I joined Triad in January 2025 as a Technical Architect and part of the wider Technology Community of Practice here.
My role as a Technical Architect
My job is to map out current or future systems so that I can understand the relationship between their components and moving parts or design a blueprint for how they can be developed or improved, catering to their requirements and the context in which they are being built.
A technical architect looks to establish strong foundations for securing the value and longevity of a digital product or service. We assess and choose between technologies, tools, and established patterns and standards to enable teams of developers to deliver value with a clear path ahead, reduced friction, and a safety net of up-front thinking and design that they can build on.
I have always been interested in how things work and the art and challenge of building something new. As my career progressed from software engineering into technical architecture, I recognised an interest in understanding why something is being built, the value, and the broader context of the product. I like to consider the bigger picture and think about how things could, or should, work. I find it is important to keep learning, stay curious, and ultimately try things out – build, build, build!
The UX for Developers?
In some ways, I see being a Technical Architect as UX for developers. Despite the latest advancements in AI, technology ultimately needs to be interacted with by humans, even when building it. When designing the technical aspects of a system, I must think about the developer experience, just as I do the end-user experience. How easy is the code to work with? Is it readable, testable, maintainable? Can I reduce friction so that developers can be more efficient? Is the system robust, predictable, and easy to change?
In that regard, I can feel a sense of achievement when a team of developers can jump into the code and find that everything is where they expect it to be, it is easy to test, troubleshoot, and build upon. Similarly, when a system works as expected, is secure and scalable, and creates delightful, valuable experiences for its end users, I know I’m doing my job.
The Consultancy challenge
I am relatively new to consulting. I have had to learn and adjust to that model of working. Most of my experience is working for a single company, where you can establish yourself and your influence in that company over time. As a consultant, I sometimes don’t have that luxury. I may have a narrower sphere of influence in that wider business and need to learn their technical landscape, processes, and who I need to go to for different reasons.
Consulting has also encouraged me to put together a pack of resources for new assignments and clients so that I have templates and starting points for some things I may be required to do from scratch each time.
My time at Triad
Triad has been a brilliant place to work so far. Despite people working across different clients and on a vast array of projects, there is a central community and support at Triad. We’re encouraged to keep pace with technological changes. In my spare time, I like to program and learn new skills via online training courses. I also watch and read news and videos about developments that interest me.
What stands out is the quality of the people here. They are always open to talking, providing feedback, supporting you, and giving you insight into their experiences and expertise.
If you have a question for Aaron or the Triad team, please get in touch.
