The Solution Architect mission can consist of the following dimensions:
• Customer engagement (pre-sales)
• Project estimation and sizing
• Implementation and deployment of the software solution
Whether he works for the publisher, the integrator in project management or an information systems consulting firm, the solution architect plays a role in particular in the pre-sales of the solution by supporting and by enabling the customer to fully understand the features and benefits of using the proposed software solution and how it can help them achieve their goals. For this, the audit phase is essential.
It presents, with supporting analyzes and evaluations, the benefits of the software solution and the possible returns on investment.
In other words, he can have a major role in the customer engagement process.
He will bring his expertise in the construction of the offer and the sizing of the projects, and in collaboration with the project manager.
Thus, on the functional part, he will pay particular attention to identifying the number of functional objects and to writing the functional specifications to meet the customer's needs.
In the technical part, he will be able to orient the overall architecture of the solution and the technical solutions. He will work with the project manager and the teams concerned to prepare the various documents relating to the project.
The architect solution can also determine, within the framework of project sizing, the resources necessary for the construction of the solution, taking into account the constraints of duration and cost. In particular, he will ensure that the necessary skills are available and that the responsibilities and roles in the project are well assigned to ensure the satisfaction of the client's objectives.
During the implementation phase, he will collaborate in the various stages of the design, configuration, planning and conduct of tests, or even support the deployment. He will have to guarantee the correct functioning of the solution put in place, without forgetting to carry out training and ensure the management of the change related to the PLM project.