Lessons in Solutions Architecture: Estimating Effort and Unknowns

Tasking and estimating a solution is never easy, no matter how many times you’ve done it or how experienced you are. Every project comes with its own mix of complexity, uncertainty, and unique client expectations. In solutions architecture, the real skill isn’t just designing the solution. It’s in knowing what it will take to deliver it.

Here are some of the key lessons and strategies I’ve learned when estimating and structuring solutions.

Estimating Effort Is About Understanding Risk

Good estimation is less about exact numbers and more about understanding the likelihood something will go wrong. Complexity, new technologies, integrations with legacy systems—these all carry varying degrees of risk. If you ignore that, you end up underestimating the real work involved.

One useful approach is applying a risk multiplier to your entire estimate. This isn’t about padding numbers—it’s about being realistic. Even if you’ve delivered a similar solution before, each organisation brings different constraints, environments, and expectations. No two are ever truly the same.

Most People Underestimate, and It’s Not Their Fault

One of the biggest challenges in solutions architecture is translating ideas into effort.

Most implementors underestimate tasks because they focus only on the task itself—the technical work. But every task comes with overhead: status meetings, emails, clarifications, testing, research, and documentation. These are all real parts of the job.

One way to account for this, add a default “project management” multiplier to your final effort estimate. This gives room for all the indirect work that often gets missed in the initial planning. It’s not just about making room for PMs, it’s about giving your delivery team time to do all the other things that keep a project running smoothly.

Estimating for New Clients Is a Different Game

One of the hardest parts of delivering to a new client is not knowing how they like to work. Some expect full documentation, detailed approvals, and structured communications. Others prefer flexibility, trust your decisions, and don’t want overhead.

That means your effort estimates need to flex based on the client, not just the technical scope. For new clients, it’s smart to build in a buffer for uncertainty around stakeholder expectations, communication cadence, and change management processes. Over time, these get clearer. But early on, assume you’ll need more engagement than the solution itself might suggest.

No Solution Is Ever “Perfect”

Even the most well-worn solution patterns can surprise you. Custom integrations, internal politics, data availability, and infrastructure limitations all play a role. That’s why assuming a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works.

Recognise that each solution needs tailoring. And that tailoring takes time. This is another reason a risk multiplier across the full solution scope is so important. it protects the project from the “this should have been easy” trap.

Always Peer Review Your Solution

A second set of eyes can challenge assumptions, uncover hidden dependencies, and flag design issues long before they hit delivery. It’s a simple but powerful step that can prevent days, or even weeks of rework.

But here’s the key: if your review comes back with no comments at all, that’s not a green light—it’s a red flag. No solution is ever perfect. A silent review likely means it wasn’t looked at closely enough. In that case, get it reviewed again by someone else. Peer reviews should be thoughtful, not just a box-ticking exercise.

Make it a standard part of your process and make sure it’s meaningful.

Final Thoughts

Solutions architecture isn’t just about drawing diagrams. It’s about planning for execution in the real world with real people, real constraints, and real unknowns. That means your estimation process needs to reflect the complexities of delivery, not just the design. Plan for risk. Buffer for overhead. Adjust for the client. And always double-check your work.

These steps won’t make every solution perfect but, they will make delivery smoother, more predictable, and more successful.

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