System Architect/Engineering

"System Architect/Engineering is responsible for defining and communicating a shared technical and architectural vision for an Agile Release Train (ART) to help ensure the system or Solution under development is fit for its intended purpose.

System Architects describe the Solution Context and Solution Intent, analyze technical trade-offs, determine the primary components and subsystems, identify the interfaces and collaborations between them, define Nonfunctional Requirements (NFRs), guide Enablers through the Program and Solution Kanban systems, and work with Product Management, Solution Management, customers, and Suppliers to help ensure fitness for purpose.

They play a critical role in aligning teams on the Agile Release Train (ART) and Solution Train to a shared technical direction and partner with those teams in elaborating the Solution, validating technology assumptions, evaluating implementation alternatives, and creating the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. In ARTs that are not part of a Solution Train, System Architects also perform many of the activities of Solution Architect/Engineers

System Architect/Engineering support solution development by providing, communicating, and evolving the broader technology and architectural view of the solution. System Architect/Engineering operates mainly in the context of the ART, where they work with Agile Teams and provide technical enablement concerning subsystems and capability areas for an ART. They collaborate closely with business stakeholders, teams, customers, suppliers, and third-party stakeholders in defining the technology infrastructure, decomposing solutions, and systems into components and subsystems, and defining and managing their interfaces and APIs. While providing a general view of solution architecture, Architect/Engineering enables those who implement value by empowering them to make local decisions, allowing faster flow of work and better economics.

Responsibilities of System/Architect Engineering

Participate in planning, definition, and high-level design of the solution and exploration of solution alternatives

Enable the Continuous Delivery Pipeline through appropriate design guidelines and investment advocacy

Actively participate in the Continuous Exploration process as part of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, especially with enabler Epics

Define subsystems and their interfaces, allocate responsibilities to subsystems, understand solution deployment, and communicate requirements for interactions with solution context

Work with customers, stakeholders, and suppliers to establish high-level solution intent, and the solution intent information models and documentation requirements

Establish critical NFRs for the solution and participate in the definition of others

Operate within an economic framework when analyzing the impact of design decisions

Work with portfolio stakeholders, notably the Enterprise Architect, to develop, analyze, split, and realize the implementation of enabler epics

Participate in Program Increment (PI) Planning and Pre- and Post-PI Planning, System and Solution Demos, and Inspect and Adapt(I&A) events

Define, explore, and support the implementation of enablers to evolve solution intent, working directly with Agile teams to implement them

Plan and develop the Architectural Runway in support of new business Features and Capabilities

Work with Product and Solution Management to determine the capacity allocation for enablement work

Support technology/engineering aspects of program and solution Kanbans

Provide oversight and foster Built-In Quality and Team and Technical Agility

For Large Solutions that require multiple ARTs, System Architect/Engineering gains additional responsibilities that support alignment, which incluides

Collaborate with Solution Architect/Engineering – System Architect/Engineering collaborate with Solution Architect/Engineering to ensure discrete solutions created by each ART and supplier fit into and support the larger capabilities and direction of the overall solution. This involves participation in Solution Backlog refinement and prioritization, defining enabler capabilities and NFRs, and assigning architectural responsibilities to the various components and subsystems. A description of the relationship between these roles and the role of the Enterprise Architect can be found in the Enterprise Architect article.

Participate in Pre- and Post-PI Planning – System Architect/Engineering participates in the pre-PI planning event, working with the Solution Train stakeholders to define the architectural approach, capability roadmap, and high-level objectives for the upcoming PI planning. In the post-PI planning event, System Architect/Engineering helps summarize findings into an agreed-to set of solution PI objectives and validates alignment of the various ART technical directions.

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