Name: Cristian
Role: Solutions Architect
Cristian is one of our Power Platform Solutions Architects – we chat to him about what a Solutions Architect does and what he likes to do in his spare time – plus a few other things in between.
What is your job title and in summary, what do you actually do?
I am a Solutions Architect, and my role is to convert our clients’ requirements into a design that becomes the blueprint of the system, whilst providing direction throughout the development process.
How would you explain that to a child?
To best explain what I’m doing to a child, I would say that they should think about colouring books, and that my role is to decide where the black lines are and the developers are the ones doing the colouring.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
One piece of advice that comes to mind is, work smart not hard, which doesn’t seem to apply if you are paving a driveway but sounds very good.
What inspired you to work in this industry?
I was born and raised in a small village, in the heart of the Romanian countryside, where technology and computers were scarce at the time. When I got my first computer in 2003 it opened a whole new world of possibilities and ever since, I have been drawn to technology.
Who is someone you admire, and why?
Mate Rimac, for the huge advancements he’s brought to the electric supercar market.
What’s a typical day like for you?
Most days there are three main activities that I focus on, usually starting with working on designs and research for new or ongoing projects. When I’m not doing that I’m either providing support and direction to my colleagues in the development team or getting involved on client-facing calls or meetings to gather requirements, better understand their needs and current architecture of business intelligence and software products.
What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year?
On a professional level my goal is to deploy as many new Power Platform solutions as possible and help Bespoke become market leader in this field, and on a personal level, I plan to move house.
What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working?
My favourite sport is skiing, yet the UK is not the best place to be when it comes to that and as the father of a small child the prospect of having 5 minutes of doing nothing is enough to raise my excitement to very high levels.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
There are probably other 9 to 5 jobs that are interesting enough to have a go at, but I would like to be a rally driver on one of the winter stages.
How do you define success?
For me, success is going on a journey and it being exactly as I expected. A smooth journey and any additional surprises such as aircon, or table service, are a bonus. That’s why it’s so important to fully understand a client’s needs, expectations and future aspirations at the very start of a project – so we can be certain of a successful project delivery.
If you had to eat one meal, every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would have to be a sandwich, it works for any time of the day.
How many languages do you speak and which ones?
I speak two languages fluently, Romanian and English. I can also speak a bit of Spanish, or at least I think I can.
What is the best bit about your job? (Other than working with your teammates)
I like the challenges that come with designing, developing and deploying great solutions, but the best bit is successfully completing a project.
What three words would your team use to describe you?
Patient, Knowledgeable, Supportive
To read more Bespoke Team interviews, click here.
