“The best software architect is also a programmer”
Michael Gómez
Michael Gómez is a software architect.His mission is to offer his experience in the field of software development with the aim of attending to the needs of Rosclar that cannot be covered by third-party software. We are talking with him today to get to know him a little better.
What is a software architect exactly?
There are many definitions of a software architect. In my view, a software architect is responsible for putting forward a computing solution in line with good design practices, while ensuring that non-functional elements such as security, usability and scalability are included.
What is the difference between a software architect and a programmer?
The main difference can be found when you analyse the timeline of a software project. The task of the software architect is mainly carried out at the beginning of the project, when they analyse and design how the solution should be programmed.
This design is then passed to the programmers, whose responsibility is to implement the software following the indications of the architect’s design. Throughout development, the architect must ensure that the programmers are complying with the requirements of the design just as it was presented. The software architect must also review the design whenever last-minute changes or improvements required are made.
In practice, the best software architect is also a programmer, and the best way to guarantee the quality of the design and to rapidly pinpoint any problems that may arise is for them to take the role of lead programmer in the development of the design.
What does your day-to-day work involve?
My morning begins with a nice cup of coffee to wake me up. Once at work, I look at the list of outstanding tasks, decide which one has the highest priority that day and begin to work on it, consulting with Business should any requirements be missing.
I don´t like doing things in a hurry, and so, wherever possible, I won’t start to design until I fully understand what the problem is and what is needed.
Once the solution to the problem has been designed, I swap my architect’s hat for my programmer’s hat and I begin a new working day, continuing until the task is finished. Before ending the day, I check that my list of outstanding tasks is up to date, in preparation for the following day.
What challenges do you face in your work?
The main challenge is to put forward solutions that are accessible to our technicians, so that their intervention is minimal, but at the same time they feel that they are in control of what occurs in the process.
Why are people with your professional profile key in the payroll sector?
The payroll sector has found it very difficult to adapt to the world of technology. Rosclar is a company that has decided to break through this barrier and commit to the modernisation of the sector with the development of cutting-edge tools that cover its needs; to date, these needs had been addressed manually or not very efficiently. Due to the technological complexity associated with it, this challenge requires a profile like mine.
How does technology help with payroll preparation?
Although there is some very good third-party software, it does not cover all the technicians’ needs, such as interaction between many applications or data validation. Our mission is to modernise this sector, offering new tools that speed up results with as few human errors as is possible, automating processes and alerting to possible errors, which must be prevented in this sector.
In what other areas can technology be applied in a company like Rosclar and how can it benefit its clients?
The use of resources such as those we offer implementing Business Intelligence can provide us with new business strategies for establishing priorities, improvements and corrections of all kinds; these range from effective calendar management to optimisation of teams of technicians with the aim of obtaining the best results with the minimum effort.
And finally, would you recommend Rosclar as a company to work for? What professional profile should a computer technician thinking of joining the team have?
I would thoroughly recommend Rosclar as a company to work for. The Rosclar team has a strong collaborative approach, they are friendly and strive to improve at all times. Furthermore, in a computing context, this desire for technological excellence opens doors to the investigation of new technologies and to learning how to work with many systems at the same time. Since the work is mainly internal, the company looks for people who are specialists in the development of desktop and service applications, and in these fields there is great potential for learning and coming up with surprisingly creative and efficient solutions.
