Software architect role

In Architecture , nonfunctional decisions are cast and separated by the functional requirements. In Design, functional requirements are accomplished. Architecture serves as a blueprint for a system. It provides an abstraction to manage the system complexity and establish a communication and coordination mechanism among components. It defines a structured solution to meet all the technical and operational requirements, while optimizing the common quality attributes like performance and security.

Further, it involves a set of significant decisions about the organization related to software development and each of these decisions can have a considerable impact on quality, maintainability, performance, and the overall success of the final product. Software design provides a design plan that describes the elements of a system, how they fit, and work together to fulfill the requirement of the system. To negotiate system requirements, and to set expectations with customers, marketing, and management personnel.

It comes before the detailed design, coding, integration, and testing and after the domain analysis, requirements analysis, and risk analysis. The primary goal of the architecture is to identify requirements that affect the structure of the application.

A well-laid architecture reduces the business risks associated with building a technical solution and builds a bridge between business and technical requirements. Software architecture is still an emerging discipline within software engineering. Lack of analysis methods to predict whether architecture will result in an implementation that meets the requirements.

Lack of understanding of the role of software architect and poor communication among stakeholders. A Software Architect provides a solution that the technical team can create and design for the entire application. Expert in software design, including diverse methods and approaches such as object-oriented design, event-driven design, etc. Lead the development team and coordinate the development efforts for the integrity of the design.

To successfully perform their duties, software architects need to have a broad and deep technical expertise. So, it comes as no surprise that most of them have grown from senior technical positions.

At the same time, an ideal candidate for this role must have an ability to talk not only to machines but to human beings as well. Extensive technical background. Coding skills. They write code examples, proofs of concept, and prototypes serving as a basis for developers who further work with these snippets to get them to production. Proved knowledge of cloud technologies. Cloud service providers speed up software development, offering numerous ready-to-use solutions. Not to reinvent the wheel, a software architect must be expert in cloud technologies, knowing what tools to use in each case.

Communication skills. The role of the architect involves much communication — with stakeholders, business analysts, and engineers. A software architect mentors and coordinates technical teams, promoting their vision of the right solution and standards of quality.

To win respect and authority, solid leadership skills are required. Understanding of the particular business domain. Without domain knowledge, it would be difficult to create an architecture effectively solving business problems. Understanding domain specificity enables the architect to choose the most appropriate approaches and patterns as well as to speak the same language as C-level executives and business representatives, which, in turn, fosters trust. When does the need for a software architect arise?

Another example is a team dealing with a complex and very specific business domain. In this case, an architect will play a crucial role in translating from business language to technical terms and vice versa, all the while solving communication issues. Also, this specialist is not required in small teams working on narrow technical problems that are likely to be solved by a senior developer. Yes, I understand and agree to the Privacy Policy.

Join the list of 9, subscribers and get the latest technology insights straight into your inbox. Altexsoft Menu. Share: Facebook. CONTENTS Who is a software architect Software architect vs senior developer Software architect vs tech lead Software architect vs product manager Software architect vs project manager Software architect vs other architects Software architect responsibilities and duties Discovery stage: identifying core needs and offering a high-level solution design Elaboration stage: specifying the requirements and planning the architecture in more detail Prototype stage: proving the solution viability Construction stage: leading the team through the development process Transition stage: participating in testing and deployment Software architect skills and competencies To hire or not to hire?

Subscribe to our newsletter Yes, I understand and agree to the Privacy Policy. Add a comment. Connect with:. Notify of new replies to this comment. In general, applicants should have at least 4 or 5 years of experience as Software Engineers or Software Developers to gain the necessary technical skills and knowledge. Some candidates start gaining this experience by pursuing internships while in college, and others may start out as Programmers and work their way up to higher-level positions.

Most employers prefer to hire applicants who have worked in development teams as well. Software Architects usually oversee a team of people working together to implement their software blueprints, including Software Programmers. They may assign a Software Programmer to write a particular section of code, that they then stitch together with other programs to produce a functioning software application. The Software Architect is mainly involved with the concept of a software project, while the Software Programmer actually implements the project directions.

The Software Architect delivers feedback to their team about how to make the code more cohesive, making the different programming techniques uniform and easy to update. Software Architects meet with clients and talk to them about what they want to accomplish with their software program. Software Architects interview clients about features, capacity, speed, aesthetics and other aspects of a software program they want to produce.

They determine what kinds of coding languages and techniques are appropriate for the project and compile detailed instructions and guidelines for programming the application. Software Architects demonstrate the finished products to clients and provide ongoing assistance for major updates. Good Software Architects are leaders who are skilled at developing a vision and finding ways to follow through on their idea.

Successful Software Architects are good at staying organized and checking in on the status of multiple projects at once to make sure all deadlines are met. This includes having strong presentation skills and the ability to accurately explain complex concepts to others.

Resumes of top applicants may include programming and computer science certifications. You should also seek out candidates that describe project management experience on their resume, demonstrating that they can lead a team and successfully produce deliverables on a schedule.

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