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Ameen Abozaid
Englishالعربية
ARC-001

Architecture roles

  • 6 Lessons
  • 2.5 h practice (estimate)
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On this page 9 topics

Overview

Topics

  • Software
  • solution
  • enterprise
  • cloud
  • and data architects

Learn first

2.5 h of practice (estimate)

Learning outcomes

  1. Distinguish software, solution, enterprise, cloud, and data architects by scope, horizon, and typical deliverables.
  2. Explain where a solution architect sits between business stakeholders, enterprise architecture, delivery teams, and vendors.
  3. Describe the solution architect's accountabilities on a program and what they are not accountable for.
  4. Plan a personal transition from senior engineer to solution architect.

Lessons

  1. 01What architects actually do
  2. 02Software, solution, enterprise, cloud, and data architects
  3. 03The solution architect in a program
  4. 04Accountabilities and boundaries
  5. 05From senior engineer to architect
  6. 06Demo: mapping the architecture roles on the Larkspur program

Lab and exercises

Lab

ARC-001-LAB1 · Larkspur engagement charter

Outcomes: 1–4 · Time: ~2.5 h

  1. List the stakeholders and roles around the Larkspur program: sponsor, store operations, e-commerce, finance, IT, enterprise architecture, delivery teams, vendors.
  2. Write the scope of the solution architect's engagement: in scope, out of scope, deliverables.
  3. Add a decision-rights table (recommends, decides, consulted) for at least five decisions.
  4. Define interfaces with enterprise architecture, delivery teams, and vendors: cadence, inputs, outputs.
  5. Put it on one page and review it with a role-played program sponsor.

Acceptance: reviewed by a role-played program sponsor; no overlap or gap with other roles.

Exercises (case-based; six exercises)

IDOutcomeTask
ARC-001-EX011Given eight Larkspur work items, assign each to software, solution, enterprise, cloud, or data architect and justify by scope and horizon.
ARC-001-EX021A candidate says "I am a solution architect; I own the capability roadmap and the cloud landing zone." Explain what is wrong.
ARC-001-EX032Draw where the Larkspur solution architect sits relative to sponsor, EA, three delivery teams, and the commerce vendor; label what flows each way.
ARC-001-EX043List five accountabilities and five non-accountabilities for the Larkspur program.
ARC-001-EX053The sponsor asks you to set the delivery date and review each pull request. Write a polite reply that restores boundaries.
ARC-001-EX064Write a one-page transition plan from your current role to solution architect: gaps, evidence, three actions with dates.
Show solutions
  • EX01 Examples: web shop module structure → software; end-to-end commerce design → solution; three-year retail capability roadmap → enterprise; landing zone and network → cloud; customer master data model → data. Judge by scope and horizon.
  • EX02 The roadmap is enterprise architecture's; the landing zone is the cloud architect's. The solution architect applies and consumes both and may propose changes through the proper channel.
  • EX03 Sponsor: outcomes and budget in, options and recommendations out. EA: principles and standards in, exceptions and feedback out. Teams: guidance out, feedback in. Vendor: requirements out, product constraints in.
  • EX04 Accountable: solution fitness, options, decision log, architectural risks, quality attribute coverage. Not: priorities and budget, enterprise standards, schedule, code quality inside teams, vendor contracts.
  • EX05 Offer to advise on the effects of dates on design risk, and to review architecturally significant changes through the decision log; the project manager owns the date and tech leads own pull requests.
  • EX06 A good plan names concrete evidence (a decision record, a facilitated workshop, a reviewed design) and dated actions rather than "learn architecture".

Outcome 2 is also covered by the lab's interface section; outcome 4 by the quiz.

Workplace evidence: a program where you held a defined architecture role with written scope and decision rights.

Quiz

Outcomes: O1 role distinctions · O2 position in a program · O3 accountabilities and boundaries · O4 transition from engineer.

A self-check for you: nothing is graded, saved or sent anywhere. Choose an answer, then check it. You can try again as often as you like.

  1. 1Which role mainly owns the structure of a single product's code base?O1
  2. 2Larkspur needs a three-year capability roadmap for all business units. That is most like the work of the:O1
  3. 3A solution architect's horizon is typically:O1
  4. 4Who sets organization-wide architecture standards?O2
  5. 5The solution architect's relationship to delivery teams is best described as:O2
  6. 6Which is NOT normally a solution architect's accountability?O3
  7. 7The sponsor asks you to choose which store region launches first. This is a:O3
  8. 8Why write decision rights down?O3
  9. 9A common mistake of a new solution architect is to:O4
  10. 10Solution architect and Staff engineer are:O4

Practical part

Charter review by a role-played sponsor plus the role-scenario exercises ARC-001-EX01 to EX06. Pass: quiz at least 8/10, at least five of six exercises correct, and a charter with no role overlap or gap.

Common mistakes

Acting as the lead developer; owning decisions that belong to the business or enterprise architecture.

Assessment

Charter review plus role-scenario quiz.

Workplace evidence

A program where you held a defined architecture role with written scope and decision rights.

Career relevance

Frames the whole level and the Staff vs Architect career choice (STF-001).

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