How to Negotiate: A Solution Architect’s Guide to Effective Collaboration

Demonstrating success in each stakeholder relationship

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Negotiation is a skill that can be mastered. It is a powerful tool to find common ground and build positive professional relationships. Whether you consider yourself a pacifist or not, you’ll benefit from having negotiation skills in your toolbox to succeed in your software career.

I have lost count of how many times I have used strong negotiation skills to resolve conflicts, influence design decisions, produce better solutions, and get them approved & implemented seamlessly in my sixteen years of software career.

The idea behind negotiation is not to win an argument. The best negotiations are when you can persuade the stakeholders to accept your solution while feeling like they won. However, it does not mean you will agree with every suggestion that is thrown at you. As a solution architect, you also have a responsibility for the stability and maintainability of your application.

This is where you will need your negotiation skills to perform your duties in the best possible manner. Before we dig deeper on how to negotiate effectively as a solution architect, here is something I have learned to keep in mind:

Software designs are…