The Open Group Architect Certification

IT Architect Certification

James de RaeveVP, Certification

GSM +44 780 890 4745Tel +44 118 902 3014

[email protected]

Thames Tower Station Rd

Reading RG1 1LX UK

www.opengroup.org

April 10, 2023 (C) The Open Group 20052

The Open Group

IT industry consortium 250+ members 30% buy-side

Requirements & standards

Operating since 1985 Platinum Sponsors

Capgemini, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Sun, 45 staff, with offices in Reading UK, San Francisco

CA, Burlington MA, and Tokyo, Japan Operate as not-for-profit


To drive the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow™ by:

Working with customers to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices;

Working with suppliers, consortia and standards bodies to develop consensus and facilitate interoperability, to evolve and integrate open specifications and open source technologies;

Offering a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and

Developing and operating the industry's premier certification service and encouraging procurement of certified products.

Mission


History

Members of The Open Group Architecture Forum considered the problem of IT Architect Certification several years ago: Several organizations operated similar IT Architect

certification programs Similar objectives from one organization to the next Different criteria, processes and certification titles Recognized value of standardizing certification criteria as a

basis for promoting architecture profession Recognition that IT Architect credentialing did not lend itself

well to traditional professional certification methods Examinations, Practical Exams

Tied to corporate consulting strategies – ‘the secret sauce’


History (2)

Submission of a detailed joint proposal by IBM and HP in Oct 04

Development of core documents by ITAC working group

Review and approval by Open Group members

Program Launch in July Applications now in process for

Direct certification Accreditation


ReduceProject Risk

PromoteAcademicSupport

Individual’sCredential

Greater Client Value

Certification IncreasesCredibility

Grow IT Architect Community

Foundation for the Profession

PromotesGiveback

ITAC Program Value Proposition


Attributes of an Effective IT Architect

ProducedValuable

Architectures TechnicalBreadth

DevelopmentExperience

UsesFormal

Methods

FullLife-Cycle

Experience

TechnicalLeadership

Communicator

The Program


Core Certification Documents

Define the process and conformance requirements that must be met by the candidate to be certified

Certification Policy Rules, process, what-ifs

Conformance requirements Defines the skills and experience required to qualify for

certification Skills - and the level required Experience: three years successful experience as lead

architect Give-Back to the community


Core Skills Requirements - Examples Broken into categories necessary to be an effective IT Architect

People Skills Project Management Skills Architecture Skills

People Perform Conflict Resolution

Mediate opposing viewpoints and negotiate equitable solutions to ensure successful and stable outcomes.

Applied

Project Management

Manage Architectural Elements of Project Plan

Given a project plan, identify those elements of the plan that put the architectural integrity of the plan at risk and manage those elements through to the agreement by the client/project manager that the project has been successfully completed.

Deep

Architecture Develop Solutions Architecture

Given one or more business requirements, create the structures of a solution which can be validated to meet those requirements.

Deep

Architecture Use Modeling Techniques

Given a proposed solution, use modeling techniques, such as prototyping, benchmarking, and performance modeling, to size and validate that the proposed solution meets business requirements.

Deep

Category Skill Description RequiredSkill Level

Examples


Skills Evaluation Self evaluation of skill level, proficiency and demonstrated

experience Course and training history documented in package Sign-off by ACP Management and/or Referees Validation of skills assessment part of the board review

Skill Level Proficiency Experience

Limited Limited or no knowledge None

General General conceptual knowledge only

Limited – Read about it, some education

Applied Applied knowledge Performs with assistance

Deep In depth knowledge Mastered the current state of the art. Able to perform without assistance

Expert Expert knowledge Advances the state of the art.


Experience Requirements

At least three years of experience producing architectures.

Experience with multiple types of systems, application architectures, multiple hardware and software platforms

Participated as an architect across the full lifecycle of at least one project or work effort within which they performed architectural work

Three architectural project experiences within which Candidate was involved in the

production of an architecture … “of significance, challenge, and complexity”.

Candidate was the lead IT Architect on the project …. and was accountable for the design of the solution

Work was performed using a recognised method

Solution successfully deployed/adopted.


Experience Profiles

Experience documented through Experience Profiles Establish a history of successful architectural

performance Experience Profile includes

A description of the business purpose of the project A concise description of the project The Candidate’s role The Candidate’s period of involvement

Documented according to guidelines provided in the certification package template


Experience Profile Criteria (1)

Demonstrates full life-cycle experience Key Decisions Made

What were the architectural decisions and why made… Demonstrated Architectural Capability

Designed sufficiently complex, challenging and relevant architectures

Broad Technical Experience Broad set of technical and architectural experiences

obtained during the design, development and deployment of applications


Experience Profile Criteria (2)

Application of Tools and Methods Demonstrated use of design methodologies

and tools Demonstrated Success

The work was “yours” …, And accepted by the client

Perform as a Lead Architect Acted in the role of the lead architect of a

major component or subsystem. Led the design…


ITAC Program – Certification Process

Direct

Indirect

Initial ReviewProgramCertificationPackage

BoardInterview

BoardAssessment

Re-Certification

Abbrev.Board

Review

Re-Certified!

Re-Apply

ExtendedACP Requirements

Base OGITACRequirements

Submitted to ACP/OG

PackageAccepted by ACP/OG

Approval

Reject

Assessment Feedback

3 Years

IncompletePackage

Certified!Board Feedback


Practical Stuff

Read the docs!!! Guide to Certification Conformance Requirements Certification Policy

They are on the CD and at www.opengroup.org/itac/cert

Check for interpretations www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/PR

http://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert

http://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/PR


Applying - Direct

Fetch the Certification Package template http://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/docs/ITAC_Cert_Template.doc

And the sample package Complete your Certification Package

55 page max Including experience profiles and references

Register at https://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/ Contact Details Choose Visibility:

Visible Contact details not visible Invisible

Pay the certification fee

http://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/docs/ITAC_Cert_Template.doc

https://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/


Applying - Direct

Submit Certification Package The Open Group then schedules a

Certification Board Candidates attend the board for interview Open Group notifies candidates of result

Enter name in the register Or inform candidate what needs to be done to

succeed

Accreditation


Accreditation

We will accredit organisations to enable them to certify their own employees within the Open Group program Same Conformance Requirements Equivalent processes One register of Certified IT Architects

Benefits Scale Convenience

Time and place Control

Use of Open Group materials


Extended Requirements

Accredited Certification Programs may add extended requirements additional certification criteria

Must not modify or conflict with base certification Conformance Requirements Examples:

Industry Extensions Cultural Extensions Corporate/Organizational Extensions

‘The secret sauce’


Future Directions

Additional “levels” of skill and experience Current program is level 2 - “Master level” Definition of level 1 almost complete

Member review starts by end of October Operational early Q1

Definition of Disciplines – just starting Starting by defining terms

EA EIA EITA….


Local access

Will be working with partners to provide access to certification locally Meeting with ICS tomorrow


Questions or Comments…..

Further information can be found at:

http://www.opengroup.org/certification/itac/

Business

The Open Group Architect Certification