solutionsarchitectinterview.com

Solutions architect interview prep in an AI-native world

Resolve the requirements. Show the transition cost. Defend the design.

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Clarify the customer requirement

The target price leaves out the transition

Larkspur · invented USD per 30-day period
Target
$11,000
Retained
$9,000
Transition
$20,000
Operating cap
$16,000
Above the cap
$4,000
Fit in the first brief
CandidateCostCopyBehavior
Event-fed read portalFitsFits allowanceUntested
Full replacementOver capPast deadlineBeyond read scope
Work through the design

Practice interviews

01 Define the requirement before the design

A status page and a transaction replacement are different requirements. In this guide’s fictional case, Operations needs fresh read-only status while the transaction API stays fixed. The employer guide asks candidates to “tailor your demo on the fly.” Use discovery to change the proposed boundary, not just the presentation.

“clearly link GitLab's capabilities to the customer's specific needs and desired outcomes.”

GitLab, Corporate author, Solutions Architect panel instructions · GitLab SA Candidate Docs, Undated

Ask what the customer must do and what “real time” means before choosing the component.

  • GitLab GitLab
Solutions Architecture · Clarify the needWhat does the customer mean by real time?Example

02 Price the transition, not just the target

The fictional target price omits a retained environment. Add both costs before comparing the transition with its cap. Link’s account shows another way a design can miss a cost assumption: “this data transfer cost could exceed the hourly cost of a local endpoint or NAT.” Compare the complete transition and workload before recommending the target.

“this data transfer cost could exceed the hourly cost of a local endpoint or NAT.”

Craig Link, Chief Cloud Architect, Zillow · The Frugal Architect, Sep 1, 2025

Retained contracts and variable traffic can change which design fits the budget.

  • Craig Link Zillow
Solutions Architecture · Show the overlapDoes the target price fit the transition?Example

03 Move the right component first

The fictional full-data copy exceeds the first deadline; the smaller read projection fits its copy allowance. The smaller copy supports a narrower purpose. AWS recommends that teams “select a directional strategy for each component and agree on the approach with relevant stakeholders.” Name what the first component can do and what stays in the old system.

“select a directional strategy for each component and agree on the approach with relevant stakeholders.”

Damien Renner and Matt Collins, Senior Technical Product Manager; leader, AWS Global Services Offerings · AWS Migration & Modernization Blog, Jan 26, 2026

A smaller read projection does not replace a transaction system.

  • Damien Renner and Matt Collins AWS
Solutions Architecture · Bound the migrationWhich migration can fit six weeks?Example

04 An estimate is not customer acceptance

A model’s cost estimate, an exercised transaction contract and customer acceptance answer different questions. Google Cloud describes a tool that can “test real-time modeling assumptions”. The quoted bank customer still names evidence and approval needed to proceed. Keep each claim tied to its owner.

“provide confidence and assure the bank's leadership and internal control units as well as get approval from the regulators.”

Claudio Balbo, Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo · Google Cloud Blog, Oct 5, 2026

A model can propose a design. The customer still needs evidence for the claims it must accept.

  • Souvik Choudhury and Tom Nikl Google Cloud
Solutions Architecture · Check the evidenceWhat did the AI estimate leave unproved?Example

05 A shared component is not always cheaper

A shared component has a lower fixed charge in our invented model. At the higher workload, its extra transfer charge makes it more expensive than the local option. Cost visibility also needs a review owner. Link writes that routine use of dashboards “it definitely took some time (years)”. Assign the next cost review and its decision trigger.

“it definitely took some time (years)”

Craig Link, Chief Cloud Architect, Zillow · The Frugal Architect, Sep 1, 2025

Choose from the actual traffic and give someone the operating cost to review.

  • Craig Link Zillow
Solutions Architecture · Use the workloadWhen does the shared component stop being cheaper?Example
Interactive practiceMake the design fit the customer brief

Sources

  1. GitLab, Corporate author, Solutions Architect panel instructions, at the time. GitLab SA Candidate Docs, “GitLab Solutions Architect - Panel Interview Outline”, Undated. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
  2. Craig Link, Chief Cloud Architect, Zillow, at the time. The Frugal Architect, “My dad taught me the difference between cheap and frugal...It made me a better engineer”, Sep 1, 2025. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
  3. Damien Renner and Matt Collins, Senior Technical Product Manager; leader, AWS Global Services Offerings, at the time. AWS Migration & Modernization Blog, “Seamlessly modernize your mission-critical applications on AWS”, Jan 26, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
  4. Souvik Choudhury and Tom Nikl, Senior Director, Product Management; Cloud Modernization & Migration Team, Google Cloud, at the time. Google Cloud Blog, “Introducing Google Cloud Modernize, transforming for (and with) AI”, Oct 5, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.
  5. Claudio Balbo, Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo, at the time. Google Cloud Blog, “Introducing Google Cloud Modernize, transforming for (and with) AI”, Oct 5, 2026. Open the source. Checked against the published text.

Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026