going to be met.
- Give input as needed to issues like tool and environment selection.
- Identify and interact with stakeholders to make sure their needs are being met.
- Make sure that the architecture is not only the right one for operations, but also for deployment and sustainment.
- Resolve disputes and make trade-offs.
- Resolve technical problems.
Experience
- Excellent understanding of architecture/design patterns
- Knowledge of ArchiMate and Sparx is an asset.
- Knowledge of object-oriented analysis and design, aspect-orientated design and test-driven design.
- Knowledge of web technologies: HTML5, JavaScript, CSS, REST, Ajax, Single Page Applications, etc.
- Knowledge of application security.
- Knowledge of .NET, Java/JEE, OSGi or similar industry-standard platforms.
- Knowledge of database solutions
- Knowledge of the full software development lifecycle and associated practices: configuration management, test management, build management; continuous integration, release management, etc. Knowledge of DevOps and continuous delivery is an asset.
- Knowledge of the Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) style and related technologies like web services, XML/SOAP, enterprise service bus, security standards, etc.
- Knowledge of cloud concepts (Hybrid, Private, Public) and knowledge of cloud software such as Azure & AWS
Profile
- Open & honest, highly energetic and intrinsically motivated
- A fast learner, absorbing new skills and adapting to new contexts
- Extremely customer-focused, able to adapt quickly to new environments, connect easily with people and context
- A conceptual, creative and critical thinker
- Passionate about change and eager to push it forward while managing expectations
- A natural communicator, able to explain complex topics in understandable language to different stakeholders (ability to communicate complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders)
- Able to create impact
- A team player able to support the learning of others and initiate improvement
- A role model and ‘go-to person’ with high emotional intelligence