What you'll learn
The Iasa Core Course for BT Architects gives you as an architect knowledge of models and tools for developing BT architectures that meet the demands of modern business. The course is based fully on the open source BTABoK which is a complete set of working tools and techniques for running an architecture practice. The items below are all linked to BTABoK articles. The course focuses on:
Business Models: There is no mistaking an architect. We know them in 5 min of conversation. Architecture is about WHY. Why do we do the interface this way on the product? Why did we choose Azure over AWS? Why do our customers behave this way? WHY? Business models give us everything from innovation to backlog prioritization and much more.- Customer Journeys with Personas: How and what are the impacts of a decision to our customer/beneficiary? How do we get in their heads? How many of them are impacted? Customer obsession is at the heart of an architects thinking. Understanding how a decision between Node.js and Spring Boot with Kotlin can cascade to customer pains and gains is a lifelong learning activity.
- Capabilities with Objectives: Operating models and objectives. What are we improving? What are the measures? What are the KPIs? How did they change? Why did they change? What will happen if we do X vs Y? Architects are obsessed with operating measurements and how decisions impact them.
- Value Methods: How do we measure things? How do we compare them? What algorithm can we use to measure customer satisfaction? If project X costs 100,000 and project Y costs 100,000, and we only have 100,000, which one should we do?
- Roadmapping with some Investment Planning: Product backlogs for even small products impact service/solution backlogs, impact architecture decisions, agility, and business velocity. In a world of complex systems of many inter-connected parts, small things deeply impact large things. An understanding of how this team impacts that team, which one is important, and which one needs to deliver first is essential from the beginning.
- Requirements/Decisions/Quality Attributes: This may be the most difficult and deep area of learning for the entry level architect, depending on their background. It is the rigorous design part related to impact, traceability, and so much more. Being able to clearly understand architecturally significant requirements and decisions and how they impact the quality attributes (performance, reliability, etc) of a system requires study, practice and lots of trial and error (preferably not in production please).
- Patterns in Architecture: One of the cornerstones of architecture practice is the identification of patterns. Whether these are data related, code related, or business related, architects need to continuously grow in their knowledge of patterns and pattern application.
- Deliverables with Views and Viewpoints: Writing is as much an art in our business as it is a science and knowing how to deliver the right thing at the right time. Understanding what the common deliverables are, how they emerge, when they should be rigorous and when loose, allows us to communicate strategy, sway audiences, influence decisions, and describe architectures completely.
- Products/Projects with Lifecycles: Being able to adapt lifecycles, understand what methodologies are and how to apply them, knowing when to do what, this flexibility lends itself to the hyperdrive that is our lives. We jump from lifecycle to lifecycle (think budget vs sprint). Some at high levels of Scope and some at lower levels. Be able to identify the major lifecycles and how they relate to each other.
- Services: Services define the landscape of architecture. Start thinking in services early. Start thinking in terms of service contracts, service quality attributes, service mindsets. Services are hard and you need to be prepared to handle them because they are the core of our work.
- Quality Assurance: Does the thing work? How has it been tested? What types of tests have been run against it? Quality is in the eye of the beholder, until it breaks. Can you test it, measure it, understand it?
- Stakeholders: Stakeholders to architecture agree or disagree that architecture is a thing and is valuable. The primary value recognition of architecture in early stages of an architecture practice is through stakeholders opinions. How do you lead people that you don't manage? How well do you handle uncertainty and controversy. As you grow the competencies in Human Dynamics you will find working techniques and grow them.
- Culture and Mindset: A companies digital strategy is no more than a shared belief in digital business models and digital customers. It is in the hearts and minds of the stakeholders. It is in the customers beliefs. And you have to shape culture to shape those beliefs. One successful product can change a lot of minds, and when you teach people that technology isn't scary then you are teaching them a new way to be successful.
- Engagement Models: The least understood part of architecture is how to make an architecture practice successful. Business architects, information architects, infrastructure, software, solution, junior, senior. What should we all be doing? How do we connect our work and deliverables? How do we make each other successful? What is our brand? How do we build competencies and get shared buy-in when we often report to different groups? These concepts are at the center of a successful architecture practice.
Aims and Objectives
- Provides a clear pathway
- Defines a solid baseline for your BT architect career
- Demonstrates that you have started on the path to become a fully qualified architect
- Provides breadth knowledge of models and tools
Target Audience
Iasa's basic course is aimed at anyone who wants to become involved in architectural work. You should have basic knowledge and experience of system development. You work as a developer, project manager, information model or process developer.
Included in the course
- Pre-Study material
- Architect Core course material
- CITA-Foundation certification exam online
Schedule
The course is held on-site, with four 8-hour sessions over one week starting from September 4th until September 8th (Monday through Friday) from 9am to 5pm CET.
The exam for the certification is online and available after completion of the course. The course material and certification are in English.
Pricing
Basic Members = $2525 (includes full membership).
Current Full Members get a discount price at $2300.
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Please note that the schedule is subject to change due to low enrollment, holidays, and instructor availability. Iasa Global will notify registered students of any changes.