The challenge of providing a Solutions Architect portfolio or examples of architectures to employers is a common one. While reference architectures are readily available, structuring personal work into a portfolio that demonstrates architectural thinking, beyond just diagrams, remains difficult.
To address this, a Solutions Architect portfolio has been open-sourced, featuring sanitized case studies from real-world projects. The aim is to provide a reference, allowing others to understand how architecture decisions, trade-offs, and diagrams are documented in practice.
Portfolio: https://childishgirl-portfolio.vercel.app
GitHub repository: https://github.com/ChildishGirl/sa-portfolio
Why Solutions Architect Portfolios Are Hard
Compared to developer portfolios, Solutions Architect portfolios are inherently more difficult to create:
- Systems are complex: It’s not just about showing code, but architecture decisions, constraints, and trade-offs.
- Most work is confidential: Real projects often can’t be shared as-is.
- Impact is broader: Architecture work connects technical design with business goals.
Because of this, many aspiring architects struggle to create their portfolio without having examples.
What This Portfolio Includes
The portfolio is structured around real-world case studies, carefully sanitized to avoid exposing sensitive information:
- Industry context: Architecture does not exist in a vacuum. The same pattern solves different problems in fintech versus healthcare.
- Trade-offs explicitly called out: This is a key signal of architectural thinking. Anyone can pick a solution; architects explain what was sacrificed to achieve it.
- Diagram style inspired by AWS reference architectures: Familiarity reduces cognitive load. When readers recognize the visual language, they focus on the decisions made.
- Responsibilities: This shows the actual scope of impact and ownership within the project.
Who This Is For
This portfolio can be useful for:
- Junior or aspiring Solutions Architects
- Engineers transitioning into architecture roles
- Mentors, lecturers, or educators looking for a reference example
Key Principles for Building Your Own SA Portfolio
While building this portfolio, a few principles were followed that may help others:
- Emphasize decisions, not just outcomes: Explain why a solution looks the way it does.
- Use diagrams generously: A clear diagram often communicates more than a page of text.
- Sanitize aggressively: Replace real names and sensitive data with neutral placeholders.
- Make it skimmable: Use headings and concise sections.
- Be honest about trade-offs: Mention alternatives considered.
Final Thoughts
This open-source portfolio aims to assist individuals in avoiding a blank slate when preparing for architecture roles.
