agile Deconflicting Role of Solution Architect and Product Owner

Whether you’re building a feature, migrating systems, or designing a scalable platform, the synergy of these roles ensures every aspect of product development is covered. Solution architects need to have a deep understanding of how software systems work in order to be able to design effective solutions. They also need to be able to troubleshoot problems that arise during the development process. In this article, we will compare and contrast the job titles of product owner and solution architect. We will discuss the different responsibilities of each position, the skills that are necessary for each role, and the salary expectations for each job. Despite my decision to return to solution architecture, the experience offered invaluable lessons.

• Both product owners and solution architects work with teams of developers to create software products.
• In my experience, it is never in their best interest as it erodes trust from the team and long-term success of the product.
• In both scenarios, the specific distribution of responsibilities will depend on the size of the startup, the complexity of the product, budget and the available resources.
• Product owners and solution architects typically need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering or another related field.
• Product management is the process of overseeing a product’s lifecycle, from concept to market delivery and beyond.

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• The product owner is also responsible for managing the product backlog, and for prioritizing and prioritizing the development team’s work.
• The technical oversight group sets the standards and looks at process improvement ideas.
• The solution architect, on the other hand, is focused on the business needs of an organization.
• Given that I lacked actual product management experience, I constructed a narrative highlighting how I had contributed beyond my official sphere of influence in my prior role.
• It’s important to learn how different technologies interact with each other, understand their limitations, and understand what works well together.
• If you operate within a certain Software Engineering practice such as Scrum, Extreme, or Lean, some project roles might be predefined and work the same across companies.
• If you want to identify tech debts, these costs should ideally be tracked and measured.

Initially, I thought the issue was with my place of employment, so I transitioned to a large international American vendor. When I experienced a replay of similar challenges, I understood that the problem likely lay with my fit for the job. This realization was a considerable disappointment, given that I had spent several years as a PM and genuinely appreciated the prestige that came with the role. Yet, I decided that alignment with my values was more important than preserving my ego. I reached out to my how to hire a software developer contacts from my previous solutions architect roles and landed a regional specialist position at VMware.

Differences between technical product manager and solutions architect duties and responsibilities

Product management vs project management serve distinct yet complementary roles within an organization. While they often work collaboratively, their focus areas, responsibilities, and objectives differ significantly. Understanding these differences is critical for organizations to effectively utilize both roles and achieve strategic and operational success. A good and well-considered architecture is essential for the effective development of any software. The correct architectural solution makes it possible to scale the product at minimal cost and painlessly for an existing product and customers.

Technical Product Manager vs. Similar Jobs

Simply put, this is the foundation of the product on which the long-term success of any project depends. Solution architecture is oriented on specific business problems of the company and serves to achieve business goals. The average salary for a solutions architect is $130,598 per year, while the average salary for a project manager is $87,628 per year.

My affinity for working with people and technology found a perfect balance in this role. The flexibility in time allocation and the ability to escape the office for customer meetings was a substantial perk, especially before the prevalence of remote work in the pre-Covid-19 era. I cherished the constant learning curve the role offered and the motivational pressure to stay at the top of my game to avoid embarrassment from competitors or clients. Lastly, I was part of a pre-sales organization where politics, although present, were relatively contained.

Solutions architects may perform additional job duties related to identifying solutions. For example, they might research new technologies or evaluate existing products that could help the company meet its goals. They can then report their findings to the client and make recommendations about which options to pursue. Finally, solutions architects may oversee the testing Product Manager job and evaluation of a new product before it goes live.

Technical product managers and solutions architects have different pay scales, as shown below. The top three skills for a solutions manager include healthcare, cloud and project management. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy. In my mind, I was aiming to become a founder and CEO of my own company because that role presented unlimited potential. I had been influenced by the oft-cited maxim that great founders are also great product people, with Steve Jobs being the most prominent example. Therefore, I concluded that a role in product management also offered unlimited progress and potential, whether that be within the corporate world or in the entrepreneurial sphere.

What were my primary responsibilities as a solution architect and what did I enjoy about this role?

Each role is distinct yet interdependent, creating a harmonious trinity that guides an organization’s technology strategy from vision to execution. The overall goal of an architect is to ensure a smooth development lifecycle and efficient use of available resources building enterprise architecture for each application. Once elaborate plans are in place, the solutions architect breaks them down into building blocks.