Not unlike a good man, a good solutions architect is similarly hard to find.
It’s always been this way, hasn’t it? And although I don’t suppose it’ll change anytime soon, I’m not one for accepting the status quo lying down. That’s why I started thinking about what makes a good SA and whether those skills could ever be taught.
I’ve been in tech a while but I’m not a techie, so it’s sometimes hard for me judge if a tech solution is indeed good or not - nevertheless - even if I don’t understand all the technical detail, it’s certainly true that some architects have a knack for making me feel more comfortable than others. Those who do are not only fluent in software design, they also have (what might be described as) a good ‘bed-side manner’. For me that soft skill sits at the very heart of good business consulting. Creating clever solutions is of course a prerequisite but ‘pitching’ them 'just so', is vital and sometimes overlooked.
‘Pitching' may not be the best word to use. It’s heavy-loaded with connotations of ‘selling’. Some among us don’t like to associate our role with anything like the job of a salesperson. I suspect this mental barrier may be fundamental. A great SA knows (consciously or otherwise) they must ‘sell’ their ideas in order that they see the light of day. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s a mistake to think that those 'sales skills' require anything to do with the cliché trope of being ‘charismatic’. Slick oratory, in and of itself isn’t necessarily compelling. In fact, it can repel.
The thing that compels me, that puts me at ease, is that particular ability in others to zoom in and out of the detail. Zooming in to show domain expertise. Zooming out to show an understanding of the wider context. It’s the difference between: ‘I know how it works’, and, ‘I know how to make this work’.
If you’ve grown up writing code, it’s probably safe to say you've a natural instinct for zooming in. Indeed, it may be hard to resist the urge to investigate the fractalesque qualities of a solution - which (by the way) is a quality I hugely admire. The world needs curious, genial, intellectual software engineers. We also need strategically minded solutions architects who can interpret for the rest of us.
So, if technical competence is a given, it’s the qualities of zooming out that interest me most. When I think of the best SA consultants I’ve worked with, four characteristics come to mind.
1. Leadership.
They show leadership. Not necessarily in the stereotypical alpha-dominant-captain-of-the-seas type way. It’s actually far more straight-forward than that. They are just very clear on the project vision. They can speak to it, easily. They can explain how their solution maps to it. They can guide the project team closer to it with every huddle, workshop and milestone. It’s a ‘quiet’ yet crucial style of leadership.
2. Objective.
They are open-minded. They are receptive to alternate points of view. They are aware of their own personal prejudices (because we all have them) and they try their best to banish ingrained biases, when it’s right to do so.
Great SAs start with the end in mind. In other words, they think creatively about how to engineer the best possible outcome rather than retrofit a preconceived solution to a new problem.
3. Accountable.
Accountability sounds especially onerous and dull, doesn't it?
Instead of seeing it as a burden, I prefer to consider it as a mindset built on self-belief. A natural optimism that we will find a way to succeed. That every weak link will be strengthened. That solving difficult problems is actually enormous fun. Because it is, right? Well, it should be! At it’s best, accountability presents itself as an infectious enthusiasm – a motivating force in the project.
4. Diplomatic.
Diplomacy is so important.
It's very often true that the SA’s perspective is difficult for some stakeholders to stomach. The SA must not only listen to those stakeholders' concerns, but prove they’ve taken them seriously. They must do this not necessarily because they are mission critical, but because (the truth is) we’re all far more thin-skinned than any of us like to admit and project stakeholders need comforting all the time. The wise and successful consultant is sensitive to this.
On top of this they are alive to the fact that no person, thing or process is ever perfect. So, there is simply no point in pointing that out, however cathartic it may be.
Perhaps most importantly, diplomacy means the SA can justify their decisions without conflict and can admit mistakes without fear.
Conclusion.
The AI paradigm shift is happening now. The next generation of customer experience design is happening deep in the software not just in the front end.
Now, more than ever, we need strategic solutions architects armed with the latest insight and equipped with the necessary consulting skills to bridge the gap for those of us who work in tech but aren’t techie enough to navigate these exciting and uncharted waters.
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