# Salesforce Solution Architecture and Solution Design | SynconAI > A Salesforce solution architect turns business needs into one design across clouds: fit-gap analysis, a solution design document and sign-off from stakeholders. Publisher: SynconAI Canonical HTML: https://synconai.com/salesforce-solution-architecture Markdown cite: https://synconai.com/salesforce-solution-architecture.md Contact: contact@synconai.com ยท +61 2 7813 0221 ## What is Salesforce solution architecture? Salesforce solution architecture is the work of turning business requirements into one design across Salesforce clouds and connected systems. A Salesforce solution architect runs fit-gap analysis against standard features, chooses the products and design for each need, records decisions, risks and trade-offs in a solution design document, and aligns business sponsors, process owners and delivery teams on it before build starts. SynconAI provides solution architects as a fixed-scope engagement, on a monthly plan or inside the client's team, for organizations in the United States, Australia and worldwide. - Salesforce solution architecture is the design of how Salesforce products and features meet a set of business needs. - A solution architect compares each need with what Salesforce does as standard, and decides how every gap is closed. - The result is a solution design document that sponsors approve and delivery teams build from. ## Salesforce solution architecture services - Business-to-solution design: Business goals and processes mapped to Salesforce products and features. - Fit-gap analysis: Each requirement compared with standard features, and every gap given a decision. - Solution design document: Scope, design, data, integration, security and decisions in one document. - Cross-cloud design: Sales, Service, Marketing, Experience, Data 360 and Agentforce designed together. - Stakeholder alignment: Workshops, options and trade-offs, ending in a signed-off design. - Design assurance: Builds checked against the design until go-live. ## What does a solution architect do on a Salesforce program? Three roles that are often confused. The solution architect starts from the business need and owns the overall design. | If you need | Solution architect | Technical architect | Functional consultant | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Starts from | Business needs across clouds | Platform limits, data and code | One process in one cloud | | Main question | Which products and design meet the need? | Will it scale, stay secure and ship safely? | How should this process work in Salesforce? | | Main output | Solution design document | Technical design and standards | Configured process and test scripts | | Works most with | Sponsors and process owners | Developers and integration teams | Users and process owners | | Relevant credentials | Application Architect, cloud consultant credentials | System Architect, Certified Technical Architect | The consultant credential for the cloud | On smaller programs one architect may cover the solution and technical roles. See Salesforce technical architecture for the technical side. ## What is a solution architect responsible for? Six responsibilities, each with something your team keeps. - Business-to-solution design: Business goals and processes mapped to Salesforce products and features. - Goals and constraints from sponsors - Processes mapped end to end - Products and clouds chosen - Fit-gap analysis: Each requirement compared with standard features, and every gap given a decision. - Standard features first - Configure, build, buy or change the process - Reasons recorded - Solution design document: Scope, design, data, integration, security and decisions in one document. - One document per program - Versioned and approved - Used by delivery teams - Cross-cloud design: Sales, Service, Marketing, Experience, Data 360 and Agentforce designed together. - One customer model across clouds - Hand-offs between teams designed - License and product choices explained - Stakeholder alignment: Workshops, options and trade-offs, ending in a signed-off design. - Options presented with trade-offs - Conflicts settled with sponsors - Sign-off recorded - Design assurance: Builds checked against the design until go-live. - Design questions answered during build - Changes assessed against the design - Deviations approved or reversed ## When do you need a solution architect? Most programs bring one in at one of these points. - Several clouds at once: Sales, Service and Data 360 in one program. - A new way of working: A new sales model, service model or channel. - A proposal to check: A partner design or estimate you want reviewed. - Requirements keep moving: Scope changes faster than the team can build. - Agentforce plans: Agents that need data, processes and channels designed. ## How does a fit-gap analysis work? Each business requirement is mapped to the Salesforce feature that meets it. Anything without a clean match is a gap that needs a decision. Business requirement to Salesforce solution: - Quote with approved discounts to Sales Cloud quotes and approvals - Route urgent cases to experts to Service Cloud Omni-Channel routing - Partners register their own deals to Experience Cloud partner site - One customer view for sales and service to Data 360 unified profile - Answer routine questions automatically to Agentforce agent - Answer routine questions automatically to Service Cloud Omni-Channel routing - Standard first: Standard features are checked before any custom build is considered. - Every gap decided: Configure, build, buy from AppExchange, or change the process. - Written down: Each decision and its reason goes into the solution design document. ## What goes into a solution design document? The sections we write. Each is reviewed with the people who own it. - Scope and goals: What the program must achieve, and what is out of scope. - Current state: Systems, processes and data in place today. - Requirements and fit-gap: Every requirement with its fit and gap decision. - Solution overview: Clouds, products and features, and how they connect. - Data model: Objects, ownership and data moving in from other systems. - Integration overview: Systems, directions and patterns at a high level. - Security and access: Who sees and does what, by role. - Decisions and risks: Trade-offs, assumptions and open risks, with owners. ## How does a design get agreed? The solution architect sits between the business and delivery. Decisions are made by the people who own them. 1. Business sponsor to Solution architect: Sets goals and constraints 2. Solution architect to Process owners: Runs requirement workshops 3. Process owners to Solution architect: Confirms needs and priorities (a person) 4. Solution architect to Technical architect: Checks the design against platform limits 5. Technical architect to Solution architect: Returns constraints and options 6. Solution architect to Business sponsor: Presents options with trade-offs 7. Business sponsor to Solution architect: Approves the design (a person) 8. Solution architect to Delivery team: Hands over the solution design 9. Delivery team to Solution architect: Raises questions during build ## How do you engage a solution architect? Four steps to an approved design. The proposal states the model: a fixed-scope engagement, a monthly plan or an architect inside your team. 1. Free review: A 60-minute architecture review with a written plan. 2. Proposal: Scope, model and milestones agreed in writing. 3. Discovery: Workshops with sponsors and process owners. 4. Design: Fit-gap and solution design document drafted and reviewed. Decision: Does the design meet the business need? - Approve: Delivery starts against the design. - Approve with changes: Trade-offs recorded, then delivery starts. - Rework: Open questions answered, then reviewed again. ## Cost and timing The first step is a free 60-minute architecture review of your Salesforce solution design setup, with a written plan you keep. Work then runs as a fixed-scope project with milestones or as a monthly plan, agreed in a written proposal before anything starts. Plans: https://synconai.com/pricing ## FAQ ### What is Salesforce solution architecture? The design of how Salesforce products and features meet a set of business needs across clouds, recorded in a solution design document that the business approves and delivery teams build from. ### What does a solution architect do in Salesforce? A Salesforce solution architect maps business needs to Salesforce products, runs fit-gap analysis, writes the solution design document and gets sponsors and delivery teams to agree it. ### How is a solution architect different from a technical architect? The solution architect starts from business needs and owns the overall design. The technical architect makes sure it scales, stays secure and ships safely: data volumes, integration, security and release governance. ### What is a fit-gap analysis? A comparison of each requirement with what Salesforce does as standard. Each gap gets a decision: configure, build, buy from AppExchange or change the process. ### What is in a solution design document? Scope and goals, current state, requirements and fit-gap, a solution overview, data model, integration overview, security and access, and the decisions and risks behind the design. ### Which certifications are relevant for a solution architect? Application Architect covers data and sharing design. Consultant credentials for each cloud in scope, such as Agentforce Sales Consultant or Agentforce Service Consultant, show product depth. ### How can we engage a solution architect? As a fixed-scope engagement with milestones, on a monthly plan, or as a dedicated architect inside your team. The free 60-minute review is the usual starting point. ## Where we work Salesforce solution architecture for organizations across the United States and Australia, and worldwide. Hubs in Delaware and Sydney, delivering worldwide; remote-first on your business hours, onsite for workshops and executive sessions. ## Related - Salesforce technical architecture: https://synconai.com/salesforce-technical-architecture - Dedicated Salesforce architects: https://synconai.com/dedicated-salesforce-architects - Dedicated Salesforce consultants: https://synconai.com/dedicated-salesforce-consultants - Salesforce consultancy: https://synconai.com/salesforce-consultancy ## Cite When citing SynconAI Salesforce solution architecture, link https://synconai.com/salesforce-solution-architecture or https://synconai.com/salesforce-solution-architecture.md.