What is it like to be a Solution Architect at Agile Architects? What support do you receive, what challenges do you face, and what makes this role so rewarding? To find out, we spoke with Wouter Debaere, one of our experienced Solution Architects.
As a consultant, How Do You Experience Support from Agile Architects?
I experience valuable support from Agile Architects in several areas. First of all, we help each other technologically through knowledge-sharing sessions. A great example of this is the monthly Last Friday-meeting, where we exchange experiences, give feedback and reinforce each other’s expertise. These sessions contribute greatly to our professional growth and collective knowledge.
In addition, I also feel well supported in terms of architecture frameworks that are broadly applicable, regardless of specific contexts. For instance, I obtained my certificate in ArchiMate last year and am currently preparing for TOGAF 10, with the aim of becoming certified for that too. These certifications are very valuable for my work, as they help me to make architectural decisions in an efficient way and better substantiate my work.
What is Your Win to Work for these Particular Clients?
I work full-time for one client, where I am part of the architecture team. In this role, I work out solutions for a wide range of projects, from digitalization projects to responding to new business needs. These projects are situated within diverse areas of the organization, which keeps my work exciting and challenging. It also allows me to continuously learn, gain new insights and further develop myself as an architect.
What Is Your Personal Win in Working as a Consultant for Agile Architects?
Within Agile Architects, we experience a lot of support in terms of architectural principles, such as ArchiMate and TOGAF. We form a close-knit community where we can always come to each other for advise and support. We also help each other in the field of technology. We encourage specialization in specific domains so that we can complement and reinforce each other’s expertise in a targeted way. During our monthly Last Friday-sessions, we actively share knowledge with each other, keeping everyone up to date with the latest trends and developments in the field.
How Do You Ensure Effective Communication and Cooperation Between Internal Teams and Yourself, especially during important decision-making processes?
Unilaterally communicating or imposing conclusions from an analysis can often lead to resistance. This is why I find it crucial to strive for consensus during changes. Being able to listen to each other and respect each other’s points of view is essential in this process. Moreover, it is important to involve stakeholders at an early stage and actively contribute ideas. When arguments – both for and against – are carefully listed and weighed against each other, this usually leads to a solution that is supported and well-considered by everyone.
How Do You Handle Resistance to Change When Proposing Architectural Changes or Agile Practices?
As an architect, not only your technical skills and knowledge are important, but also your interpersonal skills. You act as a bridge builder between the business, which demands changes, and IT, which translates these changes into automated processes to support efficient operations. The ability to listen well to each other and respect each other’s points of view is essential. In addition, it is important to involve stakeholders from the start, let them think actively and communicate clearly why certain choices are made.
How Do You Ensure That the Solutions You Implement Remain Adaptable to Future Business Changes?
As a Solution Architect, you ensure flexible and scalable solutions by designing in a modular way, decoupling systems, and using standard technologies. In doing so, you prefer configuration to hardcoding. By aligning domains with the business, introducing abstraction levels and implementing event-driven architecture, you create systems that are both flexible and extensible. Adding observability from the start and documenting architecture choices ensures that future changes can be made in a targeted and well-founded way. That way, you are not only building for today’s need but also anticipating tomorrow’s changes.
Conclusion
Being a Solution Architect at Agile Architects means designing solutions that are technically sound, business-aligned, and future-proof. It’s a role that requires deep technical expertise, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage change. Most importantly, it’s a job where you’re always learning, collaborating, and making an impact. Are you someone who enjoys building sustainable IT solutions? Then this might be the perfect role for you! 
