Salesforce Architect Job Description

The Salesforce Architecture Path

Many admins are moving to roles as architects. The authority to define vision and strategy is one of the things that an architect role has. Many of the admins who are #Awesome are already proficient in many of the skills required to be an Architect, so they are in an excellent position to transition into that role.

The trick is not to create new areas of skills but to scale the skills they already possess. An Architect is a valuable resource because they have a deep knowledge of technical and business areas, they can speak to people across the org chart, and they have the ability to see the big picture. The first rule of any project is to address a business need.

A leader of a company needs to be a Salesforce Architect who helps the organization to define its objectives, develop consensus around priorities and communicate those priorities to everyone. The resources for learning best practices are available in the community and on the website. Those are resources that Awesome admins are already using.

The certification track for the Salesforce Architect is a great way to show off your knowledge and show off your skills. One of the key skills for a Salesforce Architect is the ability to document and communicate a design, and to get feedback on it, which is something that is not always possible with a solid design. The architects of the company are also responsible for designing effective projects.

That means honing project management skills. An Architect should be one of the key players who determine the scope of the project, even if they aren't the person managing the project schedule or tracking project team members' work. The best way to know what is feasible within a budget and time frame is to have an architect with you.

Leading by example: what you do and how to be successful

There is a lot of pressure on Solution Architects to deliver. They are all looking at you. It can be overwhelming but leading by example is important.

If everyone else sees you stressed, they will start to do the same. Keeping on top of everything is what the company does. It is easy to fall out of the loop with what is possible and what is not.

It's especially difficult when you devote all your time to project delivery. You must read anything you can to stay on top. You have to love what you do.

Being a solution architect is not a 9-5 job. If you don't enjoy it, you will be demotivated and it will impact you delivering the best of your ability. Be ready for overtime, be ready for challenges, and be ready for the blame if something goes wrong.