Building software isn’t like building bridges. Building software doesn’t mean an understanding of material strength, but it does mean understanding how different approaches are capable of coping with today’s emerging needs. Solutions architects have some of the greatest experience requirements of any role in the software development cycle. These ten questions may be how the interviewer quickly can assess the experiences of a candidate. You can find out more about the critical role in “Anatomy of a Software Development Role: Solutions Architect“.
Building software isn’t like building bridges. Building software doesn’t mean an understanding of material strength, but it does mean understanding how different approaches are capable of coping with today’s emerging needs. Solutions architects have some of the greatest experience requirements of any role in the software development cycle. These ten questions may be how the interviewer quickly can assess the experiences of a candidate. You can find out more about the critical role in “Anatomy of a Software Development Role: Solutions Architect“.
A: The answer will vary, but a candidate should discuss a solution that is non-obvious. The candidate should be able to describe using something that works perfectly (or nearly perfectly) for the problem. The question is trying to assess how imaginative and innovative the candidate will be.
A: A candidate’s answer should refer to at least authentication as well as authorization. If forms are mentioned, the candidate should include solutions for password management. Although answers will vary, having a clear approach to security is crucial for a solutions architect. The need for a security design and architecture is a fact of today’s world.
A: There are multiple different ways of approaching this question, but a candidate should include discussions of SQL injection and cross site scripting (XSS). Any mentioned approaches should include cleaning and screening the input. SQL injection conversations should include a conversation about parameterized queries and stored procedures.
A: The candidate’s answer should include a discussion about latencies, as well as the capacities/bottlenecks of CPU, memory, disk, and network. Solutions architects are often confronted with the most difficult problems, and an understanding of isolating bottlenecks and resolving them is vital.
A: A candidate’s answer should include mechanisms for creating and distributing pictures of the solution with an appropriate number of boxes and arrows. Any solutions architect will recognize the need for both written communication and pictures. Lots of solution architects can draw pictures, but they’re often not enough to convey a complete understanding.
A: The answer to this question should explain how the candidate would work with the FA and answer their questions—as well as reflect clarifying questions. A successful solution architect is happy to help the FA however they can, and should show a readiness to co-operate. Ultimately, the solutions architect is the technical leader of the team and needs to support teamwork.
A: Similar to supporting the functional analysts, solution architects are resources for the development leads to help them solve the problems that are occurring while development is actually taking place. A good candidate will recognize their importance in helping the development leads find solutions to their problems.
A: A candidate’s answer will vary, but should at least mention the use of multi-server, in-memory caches, and caches that may be quasi-memory, such as a SQL server database. They should understand that a SQL server database is where the data gets maintained in memory by the SQL server predictive caching. The candidate should be aware of problems with cached objects not being in-sync across multiple servers, and the need to clear cached objects when cache coherency is critical.
A: Scalability can be addressed vertically (increasing the resources on the same server) or horizontally (across multiple servers). Scalability is limited by single-threaded operations, so a candidate should know to give them special consideration when considering how to scale an application.
A: The candidate should recognize the need to eliminate single points of failure as much as is possible. It’s also important for candidates to be aware of the ability to ensure that sessions can be switched to a new server at any point—even if there’s a performance impact to this switch. Modeling failures—and testing with simulated failures—are important for any solutions architect.
- What’s your favorite thing about being a solutions architect?
- How long have you been working as a solutions architect?
- What are your strengths as a solutions architect?
- What are your weaknesses when it comes to performing the duties of a solutions architect?
What Roles Does An IT SolutionsArchitect Perform?
Solution architecture bridges gaps between technology solutions and business problems. Here, the interviewer will assess if you understand the roles of solution architects.
Tip 1: Describe various roles performed by a solution architect
Tip 2: Be brief but don’t miss out on important points
Sample Answer
“An IT solutionarchitect leads and makes efforts to integrate IT systems so that they canconform to the organization’s requirements. The architect carries out anevaluation of system architecture and collaborates with IT development andproject management teams to enhance the architecture.
IT solution architects guide and supervise developers and fix technical issues as they occur. Moreover, they assess project constraints in search of alternatives, undertake process re-engineering when required, and alleviate risks.”
During Your Last Role, What MajorChallenge Did You Encounter And How Did You Address It?
Here, the interviewerwill try to find out if you can handle challenging situations.
Tip 1: Provide achallenge that will show your ability to deal with difficult situations
Tip 2: Show how youeffectively addressed the challenge
Sample Answer
“During my lastassignment as a solution architect, I led a solution architects’ team that wasinvolved in designing a mobile banking app. My team got the technology rightand delivered the app. However, after implementation, users had a badexperience.
As the team leader, I got lots of pressure from the bank because the app did not meet the expectations. I addressed the situation by engaging my team in researching for ways that could improve the app. In the end, some modules were redesigned and the problem got solved.”
Example: “I believe my ability to collaborate with different teams, clients and stakeholders will help me contribute to this organization’s success. I have worked in many organizations where communication was lacking between departments, which led to problems later on. In these situations, I would work with all parties involved to create solutions that met everyone’s needs. This resulted in more efficient processes and better outcomes for the company.”
As a solution architect, you may encounter situations where the client is unsure of what they want. This question helps employers determine how you handle these types of challenges and whether or not you can effectively communicate with clients to help them make decisions. In your answer, explain that you prefer to have a plan in place before beginning work on a project. Explain that you would rather ask for more time than deliver an incomplete product.
Example: “I once worked on a project where we were tasked with creating an online marketplace for customers to buy and sell products. We had a lot of great ideas for the website but never actually tested our product before launching it. The website was very slow and difficult to navigate, which led to many customers leaving without making any purchases. After this experience, I learned the importance of testing websites before releasing them to the public.”
Example: “Agile is a software development methodology that focuses on creating applications that are flexible and easy to change. This is beneficial because it allows us to make adjustments quickly, which helps us avoid costly mistakes later in the process. I use Agile when working with clients who want their applications to be easily modified.”
Solution architects are the masterminds behind the technology solutions that make our lives easier. They design and oversee the construction of complex systems that can manage and store massive amounts of data, or that can quickly and securely connect to other systems.
A: A candidate’s answer should include mechanisms for creating and distributing pictures of the solution with an appropriate number of boxes and arrows. Any solutions architect will recognize the need for both written communication and pictures. Lots of solution architects can draw pictures, but they’re often not enough to convey a complete understanding.
A: The candidate should recognize the need to eliminate single points of failure as much as is possible. It’s also important for candidates to be aware of the ability to ensure that sessions can be switched to a new server at any point—even if there’s a performance impact to this switch. Modeling failures—and testing with simulated failures—are important for any solutions architect.
A: The candidate’s answer should include a discussion about latencies, as well as the capacities/bottlenecks of CPU, memory, disk, and network. Solutions architects are often confronted with the most difficult problems, and an understanding of isolating bottlenecks and resolving them is vital.
A: The answer to this question should explain how the candidate would work with the FA and answer their questions—as well as reflect clarifying questions. A successful solution architect is happy to help the FA however they can, and should show a readiness to co-operate. Ultimately, the solutions architect is the technical leader of the team and needs to support teamwork.
A: There are multiple different ways of approaching this question, but a candidate should include discussions of SQL injection and cross site scripting (XSS). Any mentioned approaches should include cleaning and screening the input. SQL injection conversations should include a conversation about parameterized queries and stored procedures.
FAQ
What is the role of OSS BSS solution architect?
Create and maintain end-to-end architecture artifacts including but not limited to, interface design document, process design document, sequence diagrams, data flow diagrams and data models across the B/OSS ecosystem.
What is OSS Solution Architect?
As an OSS Architect, you are working on innovative, network centric solutions and technologies with specific focus on OSS transformation. You participate at all project lifecycle aspects from initiation & conception, assessment & design to implementation & deployment.
What are your strengths as a solutions architect?
How do solution architects diagnose IT performance issues?
