Solution Architect

Role Purpose

The purpose of the role is to create exceptional architectural solution design and thought leadership and enable delivery teams to provide exceptional client engagement and satisfaction.

Do

1. Develop architectural solutions for the new deals/ major change requests in existing deals
2. Creates an enterprise-wide architecture that ensures systems are scalable, reliable, and manageable.
3. Provide solutioning of RFPs received from clients and ensure overall design assurance
4. Develop a direction to manage the portfolio of to-be-solutions including systems, shared infrastructure services, applications in order to better match business outcome objectives
5. Analyse technology environment, enterprise specifics, client requirements to set a collaboration solution design framework/ architecture

• Provide technical leadership to the design, development and implementation of custom solutions through thoughtful use of modern technology

1. Define and understand current state solutions and identify improvements, options & tradeoffs to define target state solutions
2. Clearly articulate, document and sell architectural targets, recommendations and reusable patterns and accordingly propose investment roadmaps
3. Evaluate and recommend solutions to integrate with overall technology ecosystem

• Works closely with various IT groups to transition tasks, ensure performance and manage issues through to resolution
• Perform detailed documentation (App view, multiple sections & views) of the architectural design and solution mentioning all the artefacts in detail

1. Validate the solution/ prototype from technology, cost structure and customer differentiation point of view
2. Identify problem areas and perform root cause analysis of architectural design and solutions and provide relevant solutions to the problem
3. Collaborating with sales, program/project, consulting teams to reconcile solutions to architecture

• Tracks industry and application trends and relates these to planning current and future IT needs

1. Provides technical and strategic input during the project planning phase in the form of technical architectural designs and recommendations
2. Collaborates with all relevant parties in order to review the objectives and constraints of solutions and determine conformance with the Enterprise Architecture.
3. Identifies implementation risks and potential impacts.

1. Enable Delivery Teams by providing optimal delivery solutions/ frameworks
2. Build and maintain relationships with executives, technical leaders, product owners, peer architects and other stakeholders to become a trusted advisor
3. Develops and establishes relevant technical, business process and overall support metrics (KPI/SLA) to drive results
4. Manages multiple projects and accurately reports the status of all major assignments while adhering to all project management standards
5. Identify technical, process, structural risks and prepare a risk mitigation plan for all the projects
6. Ensure quality assurance of all the architecture or design decisions and provides technical mitigation support to the delivery teams
7. Recommend tools for reuse, automation for improved productivity and reduced cycle times
8. Leads the development and maintenance of enterprise framework and related artefacts
9. Develops trust and builds effective working relationships through respectful, collaborative engagement across individual product teams
10. Ensures architecture principles and standards are consistently applied to all the projects
11. Ensure optimal Client Engagement
12. Support pre-sales team while presenting the entire solution design and its principles to the client
13. Negotiate, manage and coordinate with the client teams to ensure all requirements are met and create an impact of solution proposed

• Demonstrate thought leadership with strong technical capability in front of the client to win the confidence and act as a trusted advisor

1. Competency Building and Branding
2. Ensure completion of necessary trainings and certifications
3. Develop Proof of Concepts (POCs),case studies, demos etc. for new growth areas based on market and customer research
4. Develop and present a point of view of Wipro on solution design and architect by writing white papers, blogs etc.
5. Attain market referencability and recognition through highest analyst rankings, client testimonials and partner credits
6. Be the voice of Wipros Thought Leadership by speaking in forums (internal and external)
7. Mentor developers, designers and Junior architects in the project for their further career development and enhancement
8. Contribute to the architecture practice by conducting selection interviews etc

• Manage team attrition

1. Drive diversity in leadership positions

1. Performance Management
2. Set goals for the team, conduct timely performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to own direct reports
3. Ensure that the Performance Nxt is followed for the entire team

Stakeholder Interaction

Stakeholder Type

Stakeholder Identification

Purpose of Interaction

Internal

Delivery teams

Review of architectural process deployment in engagements, escalation management, issue resolution

Pre-sales team

For solutioning and architectural design purpose

Practice teams

To understand the different solution portfolios

Holmes engineering and roll out

For automation purpose

Talent Transformation Team, Competency Group

Plan and support delivery of Technical Trainings, knowledge sharing

HRBP

For hiring and managing resources

Finance

Revenue / budgets

Talent acquisition team

Recruitment

External

Vendors/ Partners

For strategic alignment and partnerships, training

Industry forums

Best practices, market intelligence, knowledge sharing

Display

Lists the competencies required to perform this role effectively:

• Functional Competencies/ Skill
• Domain/Industry Knowledge - Awareness and knowledge of broad economic, demographic, technological and global trends within own ecosystem - Expert
• Market Intelligence - Deep specialized understanding of the ecosystem practice, overall market & competition and nuances of delivery in that domain - Master
• Systems Thinking - Understanding of the Wipro system (interrelatedness, interdependencies and boundaries) and perform problem solving in a complex environment - Expert
• Leveraging Technology - In-depth knowledge of and mastery over ecosystem technology that commands expert authority respect - Master
• Asset reusability - ability to re-use the assets to ensure scalability and optimization - Expert
• Technical knowledge - architecture design principles, framework and documentation - Expert

Competency Levels

Foundation

Knowledgeable about the competency requirements. Demonstrates (in parts) frequently with minimal support and guidance.

Competent

Consistently demonstrates the full range of the competency without guidance. Extends the competency to difficult and unknown situations as well.

Expert

Applies the competency in all situations and is serves as a guide to others as well.

Master

Coaches others and builds organizational capability in the competency area. Serves as a key resource for that competency and is recognised within the entire organization.

• Behavioral Competencies
• Strategic perspective
• Technology Acumen
• Innovation
• Managing Complexity
• Client centricity
• Execution excellence
• Change agility
• Passion for results
• Nurturing people
• Executive presence

Deliver / No. / Performance Parameter / Measure

1. Support sales team to create wins

% of proposals with Quality Index >7, timely support of the proposals, identifying opportunities/ leads to sell services within/ outside account (lead generation), no. of proposals led

2. Delivery support

CSAT, delivery as per cost, quality and timelines, Identify and develop resuable components, utilization %, Recommend tools for reuse, automation for improved productivity and reduced cycle times

3. Capability development

% trainings and certifications completed, increase in ACE certifications, thought leadership content developed (white papers, Wipro PoVs)

4. Team Management

Team attrition %, Employee satisfaction score.