The Role of Solution Architects in Systems Integration

Abstract

The roles and responsibilities of programmers, analysts, and project managers are well understood, but there is still ambiguity about the roles of the various architects such projects require. Without understanding how architects contribute to a systems integration project, it will be difficult to use them effectively. Much of the confusion stems from the inability to differentiate the roles of architects and designers, yet in large complex projects, the failure to recognize these important differences represents a missed opportunity to achieve an integrated perspective on the complete system solution. This paper discussed that a key step toward regaining this opportunity is to identify the different architect types that a typical systems integration project requires and to understand their roles and responsibilities. Armed with this understanding, an organization can harness the diverse talents into a solution architects group that will be a single point of responsibility through all stages of the project's life-cycle