Solution Architect

From MIKE2 Methodology

The Solution Architect leads the Architecture Domain and is responsible for defining the technology solution that will integrate different domain applications / data. The Solution Architect is responsible for the overall architecture of the solution. This role will also coordinate and plan the technical requirements between IT support organisations (including Data Management, Networks and Security).

The Solution Architect will validate new requirements with existing technical infrastructure (hardware and software) and recommend necessary additions.

Contents 1 Responsibilities 1.1 Commercial Accountabilities 1.2 Relationship Management Responsibilities 1.3 Technical Accountabilities 1.4 Capability Development Responsibilities 2 Capabilities 2.1 Knowledge 2.2 Technology Skills 2.3 Management Skills 2.4 Work Experience 3 Behaviors 3.1 Leadership 3.2 Teamwork 3.3 Service Focus 3.4 Key Working Relationships

Responsibilities

Commercial Accountabilities

• Contribute to the organization's financial well-being by ensuring that business and commercial outcomes are a major part of evaluating the performance of projects and solutions.
• Validate architectural decisions contributing to cost effective solutions.
• Map architectural solutions to business objectives.
• Participate in the formulation of extensible architecture solutions.
• Share domain knowledge with the management team to effect better business decisions.

Relationship Management Responsibilities

• Develop long term partnerships with customers (across Residential, SME and Large Business LOBs) and vendors and contribute to the development of their strategic business plans by understanding the future direction of organisation, the industry and the customer’s business.
• Develop working relationships with Business, Infrastructure and Technology Architects to facilitate collaboration.
• Develop working relationships with tactical implementation teams and those focused on new functionality to facilitate collaboration on solution definition and development.
• Develop working relationships with Quality Manager and staff to facilitate the adoption of standards, methodology and metrics in preparing architecture deliverables.
• Identify all stakeholders in the infrastructure environment.
• Design stakeholder communications programs.
• Manage all interfaces with external domains.

Technical Accountabilities

• Establish and maintain an integrated architectural framework across the organization's infrastructure
• Develop and maintain a tactical architecture implementation plan addressing all elements of the architectural framework
• Minimise or eliminate rework, duplication, gaps and lack of integration between the common infrastructure architectural framework and implementations between interfacing business units
• Develop architecture for implementing common services, business rules and information
• Set standards and performance metrics
• Review the common data model (e.g. "clearinghouse language" within the information environment)
• Review the architecture for all forms of messaging technologies (request/reply, broadcast, multicast, publish/subscribe)
• Review the production environment architecture
• Review the testing approach for production and metadata requirements for infrastructure

Capability Development Responsibilities

• Mentor less experienced staff
• Facilitate work in a team environment with diverse skill sets.
• Develop metadata capability focused on infrastructure processes, information, standards and guidelines

Capabilities

Knowledge

• Sound understanding of the organization's business strategy and industry direction
• Experience with modern integration technologies
• Significant knowledge of / experience with contemporary integration technologies and frameworks (e.g. EAI, ETL, Web Service, J2EE and .NET).
• Knowledge / experience with contemporary development methodologies, tools, and techniques (e.g. Automated Testing, Software Management processes, etc.)

Technology Skills

Management Skills

• Strong verbal and written skills.
• Strong facilitation skills.
• Good presentation skills.

Work Experience

• 5 -10 years of experience in a combination of development and architecture roles with at least 3 years in a leadership function.

Experienced with driving the Software Delivery Life Cycle in a business environment.

• Experience with Vendor Management, software evaluation and selection.
• Experience with large-scale data integration (e.g. data warehousing, system migrations)
• Significant experience with Technical Architecture, Systems Requirements, and Technical Analysis and Design.

Behaviors

Leadership

Teamwork

Service Focus

Key Working Relationships

• Chief Architect
• Business Architect
• Information Architect
• Infrastructure Architect