Solution Architect Competencies - Part I

 

Solution Architect Competencies - Part I

 

  Now that I know what Solutions Architecture Foundations are and what the Solution Architect And Enterprise Architect Do it's time to learn what competencies the Solution Architect must possess in order to build solid solution architectures. I found it in Solution Architect Competencies that includes (but not limited to) these:

1. Leadership (covered here)
2. Communication (covered here)
3. Organizational dynamics (covered here)
4. Strategy
5. Process and tactics
6. Technology breadth
7. Technology depth

by aloshbennett

In this post I am mixing the content from the resources on MSDN with my own take on each competency expressed by links to my original posts on www.PracticeThis.com.

Leadership

From Lesson 3: Leadership:

Leaders and Managers: Leadership is managing yourself and leading others. Managers do and leaders guide, even when they don't have power. A solutions architect must not advocate or tolerate “Technology for technology’s sake.” Technical leadership means getting all team members to align their actions with the needs of the project.

Leadership Models:

• Situational Leadership – advocates adaptive leadership based on the situation at hand.
• Servant Leadership – This leadership approach is one of stewardship.
• Thought Leadership – this leadership approach is one of education.

• Ask thought-provoking questions that result in actionable technological patterns or solutions.
  • What’s The Powerful Skill Of All? Is It Asking The Right Questions?
• Actively mentor others.
  • Best Kept Secret Of Successful Consulting - Model The Best
  • Consultant Arrives To Base Camp
  • Is Consultant Career For Me?
  • Consulting - What’s The Deal?
• Provide thought leadership by enabling others to see things from a different and better perspective.
  • Creatures Of Logic And Creatures Of Emotion
  • John Wooden’s 12 Lessons In Leadership [For Kids]
  • The Best Advice For Any Manager
  • Leaders’ Work
• Influence decision makers.
  • Consultant "Kills" With A Borrowed Knife
  • Consultant Besieges Wèi To Rescue Zhào
  • Consultant Deceive The Heavens To Cross The Ocean. And Wins.
• Champion structure, process, best practices, and standards.
  • Personal Improvement - Kaizen Focus On Process
  • Kaizen - Think Process, Get Results.
  • Gemba Kaizen - Three Step Approach For Kick 5 S’s Management
• Promote the capture and reuse of intellectual capital.
  • Security
  • Performance
  • Architecture
• Effectively build individual partnerships and organizational networks.
  • Emotional Intelligence - Core Skills
  • Emotional Intelligence - Higher Order Skills

Communication

From Lesson 1: Listening and Communication:

What’s important is that you remain open to surprise: Recognize that other people have information or opinions that will be different than your own, but will enhance the value of your outcomes.

• Self Awareness: Recognize your own style or type and how it can affect your listening style, assumptions, and ability to achieve empathy.
• Be Aware of Others: Each person has a different personality. This leads to differences in how each of us best understands and communicates.
• Ask Open-Ended Questions: Questions like: "Tell me about...?" "What do you do when…?” and "What do you think about...?" get people talking.
• Make Connections: Coordinate efforts with work partners to get their help in understanding.
• Make Time to Listen: Make certain that your conversations are dialogues, not monologues
• Set the pace: In meetings, encourage team members to "check in" by repeating in their own words, summarize, and clarify.
• Close the Loop: Follow up your meetings with written notes to the audience.

• Effective listener and astute observer.
  • Consultants, Beware Of Procrastinators, Disengaged, And Distracters!
  • 4 Dimensions Of Personal Power
  • 3 Easy Steps To Become A Superhero
• Communicate effectively and persuasively to different audiences.
  • Make Your Message Sticky And You Might Tip
  • Basic Skills For Effective Public Speaking
  • Glue Audience To Your Presentation With ZoomIt
• Effectively mediate and manage conflict
  • How To Resolve Conflict Calmly
  • Emotional Intelligence - Core Skills
• Document designs and specifications that follow company practices.
  • Software Release Management - The Questionnaire
  • Threat Modeling Big Chunks
  • Security Engineering Big Rocks
  • Design For Operations [DFO] – Problems And Solution Frame
  • Consulting And Security Reviews - How To Get Everyone Onboard
• Communicate needs as well as deployment and operations standards to infrastructure architects
  • Enterprise Architect's Best Friend Is Production System Engineer
  • Design For Operations [DFO] – Problems And Solution Frame
  • Do You Really Need A Distributed Architecture?
• Effectively facilitate meetings
  • Avoid Meetings At Any Cost, Or At Least Get Most Of It
• Possess good presentation skills
  • TechEd 2007 Barcelona - Web Application Security Session Sum Up

Organizational dynamics

• Understand organizational structures, relationships, and influencers
  • Consultant Arrives To Base Camp
• Adeptly maneuver through politically charged organizational situations
  • Consultant Besieges Wèi To Rescue Zhào
  • Consultant Deceive The Heavens To Cross The Ocean. And Wins.
• Effectively build organizational partnerships and networks
  • Become The Next Great Mind - Now
  • Consultant "Kills" With A Borrowed Knife
• Build relationships with other architects and project stakeholders
  • http://www.iasahome.org
• Possess an awareness of the internal legal organization and ensure that legal guidelines are met.
  • Regulatory Compliance Demystified: An Introduction to Compliance for Developers
• Exhibit comfort with conflict and thrive in situations that require negotiation and compromise
  • Can Conflict Improve Your Personal Performance?
  • Emotional Intelligence - Core Skills
  • Emotional Intelligence - Higher Order Skills

Got resources of your own? Please share!

Related Materials

• Solutions Architecture Foundations Hub
• What Do Solution Architect And Enterprise Architect Do?
• Enterprise Architect's Best Friend Is Production System Engineer
• Training Resources For Aspiring Enterprise Architect
• Consulting - What’s The Deal?

This post is made with PracticeThis.com plugin for Windows Live Writer

Published 23 February 09 06:57 by alikl

Alik Levin's : Solution Architect Competencies - Part I