We live in an era where people give titles and labels to almost everything. This trend goes beyond IT, but IT truly feels like a jungle. We see roles such as systems designer, systems analyst, application support analyst, IT manager, IT coordinator, solutions architect, web designer, and web development project manager. Add to that UI designer, webmaster, UX/UI specialist, SEO manager, front‑end developer, back‑end developer, full‑stack developer, technology manager, and business systems analyst. The list continues with information security engineer, computer forensic investigator, and many more.
Then come the fancy titles. Chief Digital Officer (CDO), Digital Transformation Specialist, Technology Evangelist, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), Cybersecurity Ninja, Data Scientist, and DevOps Guru all join the mix. And still, the list keeps growing.
Personally, I do not like titles. I see myself as an Enterprise Integration Consultant. Depending on the client’s needs, I take on different responsibilities. Sometimes I perform hands‑on development tasks. Other times, I focus on architecture, guidance, and decision‑making.
📝 One-Minute Brief
An honest review of RPA Solution Architect’s Handbook, sharing a critical perspective on the Solution Architect role while highlighting the book’s practical value across the solution lifecycle. A useful read for professionals aiming to become solution architects or project managers, even beyond RPA‑specific scenarios.
By reading this book, the first impression I got was that the author was defending and/or selling the Solution Architect title almost as the mastermind behind everything, bordering on arrogance, by using sentences like:
- “That is when an SA has to switch to their guardian angel hat and come to the rescue.”
- “That being said, SAs are not called guardian angels just for defending the developers but also are of great help if the team is short of hands…”
- “As the name itself suggests, SAs have ownership of their solution, It’s creation. They designed it, and they will be the ones who will have the final say.”
- “As the SA, you won’t think about why you should do this, but you know that you are the only one who has to do it.”
- “… you have to be involved in the day-to-day operations of development, testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and deployment phases.”
- “…you will face some situations where developers are frustrated to know you design a solution the way you did, …”
And many more. The reality is that some of these behaviors and sentences do not correspond to reality or the best way to approach and bring a solution to a successful conclusion. And to be honest, if I have to sell my “title” like this, probably the client won’t need me…
However, abstracting from this somewhat arrogant behavior, in my opinion, the author’s book touches on some very interesting points in the life cycle of a solution, and to anyone who intends to become a solutions architect or project manager. And although, in certain parts, the author particularizes the text for an RPA solution, as the book’s title suggests, in my opinion, most of the book is written generically. An Enterprise Integration solution architect or a BI solution architect has to have the same concepts, responsibilities, and skills as an RPA solution architect.
Even so, for those who want to be responsible for the management and architecture of solutions, it is a pleasant book to read. However, be more humble, try to integrate all those involved in the decisions on solutions, and make them part of the project. If people have a sense of belonging, they give 100%.
RPA Solution Architect’s Handbook Book Description
RPA solution architects play an important role in the organization’s automation journey and initiatives. However, the implementation process is quite complex and at times daunting. The RPA Solution Architect’s Handbook is a playbook for solution architects looking to build well-designed, scalable RPA solutions.
You’ll begin by understanding the different roles, responsibilities, and interactions between cross-functional teams. Then, you’ll learn about the pillars of a good design: stability, maintainability, scalability, and resilience, helping you develop a process design document, solution design document, SIT/UAT scripts, and wireframes. You’ll also learn how to design reusable components for faster, cheaper, and better RPA implementation, and design and develop best practices for module decoupling, handling garbage collection, and exception handling. At the end of the book, you’ll explore the concepts of privacy, security, reporting automated processes, analytics, and taking preventive action to keep the bots healthy.
By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to undertake a complete RPA process from design to implementation efficiently.
What you will learn
- Understand the architectural considerations for stability, maintainability, and resilience to design an effective RPA solution.
- Interact with cross-functional teams for seamless RPA implementation.
- Write effective RPA documentation, non-functional requirements, and effective UAT scripts.
- Demo RPA solutions, receive feedback, and triage additional requirements based on complexity, time, and cost.
- Design considerations for intelligent automation and learn about RPA as a service.
- Explore best practices for decoupling, handling garbage collection, and exception handling.
Who is this book for
This book is for RPA developers, RPA Sr. developers, or RPA analysts looking to become RPA solution architects. If you are an RPA solution architect, this book can help you advance your understanding and become more efficient. Familiarity with RPA documentation, such as SDD and PDD, along with hands-on experience with one or more RPA tools, will be helpful but is not mandatory.
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