What is the role of a software architect in translating requirements into technical design?

The architect turns business needs into a high-level technical structure — and bakes in non-functional requirements like security from the start.

Bridges business needs to technical implementation by creating the high-level system structure.

Key responsibilities:

• Define component decomposition and communication patterns
• Design interfaces (internal APIs and external integrations)
• Make technology decisions (frameworks, databases, protocols)
• Establish coding guidelines and principles for the team
• Ensure non-functional requirements (security, scalability, maintainability) are addressed in design

The architect ensures security is part of the architecture — not an afterthought bolted on later.