First, I would like to explain that in this article, I will use the term Solution Architect for every professional who works creating solution proposals for clients, whether this is a professional coming from the technical or business area.
Have you ever stopped to think about the number of possibilities that a solution proposal can have? Oriented architecture and events? microservices? a monolith system? SOA? machine learning algorithms? deep learning? SQL? NOSQL? cloud (Azure? AWS? Google?)?
There are endless possibilities. But when we need to solve a particular customer problem, several proposals are possible, but few make sense.
A solution proposal takes into account much more than technology, it takes into account the environment as a whole. When I talk about the environment, I mean not only the technical environment but also the rest, the people involved, the areas, the organization, and especially the culture.
But, regardless of anything, I believe that there are 4 points that, if done well, can result in great solutions, regardless of who your client is.
Fight for the right solution;
Solution architects will always do their utmost to provide the right advice for the required operational outcome. This can mean staying firm in a decision and not being persuaded by the customer. But pay attention, this does not mean that you should not listen carefully to the customer. It can also mean telling organizations concrete facts that they may not want to hear. And this usually has the desired effect when done with elegance and politeness, respecting the customer on the other side and focusing on the real needs of the organization.
Be a great communicator;
A good solution proposal is a union of technique and communication. You must know several exceptional technicians, but who are more comfortable interacting with technology than with other people. These are definitely not good architects. The goal is to understand the needs, provide advice, manage risks and provide the technologies that best fit the opportunities. You, as a solution proponent, need to be able to listen, empathize, explain, advise, influence, and negotiate, all while navigating complex project environments full of competing expectations from interested parties. Having strong communication skills helps in all aspects of life — professional/personal and everything in between.
From a commercial point of view, all transactions result from communication. Good communication skills are essential to enable others and you to understand information more accurately and quickly. In contrast, poor communication skills lead to frequent misunderstandings and frustrations. In a LinkedIn survey conducted in 2016 in the United States, communication topped the list of the most sought-after social skills among employers. Prefer to sin by excessive communication than by lack, poor communication leads to frequent misunderstandings, frustrations, and misaligned expectations. Being an excellent communicator can help to boost your career. The ability to articulate well offers a significant competitive advantage.
To do your job effectively, it is necessary to discuss problems, request information, interact with people, and have good human relations skills. Remember, a good communicator, in addition to knowing how to communicate, has to know how to listen.
Keep up to date;
In April 1965, then Intel President Gordon Earle Moore said that the number of transistors that could be placed in the same area within a processor would double every 18 months while maintaining the same manufacturing cost. In short, the processing power of the machines would continue to increase exponentially over time. With greater processing power, new opportunities, new paradigms, new solutions, etc. appear in parallel.
The technology we all use today is strikingly different from what it was five years ago. It would be very easy for solution architects to quickly become irrelevant if they were not kept up to date on the changes in business, technology, and IT practices that affect our world.
Great solution architects are always learning, reinventing themselves, and staying relevant. If you are a professional with a business degree, this topic is even more important. Professionals who graduated in IT, in general, have a theoretical background and have often participated in more technical work before becoming solution architects. And even professionals from IT, some choose to follow as business analysts, product owners, and so on. In short, study, stay up to date, both from the market point of view and from a technical point of view.
Solve problems with a business focus;
A solution architect, is never focused only on technology, he has to understand the business and what generates real value for the customer. He needs to be able to listen and work with his customers to fully understand the problem or gap they face and to ensure that they adopt the best possible solution.
A good solution proposal should focus on the immediate impact on business and ROI (Return of Investment). The objective of focusing on the business with an immediate impact is due to demonstrating to the client the real capacity of its solutions, even caring about the client’s invested capital in the project through the presentation of the ROI. In this way, you provide your contacts with a very strong technical case to adopt your solution to present to senior decision-makers.
That’s it folks, consume technical content, understand the market, listen to the customer and communicate well.
