In this chapter, you learned how the solution architect fits into the organization and how different kinds of solution architect roles coexist. There are generalist solution architect roles such as enterprise solution architect, solution architect, technical architect, cloud architect, and architect evangelist.
The generalist solution architect has a broad knowledge of technology and may develop in-depth expertise in a particular area. The specialist solution architect dives deep in other required areas of the project. The specialist solution architect possesses in-depth knowledge of their area of expertise, with some of the most common specialist solution architect roles being network architect, data architect, security architect, infrastructure architect, and DevOps architect.
You learned about solution architect responsibilities in great detail. Solution architects wear multiple hats; they work with stakeholders across the organization and analyze functional requirements and define non-functional requirements. The solution architect ensures consistency and standards across the organization, and they provide technology recommendations and solution prototypes. The solution architect handles various project constraints such as cost, quality, scope, and resources, and finds a balance between them.
The solution architect helps the project manager estimate cost and resources, and define a timeline, and stays throughout the project from design to launch. During the project's implementation, the solution architect makes sure that the stakeholder's expectations have been met and works as a liaison between the technical and business teams. The solution architect engages in post-launch application monitoring, alerts, security, disaster recovery, and scaling.
At the end of this chapter, you learned about the benefits of an agile process. We took a brief overview of the Agile methodology, roles, tools, terminology, and how agile differs from the traditional waterfall method. You learned about the traits of the agile architecture and how solution architects should make their architecture more flexible and agile.
In the next chapter, you will learn about the different attributes of the solution architecture that you should consider while designing a solution. These attributes include architecture security, scalability, availability, reliability, fault tolerance, extensibility, portability, interoperability, operational excellence, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and self-healing.