Trying to train up our staff and looking for a clear definition for the main Salesforce support roles:
Admin
Contultant
Architect
Developer
1 answer
Hi Matt,
That's a very interesting question, and very open-ended. There are different types and levels of all of these jobs, but some basic guidelines for each:
A System Administrator is a person who deals with the day-to-day running and support of the system. They are often the person who supports the users, creates new users, builds declarative automation (using process builder, workflow rules, sometimes flows if they're more advanced), and performs other declarative tasks (functions that are natively provided by the system). A more advanced administrator will be familiar with best practices of designing data models, be confident with Flow, and have the ability to translate a certain level of business requirements into the system.
A Consultant is a person who understands the different aspects of the system more completely, and is proficient in translating business requirements into a functional specification. Consultants usually assist companies in designing and implementing the business processes, so that users use the system in a manner that will yield the best results for the business. For example, a consultant might hear how your business handles sales, and create a plan for utilizing Opportunities, design some custom objects or fields, and provide a best-practices document so that you can generate an end-of-year report with all the data that you need.
A Developer is a person who writes custom modules for the platform. This usually involves writing Apex code, HTML, and Javascript. Depending on whether you're using Lightning or Classic, you will need a somewhat different skillset in a developer - though many have both. A developer allows you to build functionality beyond what Salesforce allows out of the box, and can take the platform (and your data) in entirely new directions.
An Architect is a person with a complete understanding of the system. Some architects are Technical Architects, and others are Functional Architects. Technical architects are well-versed in designing and writing code, which is a task not best suited for developers on larger projects. Functional architects know what should be done in code and what it's capable of, but cannot write or design it themselves. An architect will have the complete picture of your business and IT systems, and design a solution with everything taken into consideration.
