Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring Top Solutions Architects

Solutions Architects serve as the critical bridge between business requirements and technical implementation. They translate complex business needs into scalable, secure, and efficient technical solutions while balancing constraints like budget, timeline, and existing infrastructure. Finding the right Solutions Architect can dramatically impact your organization's ability to deliver successful projects and drive digital transformation.

Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in this multifaceted role. While resumes and technical discussions provide some insight, they rarely demonstrate how candidates approach real-world challenges. This is where carefully designed work samples become invaluable. By observing candidates tackle realistic scenarios, you gain deeper insights into their technical expertise, problem-solving approach, communication skills, and ability to balance competing priorities.

The following work samples are designed to evaluate the essential competencies of a Solutions Architect: technical design skills, stakeholder communication, problem-solving methodology, and project planning abilities. Each exercise simulates a situation your Solutions Architect will likely encounter, providing a window into how they would perform in your organization.

These exercises go beyond theoretical knowledge to reveal how candidates apply their expertise in practice. By incorporating feedback mechanisms into each activity, you'll also assess the candidate's adaptability and receptiveness to coaching—critical traits for long-term success in evolving technical environments.

When implemented thoughtfully, these work samples will help you identify candidates who not only possess the technical knowledge required but also demonstrate the strategic thinking, communication skills, and collaborative approach needed to excel as a Solutions Architect in your organization.

Activity #1: System Architecture Design Challenge

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to design scalable, secure technical solutions while balancing business requirements and technical constraints. It reveals their technical depth, architectural thinking, and ability to make and defend design decisions.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a business case scenario describing a specific challenge your organization faces or a hypothetical but realistic scenario (e.g., "Design a solution to migrate our on-premise CRM to a cloud-based architecture while maintaining integration with legacy systems").
• Include key business requirements, constraints (budget, timeline, compliance needs), and current architecture details.
• Provide the scenario to candidates 24-48 hours before the interview.
• Allocate 30 minutes for presentation and 15 minutes for questions.
• Assemble a small panel including both technical and business stakeholders.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the business scenario and requirements provided.
• Design a technical solution that addresses the business needs while considering the constraints.
• Prepare a presentation (10-15 slides) that includes:
• High-level architecture diagram
• Key components and technologies with rationale
• Implementation approach and timeline
• Potential risks and mitigation strategies
• Cost considerations
• Be prepared to present your solution in 20-30 minutes and answer questions about your design decisions.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation, provide specific feedback on one aspect the candidate handled well (e.g., "Your security considerations were thorough and practical").
• Offer one area for improvement (e.g., "The migration strategy could benefit from more detailed phasing").
• Ask the candidate to spend 5-10 minutes revising their approach to the improvement area, either verbally or by sketching an updated diagram.

Activity #2: Technical Requirements Gathering Role Play

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to extract and clarify requirements from stakeholders, a critical skill for Solutions Architects who must translate business needs into technical specifications.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a role play scenario where a business stakeholder (played by an interviewer) needs a technical solution but has only vague requirements.
• Create a character brief for the interviewer playing the stakeholder, including their role, business objectives, pain points, and technical knowledge level.
• Include some contradictory requirements or unrealistic expectations in the scenario.
• Provide minimal information to the candidate beforehand—just the stakeholder's role and the general business domain.

Directions for the Candidate:

• You will meet with a business stakeholder who needs a technical solution but hasn't fully defined their requirements.
• Your goal is to conduct an effective requirements gathering session in 20-25 minutes.
• Ask clarifying questions to understand the true business needs.
• Document key requirements as you identify them.
• Manage expectations around technical feasibility.
• By the end of the session, summarize the core requirements and next steps.

Feedback Mechanism:

• The interviewer should provide feedback on the candidate's questioning technique and ability to uncover hidden requirements.
• Highlight one area where the candidate could improve their stakeholder management approach.
• Give the candidate 5 minutes to reflect and explain how they would adjust their approach based on the feedback.

Activity #3: Technical Solution Evaluation

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to objectively assess technology options and make recommendations based on business requirements—a frequent task for Solutions Architects who must select the right tools and platforms.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a scenario requiring the evaluation of 2-3 technology options (e.g., comparing database technologies, cloud providers, or integration approaches).
• Create a document outlining business requirements, technical constraints, and brief descriptions of each technology option.
• Include some conflicting priorities (e.g., cost vs. performance, speed of implementation vs. long-term maintainability).
• Send materials to the candidate 24 hours before the interview.
• Prepare specific questions about their methodology and decision-making process.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the business requirements and technology options provided.
• Create an evaluation framework with criteria relevant to the scenario (e.g., scalability, cost, security, integration capabilities).
• Evaluate each option against your criteria.
• Prepare a recommendation document (1-2 pages) that includes:
• Your evaluation methodology
• Comparison matrix with scores or ratings
• Recommended solution with rationale
• Implementation considerations
• Be prepared to discuss your approach and defend your recommendation in a 30-minute session.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's evaluation methodology and the clarity of their recommendation.
• Suggest one way they could strengthen their analysis or presentation of findings.
• Ask the candidate to verbally explain how they would incorporate this feedback to improve their recommendation.

Activity #4: Technical Incident Response Simulation

This exercise assesses how candidates handle pressure, troubleshoot complex issues, and communicate during critical incidents—essential skills for Solutions Architects who often need to resolve production issues affecting business operations.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario describing a critical system outage or performance issue in a complex environment.
• Prepare a document with system architecture diagrams, error logs, and monitoring data that contains clues to the underlying issue.
• Design the scenario with multiple potential causes but one root cause that can be identified through systematic analysis.
• Have technical team members ready to role-play as system administrators or developers who can provide additional information when asked specific questions.

Directions for the Candidate:

• You will be presented with a critical technical incident affecting business operations.
• Review the provided documentation to understand the system architecture and symptoms.
• Lead a troubleshooting session for 30 minutes, working with the technical team to diagnose the issue.
• Ask questions to gather more information as needed.
• Develop and prioritize potential solutions.
• Communicate your findings and recommendations clearly, including:
• Your understanding of the issue
• Root cause analysis
• Immediate mitigation steps
• Long-term prevention strategies

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's troubleshooting methodology and communication during the crisis.
• Highlight one area where their approach could be more effective.
• Ask the candidate to explain how they would adjust their approach based on this feedback if a similar incident occurred in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work samples?

Each exercise typically requires 45-60 minutes, including time for setup, the activity itself, feedback, and candidate response to feedback. For the architecture design challenge, you should provide materials 24-48 hours in advance and allocate additional time for the candidate's preparation.

Should we use all four work samples in our hiring process?

Not necessarily. Select the 1-2 exercises most relevant to your specific needs. Using too many work samples can create an overly lengthy interview process that may discourage top candidates. The architecture design and requirements gathering exercises are often the most revealing for Solutions Architect roles.

How should we evaluate candidates across different work samples?

Create a standardized scoring rubric for each exercise that aligns with your key competencies. Have multiple evaluators score independently before discussing. Look for patterns across exercises rather than focusing too heavily on performance in a single activity.

What if our company doesn't have the technical expertise to evaluate the candidate's solutions?

Consider bringing in an external consultant or partner with technical expertise for the evaluation. Alternatively, focus on exercises that evaluate communication and methodology rather than specific technical implementations.

How can we make these exercises fair for candidates with different backgrounds?

Ensure scenarios are not overly specific to your company's technology stack unless that's an absolute requirement. Focus on architectural principles and approaches rather than knowledge of specific tools. Provide sufficient context so candidates unfamiliar with your industry can still demonstrate their problem-solving abilities.

Should we compensate candidates for their time spent on preparation?

For exercises requiring significant preparation (like the architecture design challenge), consider offering compensation, especially for senior roles. This demonstrates respect for the candidate's time and expertise while potentially improving the quality of submissions.

Finding the right Solutions Architect requires looking beyond technical knowledge to evaluate how candidates apply their expertise to solve real business problems. These work samples provide a structured approach to assessing the multifaceted skills required for success in this critical role.

By implementing these exercises thoughtfully, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's capabilities and fit for your organization. Remember that the best evaluation comes from observing candidates tackle challenges similar to those they'll face on the job.

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