This course equips you to navigate the most challenging aspects of architecture practice. It’s not merely foundational; it’s at the core! Even highly experienced architects have found value in the extensively researched and proven techniques incorporated into integrating these vital elements. Exceptional architects are grounded in three crucial areas: Business, Stakeholders, and Technology Design/Delivery.
- Understanding Business Concepts – These competencies revolve around comprehending the inner workings of businesses and their impact on architecture. This encompasses grasping Business Models, Customer Journeys involving Personas, Capabilities aligning with Objectives, Value Methods, and Investment Planning, including Roadmapping.
- Technology Design and Delivery – Success in architecture requires proficiency in technology depth, breadth, and design. Architects should skillfully handle Design aspects encompassing Patterns, the pivotal Relationships among Requirements, Decisions, and Quality Attributes, Architecture Analysis, Deliverables, Products/Projects, Services, and Quality Assurance. The assumption here is practical expertise, including having authored and supported certain aspects in a production-like setting.
- Engaging with Stakeholders – Often underestimated, inadequately trained, and perpetually time-constrained, managing stakeholders stands as the most challenging part of the role. Dealing with human dynamics, where decision-making lines and influence are blurred, introduces chaos in companies’ lifecycle management, marked by various power plays and financing intricacies. Yet, it’s vital to address Stakeholder dynamics, Employee Culture and Mindset, Engagement Models encompassing Deliverables and Engagement Touchpoints, along with several associated competencies.
In more detail, the Iasa Core Course for BT Architects is a comprehensive program focused on developing Business Technology (BT) architectures aligned with contemporary business needs. The course leverages the open-source BTABoK, comprising practical tools and techniques for orchestrating an effective architecture practice. Emphasizing critical domains, the course delves into:
- Business Models: Understanding the ‘why’ behind architectural decisions, leveraging business models for innovation and backlog prioritization.
- Customer Journeys with Personas: Grasping customer impacts and behaviors to align decisions with customer-centric thinking.
- Capabilities with Objectives: Obsessing over operational measurements, objectives, and their impact on decisions.
- Value Methods: Techniques for measuring and comparing values to aid decision-making.
- Roadmapping and Investment Planning: Crafting product backlogs that influence architectural decisions, agility, and business velocity.
- Requirements, Decisions, Quality Attributes: Rigorously addressing architecturally significant requirements, decisions, and their impact on system quality attributes.
- Patterns in Architecture: Identifying and applying patterns across data, code, and business realms.
- Deliverables with Views and Viewpoints: Mastering the art of delivering relevant and timely architectural insights.
- Products/Projects with Lifecycles: Adapting lifecycles, methodologies, and understanding their applicability in varying scenarios.
- Services: Grasping the complexity and significance of services in architectural landscapes.
- Quality Assurance: Ensuring effective testing and measurement methods to uphold quality.
- Stakeholders: Managing and influencing stakeholders’ perceptions and recognizing the value of architecture.
- Culture and Mindset: Shaping digital business beliefs and culture to drive successful digital strategies.
- Engagement Models: Understanding and connecting various architectural roles and deliverables for a successful architecture practice.
