The art of designing solutions is as much about people as it is about technology.
The role of the Solution Architect is often misunderstood. Too many people think it’s all about systems, diagrams, and technology stacks. But Solution Architects should know it’s about balance. Balance between what’s possible and what’s practical. Between what’s technically beautiful and what will actually work on the ground.
Whether you’re an experienced Architect or just stepping into the world of solution design, these 10 timeless principles will help keep your feet firmly planted in the messy, fascinating, ever-changing real world of business and technology.
1. Start with 'Why', not 'How'
Don’t rush to the tech. Always start by understanding the business drivers, the problem to solve, or the outcome to enable. If you can’t articulate the ‘why’, you shouldn’t be proposing the ‘how’.
2. Design for People, not Systems
Every system has a user. And that user isn’t a stakeholder on a slide deck. They’re a real person with frustrations, workarounds, and goals. If your design makes their life harder, it’s not a solution.
3. The simplest path is often the strongest
Complexity is seductive. Resist it. Good architecture is about simplifying the landscape, not adding to its clutter. Ask yourself: Could this be simpler?
4. Be Technology Agnostic (until you can’t be)
Favour patterns and principles over brands and tools. Choose technology because it fits the need, not because it’s fashionable or what you know best.
5. Think holistically, act iteratively
Zoom out before you zoom in. Always consider the wider ecosystem (data, processes, security, people) before diving into solution details. But deliver in chunks that show value quickly.
6. Respect the past, shape the future
Legacy isn’t a dirty word. It’s the heartbeat of most organisations. Respect what’s there. Understand it. Design in a way that moves the organisation forward without breaking what’s already working.
7. Make trade-offs visible
Every decision is a trade-off. Cost, time, risk, flexibility- they’re all in play. Be brave enough to highlight them, not hide them.
8. Communication is half the job
If you can’t explain your solution clearly, you don’t understand it well enough. Great architects tell the story behind the design (why it matters, how it works, what it means for the people involved).
9. Design for change, not perfection
Today’s perfect solution is tomorrow’s legacy system. Build in flexibility. Design for evolution. Know when ‘good enough’ is truly good enough.
10. Stay curious, stay humble
No one has all the answers. Technology moves. Business moves faster. Stay curious. Ask the daft questions. Listen more than you talk. The best architects never stop learning.
The Heart of the matter
In the end, architecture is about decisions. Thoughtful, inclusive, human decisions that connect business ambition with technical possibility. It’s about enabling organisations to move forward with confidence, not just shiny new platforms.
And if you’re ever in doubt?
Go back to the basics. What’s the problem? Who’s it for? How can we make their lives easier?
Technology will follow.
