The most underrated but valuable skill a modern Solutions Architect should have
“It’s pretty impossible for a Solutions Architect to always be up to date on every technology that is available at the time of a solution design”
NOTE: If you are looking for the “Running in 30 mins” articles, they’re listed at the end of this article!
In the last decade the technology field has gotten quite expansive in just the breadth of how many technologies are now available to plug into an overall solution. New and relevant technology, as well as awesome updates to old technology, seem to be happening at a never seen before rate.
Solutions have evolved from just being a static technology stack to a patchwork of various technologies interchanged based on the overall business case.
More competitive Solutions Architects now have the new challenge of hunting down and properly evaluating the latest technologies for their overall solution, allowing them the ability to promise greater value and a bleeding edge solution to the end client.
We’re seeing the role of the Solutions Architect splitting from being an undisputed expert in the technology stack they’ve leveraged for years to being more of a problem solver who is able to reliably consume and competently evaluate new technology rapidly — ultimately from a technology agnostic perspective.
You now have two specialized functions — the architect who focuses on the problem solving and building a proof of concept and then the experts on the project team that deliver different components to create the actual end solution. This links well with the changing market where freelancers, who are experts in the different technologies are also now easier to find, evaluate and recruit just for a component of the overall project.
This introduces the inherent dependency of the Solutions Architect to possess a very important skill;
“Quickly understand and use new technologies to build proof of concepts while designing an evaluation that will ensure the correct technology is picked for the different components of the solution”
Arguably, I’ve been in this position for the better part of the last 10 years, more for the passion for technology rather than the need to be competitive in the sector (Enterprise Line of Business Solutions) I mainly play in. Though, the enterprise sector have also been slowly moving to this way of looking at software solutions over the past 3–5 years as well.
As such, I’ve decided to create a series of articles with this in mind. These articles present technologies from different areas and lay out a quick path to getting the main gist of the technology running in under 30 minutes while leaving it open for the reader to then modify as needed to fit into their own proof of concepts. I make no assumptions on the readers ability to ensure that they’ve figured out the best evaluation criteria, that part is all based on experience.
Who are these articles for?
- Those looking to dip their toes into these technologies, with the caveat that it’s not meant to be a comprehensive tutorial that leads to proficiency in the subjected tech.
- Persons considering the subjected tech for their own solutions, but need to get an example of the core tech running quickly to evaluate and modify for their own proof of concepts