An architect is an important role on a scrum team. They are responsible for understanding the business and system needs, creating the system design, and ensuring that the system can be built within the constraints of time and budget. Architects work with the team to ensure that sprint goals are achievable and that dependencies are managed. They also play a key part in helping to define and manage user stories. In order to be effective on a scrum team, an architect must have a good understanding of agile principles and be able to work closely with developers and product owners. They are responsible for creating and maintaining the architecture of the system, ensuring that the system can accommodate future growth and change. 

In this blog post, we’ll discuss what an architect’s responsibilities are on a Scrum team, and how they can contribute to the success of the team.

Agile Architects in a Scrum Team

Architects play an essential role in software companies because they are responsible for designing the system architecture and ensuring that it is aligned with the company’s business goals. They also help other team members understand how different components of the system will interact with each other and how they relate to each other in terms of functionality and security.

An agile architect has one of the most important roles in a scrum team as well, as they help coordinate the work between the other roles. They are responsible for ensuring that the product being developed is being built following the company’s standards and requirements. The architect also ensures that there are no conflicts between any of the features being implemented by different members of the team.

The architect is also responsible for designing new features and ensuring they comply with all established standards. They communicate with stakeholders throughout development to ensure that all changes are approved by them before implementation begins. The architect may also provide design guidance as needed to other members of the scrum team via code reviews or written comments on their work.

The architect should be able to identify gaps in knowledge within the team, which can then be addressed by training or additional hires if necessary. They should also work closely with other teams at different levels of the organization so that everyone understands what others need from them during the development phase.

Agile architects identify and implement tracking and solving roadmaps if any bugs or unforeseen circumstances, such as security concerns, arise from external sources, such as government agencies. These could cause data breaches by hackers, stealth of passwords stored in memory chips, and much more.

Where Does an Architect Fit in a Scrum Team?

An architect’s role in a scrum team can be divided into two parts: gathering requirements and defining how those requirements will be implemented. The agile architect gathers information from the product owner about what they want to be built. They then turn that information into technical requirements that the development team can work on. They also define how those technical requirements will be implemented—for example, if they determine that some part of the system should be coded in C++, they would then create a plan for how each member of the development team would implement their part of that code in C++.

The architect in the scrum team will help organize the backlog of features from which the developers can pull tasks to be worked upon and will help keep track of how long it takes for each task to be completed. They will also work with the product owner to ensure that all features are being developed as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality.

The Key Roles of an Architect in a Scrum Team

1. The first role an architect has to play is that of a strategist. This means that they would need to know how to plan and execute their strategy to achieve the goals of the project. They should also be able to align with other teams and stakeholders to ensure they have all the information they need before making any decisions or plans.

2. They must play the role of a communicator as they are responsible for communicating their vision, plans, and ideas to other team members. Working together towards common goals can only happen if they can collaborate with everyone else involved.

3. They also need to act as a facilitator to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas freely without being judged or criticized by others in any way whatsoever.

4. They must ensure that the architecture supports the project’s business goals and is aligned with the rest of the organization’s technical architecture.

5. They need to define the software components (such as database schema, operating system configuration files, etc.) to support the project’s functionality.

If you want to get into a scrum team as an architect, there are certain skills you need to develop. Here are eight of them:

1. Robust understanding of agile development practices: You must clearly understand agile development practices to work efficiently in a scrum team. This includes being familiar with the scrum framework, as well as other agile practices such as continuous integration and test-driven development (TDD).

2. Strong communication skills: In a scrum team, you need to be able to communicate well. This means being able to listen to others and identify with their points of view while being able to express your ideas clearly.

3. Team player: As an architect, you may be used to working alone, but in a scrum team, you should be able to work well with others. This means being able to collaborate effectively and being receptive to others’ ideas.

4. Flexibility: In a scrum team, things can change quickly, and you must be able to adapt accordingly. This means being flexible in your approach and being willing to change course if necessary.

5. Problem-solving skills: As a scrum team, you’ll constantly face challenges that need quick resolution. This means being able to identify and solve problems efficiently.

6. Communication skills: In a scrum, you need good communication skills to converse and align product and software goals. An architect must be able to encourage team effort and drive effective decision-making.

7. Creativity: A big part of the agile process is embracing creativity and innovation, so if you don’t consider yourself creative, this may not be the right line of work for you.

8. Testing skills: Scrum teams are responsible for delivering working software regularly throughout the project lifecycle, so it’s crucial that complete testing is an integral skill set of the architect.

Get Started with ATC

Scrum is a complex framework with an equally complex working environment, indicating that there has to be a defined architecture at every sprint. An architect must be helpful in every way to guide the product in the best way possible. They work closely with the team to drive the benefits of the scrum framework. American Technology Company (ATC) can help and guide you at each stage to be a capable architect on a scrum team. Get the right guidance you need and examine real-life case studies with live classes conducted by industry experts. Book a seat with ATC today!