Everything You Need to Know About Software Architect

Quick Summary: Like an architect who plans and designs buildings, a software architect makes high-level design choices and chooses the right technologies and processes for software development. Here you will get all the information about software architects, their roles and responsibilities, skills, and benefits of hiring these experts for your organization and more.

Software development is not a single-day task; it requires immense dedication and plenty of time. There are different granularities of technology and requirements that affect the software development process.

When it comes to creating software, there are different phases and methods that tech teams follow to come up with a viable solution. Besides this, tech teams also require a software architecture to build their product as per an organization’s needs and expectations.

But how do the tech teams know which architecture is best for their project? How do they know which technologies align with the needs of an organization they are working for? Who defines the standards and guides them in creating the right product?

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Here comes the role of software architects. These professionals help choose the right tech stack, set standards, and guide tech teams in software development. They also play an important role in defining software architecture that provides the structure for software solutions.

Software architect is a versatile role and there is an increasing demand for these professionals. Let’s find out what software architect is, what they do, and the benefits of hiring them.

A Quick Software Architect Job Description

A software architect is like a commander guiding and instructing his crew in designing and developing software. If software development were cooking, he would be the master chef suggesting the best ingredients and cooking methods for a mouth-watering dish. This expert may be involved with the team in the development process and lay down the rules and guidelines for development.

A software architect is a person holding the responsibility of planning for technical requirements, framing standards, and suggesting tools and methods for a software development project. With expertise in creating software architectures, this professional guides and handles critical decisions about a software application.

What Does a Software Architect Do?

The job of a software architect is pretty versatile; he is partly a business leader and partly a technical guide. From framing the guidelines and standards for software development to providing a vision for achieving technological prowess, he is the person to depend on.

You need the best software architect to develop robust software systems and steer your digital ecosystem in the right direction. A certified software architect performs a variety of tasks for an organization, including:

• Defines the architecture of software, its main components, and the interactions with internal and external systems.
• Provides an architectural vision for an organization to establish harmony between various stakeholders.
• Interacts with product managers, developers, clients, and other stakeholders to envisage, design, and develop the product.
• Reviews code regularly to ensure the quality of the final product and help teams avoid complexity.
• Works as a contributor and mentor for the software development team to build the right solution with the best methodology.

What are the Different Software Architect Skills?

A professional software architect has two types of skills: technical and soft skills. However, the required skills may differ with the organization’s needs, education, and experience level. For example, a senior architect will have some advanced skills based on experience than an entry-level architect.

Nevertheless, there are some technical and soft skills that are essential for software architects. Let’s check out their key skills.

Hard Skills of Software Architects

Hard skills are special knowledge that is gained through education and experience in a specific domain. Technical skills are learned and developed through systematic learning and training.

Here are the key skills of a software architect.

Proficiency in Specific Technologies

Software architects are proficient in specific programming technologies like AngularJS, Node.js, JavaScript, and other languages and platforms. With this knowledge, they are capable of developing web applications, mobile apps, APIs, and other types of solutions.

Knowledge of the Technology Ecosystem

A software system architect has diverse responsibilities and can be assigned tasks from designing to software engineering. Hence a concrete knowledge of the technology environment is crucial for their job role. In addition to good technical knowledge, the architect should also be aware of technological alternatives.

The architect is also viewed as a leader of a development team when it comes to deciding and implementing technological solutions. The architect can help organizations hire and manage dedicated software teams based on specific technology requirements. As a leader, the architect also contributes to the development process, including coding. Thus, they must be proficient in the coding languages that their company works in.

Skills in Cloud Technology

This is the era of cloud computing, and many tech-driven businesses prefer cloud technology for its convenience and cost-effectiveness. A professional software architect is well-versed in cloud technology to help businesses in choosing and deploying the right tools and technology.

Understanding of Modern Software Architectures and Paradigms

The software architect has the dexterity in modern architectures and paradigms that are crucial in creating robust applications. For software applications, architecture is the base that shows how its components are arranged and function.

The architect is familiar with various software architecture patterns be it client-server, mobile app, or modern web architecture Jamstack. This expert can choose the best architecture for an organization’s software needs and help them choose the best tech stack.

They are also capable of working with various modern-day application architectures like microservices architecture and serverless architecture.

Apart from different architectures, a software architect is also proficient in diverse software paradigms or programming styles like OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) and software development principles.

Understanding of Business Domains and Databases

Their contribution to coding requires software architects to be familiar with the business domain of their organization and the databases they work with. This will allow them to understand your business problems clearly and find an effective solution quickly.

Besides these skills, there are many other technical skills required:

• UML (Unified Modeling Language)
• Expertise in DevOps architecture for software development.
• Knowledge of system design practices
• Data modeling and database designing skills

Software Re-architecture

In case your existing applications don’t perform well and fail in terms of security, compliance, scalability, or any other aspects, software re-architecture becomes the only solution. It improves the existing applications by redesigning their architecture. A software architect can help you in re-architecture to align the software as per your business needs.

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Soft Skills of Software Architects

While hard skills show their technical prowess, soft skills boast the interpersonal skills and characteristic qualities that distinguish software architects from others. These skills are developed and polished over time with constant learning and improvement.

Here are the soft skills exhibited by these experts.

Leadership Skills

Leadership is the prime quality of a software architect because he works as a mentor and guide. They often lead the development teams. Strong leadership skills are crucial for their job profile, and they have to teach software developers. Coordination with the development team and showing them the path throughout the development process is a part of their job. They can also manage multiple teams and have to resolve conflicts, motivate the teams, and make quick decisions.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving is one of the most vital skills for software architects as they have to work with different problems and challenges. They manage multiple tasks in system design and are capable of identifying problems and providing apt solutions to solve them.

Scheduling and Goal Setting

Since software architect handles multiple tasks simultaneously, time management becomes a critical aspect of their job role. Besides this, they are also taking part in meetings with various stakeholders and upper management to ensure the project goes in the right direction. Hence, they have the ability to manage time and set goals to cope with their busy schedules.

Communication

Good communication skills are inevitable for software architects as their position demands collaboration with different stakeholders and professionals. They need to understand the requirements of different stakeholders and implement them in the project. They are supposed to explain the ideas and visions to stakeholders. Hence, they should be able to communicate clearly and definitively. In addition, they should be good negotiators for possible trade-offs.

Innovative Thinking

Software architects are expected to look at the big picture beyond their technical knowledge. They should be able to understand how particular technology will contribute to the organization’s growth and help achieve its goals. They will have to overcome issues with creative solutions with their knowledge and expertise.

What are the Types of Software Architects?

There are many aspects to software architects based on their roles and types. Software architect responsibilities and workstyle also differ based on their types and roles. You need to understand their different types to choose the best software architect for your organization.

Software Technical Architect

A technical architect also known as an IT system architect is a professional who plans, develops, and maintains IT systems for business in information technology. However, this professional is responsible for making decisions regarding the implementation of specific platforms or technologies. They are primarily focused on the technical details of a project.

Solutions Architects

A solutions architect designs and implements technology solutions that match the unique requirements of businesses. With a responsibility to define a technology vision for organizations, they suggest the best technology and software product after analyzing the existing environment that solves their problems effectively.

It is a professional who designs and implements an overall IT solution for an organization consisting of many technologies and platforms. Their job is to close the gap between organizational needs and technical requirements. Solution architect roles and responsibilities vary with the organization’s needs and development environment.

Data Architects

In simple words, these are the professionals who define blueprints for their data management systems. Data architects draft a framework that guides organizations in managing their data according to their business needs and technology requirements while ensuring security and regulatory compliance. They provide efficient ways to collect, store, and distribute data.

Enterprise Architects

Enterprise architects help organizations attune their IT strategy with the goals of their business. While working on a higher level, these professionals take care of the overall enterprise architecture solutions such as business policies, standards, and processes. They ensure the longevity of IT systems. They also ensure that the solutions are designed and implemented to meet an organization's goals and vision.

What are the Roles and Responsibilities of an Architect in Software?

Close collaboration with other team members in a project is an essential role of a software architect to deliver a quality product. Although they usually code like developers, they are primarily focused on reinforcing the standards instead of developing the solution.

Software architect roles and responsibilities may differ based on the development lifecycle of a project. Hence, there may be different roles that a software architect plays in the development process based on the SDLC an organization has chosen to develop its software solutions. The following pointers show the role of an architect in software development when working with the agile enterprise architecture framework.

Initial Stage

At the initial or pre-development stage of SDLC, the software architect helps organizations identify their problems and the required resources. The software architect will consider the requirements and constraints to get an answer to whether an idea is feasible within a given timeframe and budget. Here the software architect gathers requirements, chooses a tech stack, and provides an architectural pattern.

Creates a Prototype

When the proposal is approved, the architect considers the possible risks and technical constraints and finds out how the idea can be implemented. An architectural prototype is created to verify the idea. So, in this step, the software architect considers different constraints, builds an architectural blueprint, and proves that a product can be built.

Development

The software architect continues to design features and components even after the development process is started. The dedicated development team follows the standards provided by the architecture that help them align with code compliance that is already defined. They can also participate in coding and ensure that product features are not negatively affected when there are some changes. So, in the development process, the architect is involved with monitoring, setting standards, and change management.

Quality Assurance

Software architect duties also extend to the quality assurance stage of software development life cycle. Selecting the right QA tools and aiding in deployment is also the role of software architects. They make decisions on methods, infrastructures, and environments for deployment. At this stage, their responsibilities include supervising the testing process and release management.

Post-Development

Software architect job responsibilities do not end here and continue even after the product is live. They make sure that all client requirements are fulfilled entirely. With regular check-ups, they identify issues and address them to ensure the smooth functioning of the system.

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Benefits of Hiring a Software Architect

• Software architects can help to build solutions that offer unique user experiences because they build custom code designs.
• They can help you integrate features and codes that will meet your organizational needs and align with your business strategy.
• This professional also helps organizations in choosing the best libraries and frameworks that fit their business goals.
• Besides the initial costs, the overall cost of your software application will be lower because the architect will eliminate the need for major upgrades or reworks.

The Bottom LineSoftware architects have the responsibility to take your requirements and integrate them into software applications with a lasting impact. These professionals can also help you to revamp your existing applications with software re-architecture skills. They have diverse skills and acquire out-of-the-box knowledge that makes them multi-talented professionals.Choosing the right software architecture experts is crucial to laying a solid foundation of technological infrastructure for your organization. The software architect will guide you in choosing the right technology and help you build products that stand the test of time.Apart from heading your tech team, the software architect will also contribute to the planning and development of products that align your business goals. Hence, you must consider various aspects when hiring such a professional for your organization.If you are looking to hire a software development team for your project, you can rely on Radixweb which is a top-tier company in custom software development services.You can hire the best custom software developers at competitive rates. We have talented professionals with great technical, communication, and problem-solving skills. You will choose expert software developers that become a part of your tech team who will deliver the solutions your company deserves.