Benchmark for IT Architects - Open Groupopengroup.co.za/sites/default/files/presentations/OG Benchmark for... · Benchmark for IT Architects IT Architect ... Distinguished Certified

Benchmark for IT Architects

IT Architect Certification (ITAC)

Paul van der Merwe

Certified TOGAF Practitioner

[email protected]

+27 82 4547965

www.opengroup.org

19 February 2008 (C) The Open Group 20072

Agenda

ITAC Overview and Benefits

How ITAC Works

ITAC Program Momentum

Introducing ITAC Level 3: Distinguished Certified IT Architect

ITAC Conformance Requirements


IT Architect Certification (ITAC)

– At A Glance

IT Architect Certification

Certification of skills and experience

Vendor neutral

Developed by consensus

Global

The same standard worldwide

Portable

Will be recognised by all employers


Why is an industry IT Architect certification

essential?

Increasing acceptance, adoption, development … and convergence in the industry on the definition of an IT Architect

Increasing recognition of the significant impact of architectural decisions

Organisations such as the Japanese government are establishing standards for certifying professional IT Architects based on recognising skills and experience

And yet … until recently, there have been NO vendor-independent industry-wide certifications for IT Architects

Our industry understands the increased importance of IT

Architects and of quality control of their practice


Certification Supports Professionalism

Enterprises need assurance that the staff or

service providers they hire have the skills and

experience necessary to ensure their IT

architectures deliver real business value.

Professional IT architects, their employers,

and their clients need a recognised, portable

and professional grade qualification.


Significant Value for Many

Constituencies

For end user organisations:

A mark of assurance when contracting architecture services

A professional level qualification when hiring staff

For vendor organisations:

Provides assurance to customers of the skills of their IT Architects

Avoids the cost of an in-house certification program

Reduces the training cost of new IT Architects

For IT Architects:

Elevates the practice and quality control of IT architecture in the industry and the professionals who perform it

Provides an industry credential

Recognition for practitioners

ITAC vs. TOGAF

The ITAC program is agnostic about methods

and is concerned instead with an architect's

skills and experience - their ability to deliver

business value to their clients

TOGAF is one of the methods used in the IT

Architecture domain. TOGAF certification

confirms an individual's knowledge of the

TOGAF Architecture Development Method

(ADM) and the TOGAF body of knowledge

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Agenda


How ITAC Works





How ITAC Works

One set of Conformance Requirements defining the skills and

experience that an IT Architect must possess to achieve

certification

Individual architects may apply for certification directly to The

Open Group

Certification Board will review all applications

Board will interview applicants

Companies may apply to have their internal staff development /

certification programs Accredited by The Open Group

Architects certified through an Accredited program become

Open Group certified


Master Certified IT Architect

DistinguishedDistinguished Certified IT Architect

ITAC Program– Certification Levels

Certified IT Architect

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ITAC Program– Certification Levels

Level 3 Distinguished

Certified IT

Architect

has significant breadth and depth

of impact on the business through

the application of IT architecture

Level 2 Master Certified

IT Architect

able to perform independently

and take responsibility for delivery

of systems and solutions as lead

architect

Level 1 Certified IT

Architect

able to perform with

assistance/supervision, with a

wide range of appropriate skills,

as a contributing architect


Certification Process

Board Interview

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Initial Certification Re-certification

Level 2 Face-to-Face Interview by

Certification Board

Telephonic Interview by

Certification Board

Level 1 Telephonic Interview by

Certification Board

No interview

Certification Fee

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Certification Fee (per

Candidate for 3-year

period)

$ 1 250 Payable on application

for certification

Annual Renewal Fee

(per Certified IT

Architect)

$ 175

per year

Upon each anniversary

of certification

Re-certification Fee

(per Certified IT

Architect for

a further 3-year

period)

$ 625 Upon application for re-

certification


Agenda


How ITAC Works






Certified IT Architects

2085

Enterprises with Certified IT Architects:

IBM

IntegrityOne Partners

Intel

ISM Canada

ITA Consulting

ITSC Bonn

Microsoft

QR Systems Inc.

Rapier Solutions

Consulting Ltd.

Riosoft Consulting

Rogers

Credit Suisse

Computer Sciences Corporation

Datamail

Deutsche Post AG

EDS

First Canadian Title

Fortis

Ganz

GTECH Corporation

Gulf Business Machines

Hewlett Packard

Accenture

Adnovate BV

Allstate Insurance

Armstrong Process Group

ASC

BearingPoint

BK Larsson Consulting

LTD

Capgemini

Carlson Companies

Cisco Systems

Codecentric GmbH

Accredited Certification Programs

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http://www.ibm.com/us/en/


End-User Endorsements


Industry View – HP Services

“Certification is important for any profession and it's something that IT Architects have lacked on an industry-wide basis.

Certification provides a comfort feeling for those who want to engage an architect, an indication that the architect is skilled in their profession and understands how to go about solving IT problems in a consistent and reliable manner.

Certification further means that standards will be maintained, best practices developed, and the rogue architects who give themselves the title without any grounding in IT architecture concepts and principles will gradually be eliminated from the industry.

All in all, certification for IT architects is long overdue and HP is proud to support The Open Group in their initiative to introduce and develop this important program.”

-- Tony Redmond, VP and CTO, HP Services


Employer View – Rolls-Royce

"The IT Architect Certification Program is an important initiative driving Enterprise Architecture maturity. The complexity of Enterprise Architecture, which integrates multiple vendors and products into a coherent platform for business transformation and growth, requires that every practitioner have a solid foundation in principles and practices of the craft. Therefore, The Open Group's certification program fills a critical gap in the professional evolution of the IT Architect. We endorse this initiative and are rapidly moving towards making this a requirement for every Enterprise Architect doing work for our company.“

-- Doug Tracy, Global CTO, Rolls-Royce


Agenda


How ITAC Works





Three Distinct Career Paths

ITAC Level 3

Distinguished Certified IT Architect

Architectural

Roles

Ch

ief/

Le

ad

Arc

hit

ec

t

Pro

fessio

n E

xecu

tive

En

terp

ris

e A

rch

ite

ct


Attributes of Distinguished Certified IT Architect

Executive Level Communication Skills

Effective Leadership Skills

Responsible for significantly complex

architectural engagements

Establishes the architectural vision for key

business initiatives

Governance expert

Advances the state-of-the-art


Agenda


How ITAC Works




Characteristics of an IT Architect

Skills and experience producing architectures

Appropriate technical skills and experience,

including technical breadth

Disciplined, method-driven execution

Full lifecycle experience

Leadership

Strong personal and professional skills

19/02/2008 (C) The Open Group 200725

Skills and experience producing

architectures

IT Architects develop architectures; the definition of the

structures of an IT solution to a business problem.

In order to accomplish this they must be proficient at the

techniques that go into the formulation of architectures.

Techniques include:

requirements discovery and analysis,

application of abstraction,

formulation of solution context,

solution alternatives identification and assessment,

technology selection, and

architectural configuration.

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Appropriate technical skills and experience,

including technical breadth

IT Architects require practical skills and experience with

many application and infrastructure (operational) products,

technologies, and services.

While often relying on professionals with specialised skills

for the construction, implementation, and operational

aspects of solution delivery in many of these areas, the IT

Architect must have enough skills and experience across

them to be able to successfully architect appropriate

solutions of heterogeneous components.

Beyond that base of technical breadth, effective IT

Architects usually possess additional architectural skills in

one or more disciplines.

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Disciplined, method-driven

execution

The IT Architect uses formal methods to guide and drive

the development of solutions, the management of their

work, and the production of their deliverables.

Recognised methods:

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Allstate Architecture Standards and

Methods (AASM)

BearingPoint Configure To Fit Method

BearingPoint Methodology

Bredemeyer VAP

CA Solution Architecture Methodology

Capgemini Integrated Architecture

Framework (IAF)

Credit Suisse IT Solution Framework

EDS GSMS/GAD QMS

GM System Delivery Process (SDP)

HP Global Method for IT Strategy and

Architecture (HPGM for ITSA)

IBM Global Services Method

IBM TeAMethod

Intel AEPF

Intel IT Architecture Development

Methodology (Intel IADM)

New Zealand Inland Revenue - IR Method

Rational Unified Process (RUP)

TOGAF 7

TOGAF 8

Full lifecycle experience

In the development of architectures that address business

problems, the IT Architect’s work is primarily performed at

the front end of the solution lifecycle.

Full lifecycle experience – in particular, the knowledge and

appreciation of the construction, implementation, and

management aspects of the solution lifecycle – enables

the IT Architect to produce solution designs that are truly

viable and that can be successfully constructed,

implemented, operated, and managed.

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Leadership

The effective IT Architect is a leader, providing knowledge,

technical, and team leadership skills in their work, to their

clients, and for their teams.

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Strong personal and professional

skills

The IT Architect must have a high level of

communications, consulting, and client relationship skills.

The IT Architect must be able to clearly communicate

complex technical and business concepts, both to clients

(internal or external) and to team members, and to

negotiate change.

Problem-solving of client business and technical issues is

a principle role of the IT Architect, and he or she must be

capable of effectively identifying and framing problems,

leading the collection of elements of information, and

integrating this information to produce timely and

thoughtful decisions.

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Skill Levels

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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 supervision or

mentoring

Deep In-depth

knowledge

Mastered the current state-of-the-

art and is able to perform without

supervision

Expert Expert knowledge Advances the state-of-the-art

Core Foundation Skills (1)

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Skill 1 2

Apply Communication Skills A D

Lead Individuals and Teams A D

Perform Conflict Resolution G A

Manage Architectural Elements of an IT Project Plan A D

Understand Business Aspects A A

Develop IT Architecture A D

Use Modelling Techniques A D

Perform Technical Solution Assessments A D

Apply IT Standards A D

Establish Technical Vision A D

Core Foundation Skills (2)

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Skill 1 2

Use of Techniques A D

Apply Methods A D

Define Solution to Functional and Non-Functional

Requirements

A D

Manage Stakeholder Requirements A D

Establish Architectural Decisions A D

Validate Conformance of the Solution to the Architecture A D

Perform as Technology Advisor A D

Experience (1)

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Requirement 1 2

Experience Producing

Architectures

2 yrs with

supervision

3 yrs lead

Breadth of Architectural

Experience

Involved using

different products

and different

architectural

elements

Involved in broad

variety of products

across multiple

architectural

elements

Experience with

different types of

technologies and

architectures

More than one hw

and sw platform

Multiple hw and sw

platforms

Experience (2)

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Requirement 1 2

Application of Methods Successful

experience

Repeated and

successful

experience

Full Lifecycle

Involvement

N/A Engagement across

the full lifecycle

Industry Knowledge Awareness of one

or more industries

Expertise in one or

more industries

Knowledge of IT

Trends

Awareness of

significant trends

Awareness of

significant trends

Professional Development

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Requirement 1 2

Training in the design

and engineering of IT

architectures

Course or self-

taught

Course or self-

taught

Knowledge of the

technology, trends, and

techniques in the IT

industry

Maintain

knowledge

Maintain knowledge

Vertical industry

knowledge

Maintain

knowledge

Maintain knowledge

Skills and knowledge in

IT architecture

Continually develop Continually develop

Contributions to IT Architecture

Community

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Requirement 1 2

Contributions to the IT

architecture profession

N/A Make contributions

Contribution to the IT

architecture community

N/A Make contributions

Are you ready?

www.opengroup.org/itac

19/02/2008 (C) The Open Group 200739

http://www.opengroup.org/itac

Documents

Benchmark for IT Architects - Open Groupopengroup.co.za/sites/default/files/presentations/OG Benchmark for... · Benchmark for IT Architects IT Architect ... Distinguished Certified