|
IFEAD is an independent research and information
exchange organization working on the future state of Enterprise
Architecture.
|
|
|
|
Enterprise
Architecture Certification
|
,,,,, 
'Enterprise'
Architects Certification, Rules & Criteria
The
number and variety of certification initiatives and
schemes is increasing all the time. This section covers
some of the most popular schemes and aims to clarify
what the different letters stand for and give a brief
description of what knowledge and skills someone with
that certification is likely to have. For less common
certification schemes, links are provided to the relevant
web pages. The software architects & system designers
subsection is the result of an effort of the Institute
For Enterprise Architecture Developments and the Oxford
University Computing Services.
This
architects certification overview is intended to be
a resource both for architects wanting to gain a certification
and for potential architects showing their career
possibilities.
|
|

Master
of Enterprise Architecture
RMIT
University one of Australia’s leading
educational institutions is proud to annouce
their Enterprise Architecture Master program.
Following
extensive consultation with companies represented
on the school’s industry advisory committee
and other Australian and international organisations,
the school is pleased to announce that applications
are now being accepted for this exciting new
program commencing semester 1, 2006.
The
Master of Technology (Enterprise Architecture)
is a high-level IT postgraduate by coursework
program, specifically designed for ICT professionals
who wish to advance their career to the role
of Enterprise Architect within an organisation.
Download
here the RMIT
Enterprise Architecture flyer.
|
|
Characteristics
of an Effective Enterprise Architect
By:
Scott Bittler
Meta Group (18 May 2005)
Read
the whole article at

What
personal characteristics, knowledge, and skills
are most commonly found in effective enterprise
architects? Although not at all intuitive, several
traits are even more important than knowledge
of enterprise architecture.
To
select the right people, hiring managers and
EA team leaders must understand the most important
competencies to seek in enterprise architect
candidates. We have observed that the wrong
people attempting to apply the right process
will still struggle to make it work. It is critical
to spend time engaging the right people for
this important function. As the META Trend states,
by 2008, 40% of enterprise architects will have
primary expertise in business strategy or process
engineering and may no longer be found within
the IT organization. This reflects the rising
importance of the enterprise business architecture
and the need for a more balanced skill set (beyond
technical architecture).
Key
Characteristics of Enterprise Architects
• Enthusiastic: A passion for life, work,
and EA goes a long way. Far too many architects
are rendered much less effective simply due
to a lack of enthusiasm in their communication
about EA.
• Technology-agnostic: Unfortunately,
many strong technical people are also quite
biased in their views toward vendors/products
and tend to “go with what they know.”
Architects must be vendor/product-neutral and
maintain an objective perspective.
• General in technology outlook: It is
important to understand enough about the broad
range of technologies that an architect can
engage in discussion with technical experts
and not be swayed by inappropriately biased
personal agendas in technical decisions.
• Well-respected and influential: Architects
need the support of senior IT and business managers
and the ability to influence them as well as
the IT organization at large. Those that are
already well respected and have influence have
an advantage. New hires must establish this
credibility early. It should be noted that influential
persons are not always in management positions.
• Able to represent a constituency: Members
of an EA team have a constituency - part of
the organization they represent in the process.
Some individuals are too focused on their own
agenda to properly represent others. Although
it is fine to assertively share an individual
opinion, he or she must yield to the position
that best represents and serves his or her constituents.
• Articulate and persuasive: Enterprise
architects must spend substantial time communicating
and educating. Therefore, it is important that
they have the skills to clearly communicate
ideas in a persuasive, compelling manner.
• Persistent: Enterprise architects are
strategically inspired change agents. People
tend to resist change (in most areas), and we
certainly find this with the behavioral change
being introduced by an EA program. Therefore,
it is critical to be persistent in pursuit of
positive transformation.
• Good at “helicoptering”:
Effective enterprise architects have the rare
ability to zoom out and be able to conduct a
worthwhile discussion about business strategy
with the CEO and, a minute later, be in a technical
expert’s office with a zoomed-in mindset
discussing technical details without getting
lost.
• Strategic: Strategic ideas are, by definition,
those that contribute to defining or fulfilling
the transformations described in the business
strategy of the enterprise while tactical issues
pertain to executing well with operations. Architects
must be strategically driven, while recognizing
the need to have balance in the organization
with effective, tactical operations.
• Focused on what is truly best for the
organization (limited personal agendas): Although
it is human nature to have a personal agenda,
the best enterprise architects are leading or
participating in an EA process designed to yield
whatever will best serve the enterprise (even
at the discomfort on one or many along the way).
• Knowledgeable of the business: It is
important to avoid the trap of technology for
the sake of technology. Enterprise architects
are leaders and therefore must have a strong
interest in and understanding of the business,
its strategic direction, dysfunctions, strengths,
etc. It is not good enough to be a superior
technologist.
• Able to facilitate: Enterprise architects
are frequently counted on to facilitate content
development meetings or lead subcommittees.
In this capacity, effective group facilitation
skills are important.
• Able to negotiate: It is important to
seek the win-win positions/solutions on issues
as architecture content is developed. There
are difficult decisions to be made. Emotion
can get in the way. Effective negotiation skills
are invaluable for peacefully resolving these
situations with powerful decisions to benefit
the organization.
• Focused on the long term: The idea is
to take a series of short-term steps that not
only deliver near-term value, but also contribute
toward achieving a longer-term vision for the
enterprise. This demands focus on identifying
and driving toward that longer-term goal.
• Able to effectively use the whiteboard:
Architects are visual people and tend to feel
compelled to draw diagrams in their communication.
Some people even like to use this reality in
interview techniques.
• Able to lead: Taking the initiative
to persuade, inspire, motivate, and influence
others, plus the ability to make quality decisions
with a high level of stakeholder buy-in.
• Able to be taught: It should be noted
that a strong understanding of EA is not on
this list. This is not an oversight. We have
learned that if a person possesses all or most
of the aforementioned traits, and he or she
is “teachable,” then he or she can
learn EA best practices quickly and rapidly
become effective.
Bottom
Line: Managers/executives must focus on seeking
the right mix of knowledge/skills in filling
enterprise architecture full-time or part-time
roles. Most of these key characteristics are
non-technical.
Business Impact: When the right people are selected
to fill enterprise architecture roles, the time
to business value from enterprise architecture
is improved and much more likely sustained.
|
|

The
Open Group - IT Architect Certification Program
The
Open Group’s IT Architect Certification
program is the premier, global certification
program for certifying skills and experience
in the IT architecture community. Based on
the proven best practices in the industry,
it sets an independent, industry-wide standard
for IT Architects and creates a foundation
for trust between suppliers and customers.
The
IT Architect Certification program was developed
by members of The Open Group, a technology-
and vendor-neutral consortium, in response
to the growing demand for highly experienced
IT architects with proven track record of
success.
Under
the program, practicing IT Architects can
achieve the IT Architect Certification based
on demonstrating substantial skills, experience
and success in architecting solutions across
the whole lifecycle.
|
|
Certification
of Enterprise Architects is a hot issue today.
A
lot of organizations are coming up with certification
initiatives. However, clear descriptions of the certification
criteria are almost always missing. So the value and
status of certification is directly related to the
terms and conditions of certification. Today
we see certification initiaves from regular education
institutes like universities and institutes, we see
initiatives from consulting and service organisations
with their own internal certification program and
we can see initiatives from commercial organisations.
The
scope of the different certification programs is totally
incomparable. We see programs from an 8 - 10 hour
course till a 3-year university-based study. Sometimes,
you can get a certificate when you pay a lot of money
to a certification organisation without clear criteria
of your certification.
Some
consulting and service organisations have a very clear
and regulated certification process, where candidates
are tested on their knowledge, skills, capabilities
and experiences in dealing with Enterprise Architecture.
These people will be certified for a specific time
period and after that period they have to make clear
that they are still EA practitioners.
The
Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments
has started an initiative to develop a set of terms
and conditions for EA certification in close co-operation
with other parties in this area.
Some
examples of Enterprise Architects Certification initiatives:
Federal
Enterprise Architecture Certification Institute, USA
Certificate
Program for Enterprise Architects
The
FEAC Institute provides training and education leading
to certification in the Federal Enterprise Architecture,
the Department of Defense Architecture Frameworks,
and Integrated security Framework.
www.feacinstitute.org
Radboud
University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
University-based
Master study 'Architecture in the Digital World'
A
2,5-year Master study addressing all the elements
of Enterprise Architecture, a co-operation of the
Radboud University Nijmegen and Capgemini, The Netherlands.
End terms of this study will be compliant with the
future EA certification criteria defined by NAF.
www.architectuur-in-de-digitale-wereld.nl
Global
Enterprise Architecture Organisation
Certificate
Program for Enterprise Architects
The
Global Enterprise Architecture Organisation (GEAO)
is a not-for-profit organisation created by and for
professionals who work in the field of Enterprise
Architecture.
www.geao.org
Society
for the Certification of Information Architects, The
Netherlands
Society
based own Certification Criteria for different levels
SCIA is the association of certificated (enterprise)
information, IT-business and IT architects. It is
a non-profit organisation created in 2001. Their certification
criteria are based on bodies of knowledge.
www.stichting-cia.org
Netherlands
Architecture Forum, The Netherlands
NAF
Certification Criteria
NAF is a collaborative forum of research organisations,
suppliers and user- organisations working in the architecture
domain. One of the goals of NAF is to define the criteria
for architect's certification. A working group is
doing research on the required terms and conditions
for certification.
www.naf.nl
DCI
eUniversity
DCI's
own certification criteria
8
- 10 hour Enterprise Architecture Certification Course.
A Practical Guide to Implementing Enterprise Architecture
will provide you with practical strategies for successfully
implementing enterprise architecture. Certification
is based upon successful completion of the final exam
and the course evaluation.
www.netsessions.net/euniversity
|
|
Global Enterprise
Architecture Organisation

The
Global Enterprise Architecture Organisation
(GEAO) is a not-for-profit organisation created
by and for professionals who work in the field
of Enterprise Architecture.
GEAO®
- Certification Overview
Why
certification?
Enterprise Architecture Certification is a credential
that is given to Enterprise Architecture Professionals
who meet a defined set of certification criteria.
Currently, anyone can claim that they are a
professional Enterprise Architect and Enterprise
Architects are asking for a mark of excellence
that recognises their ability, provides guidance
for their career, and will distinguish them
in the field of Enterprise Architecture. In
response to this, GEAO have started an initiative
to develop a certification program through which
individuals can apply for a professional designation
of GEAO Certified Enterprise Architect.
What value does it
provide?
GEAO certification will be associated with a
high level of excellence and will show that
somebody has demonstrated proficiency in the
Enterprise Architecture profession. This will
not only provide benefits to the individual
but also added value for organisations, such
as:
- Increased
clarity of the profession
- Ability
to identify professional Architects
- Support
for minimum competency standards
- Objective
evaluation of applicant qualifications
- Increased
employer and customer confidence when hiring
Enterprise Architects
- Offers
a measure of the individual’s commitment to
the field of Enterprise Architecture
Vision
GEAO Certified Enterprise Architects are associated
with a high level of excellence and are globally
recognised for their significant contribution
to the success of organisations.
Assessment guide
The certification assessment guide provides
the criteria for the GEAO certification process.
GEAO will assess candidates against these
criteria and candidates must convincingly
demonstrate that they meet those criteria.
The following picture provides an overview
of the areas that are part of the assessment:
Code of professional
conduct
Professional attributes will assessed against
the GEAO Enterprise Architecture code of professional
conduct.
Who develops the criteria
for certification?
Members of the certification initiative are
members from business, government, educational
institutions, and independent practitioners.
They are responsible for the development of
the criteria and the criteria will be continuously
monitored for their relevance to the industry.
How do organisations
know that somebody is certified?
GEAO will provide a web-based service allowing
organisations to verify whether or not a particular
enterprise architect is certified.
For more information please contact certification@geao.org
|
|
Architects
Terminology & Certification Levels

Role
& Profile of the Enterprise Architect
-
First
of all . . . It is not a Saint that can solve
all your issues.
-
You
can’t become an Enterprise Architect after following
a course or training.
-
Enterprise
Architects have a long experience in business
as well as in technology areas.
-
Enterprise
Architects must have different capabilities.
-
Enterprise
Architects must play different roles.
-
Enterprise
Architects are familiar with different methodologies
& techniques.
-
Enterprise
Architects are Communicators.
Business
Responsibilities
Understanding
business objectives, drivers & principles
Good sense of business and technical strategy to envision
the “right” enterprise architectural approach to the
problem set
Creating visualisations & models, supports decision
making
Ability to communicate and mentor others
“Selling” and leadership qualities
Technology
Responsibility
Articulating
the Enterprise Architectural vision
Conceptualising and experimenting with alternative
architectural approaches
Creating models and component and interface specification
docs
Validating the architecture against requirements and
assumptions
|
|

The
USA Chief Information Officer Certificate Program
The
USA CIO Certificate Program, sponsored by the USA
DoD CIO, is a rich up-to-date source of graduate education
for federal CIOs to tap in developing their agency
personnel. The program responds to the requirements
set forth in the Clinger-Cohen Act [of 1996], and
establishes an official certificate to recognize that
an individual has received education in the federal
CIO competencies. The DoD CIO and the Director, IRM
College, sign the certificate. Additionally, students
may apply their certificates, equivalent to fifteen
graduate level credit hours, toward selected Master's
or Doctoral degree programs at partner institutions.
The CIO Certificate Program is organized around eleven
subject areas directly related to CIO competencies
identified by the federal CIO Council
Each subject area is articulated as one or more courses
in a particular subject or topic. Some courses are
designed to be primary offerings, while others are
counted as enrichment courses in student programs.
|

The
IRM College was established November 10, 1988 by
Joint Memorandum of the USA DoD Comptroller and
the USA President of the National Defense University,
responding to Congressional direction to establish
a graduate-level institution to educate leaders
with IRM responsibilities.
|
|

Certified
Enterprise Architect (CEA)
What Does It Mean to Have a Enterprise Architecture
Certificate?
An Agency requires every aspect of the organization
be considered when creating an integrated Enterprise
Architecture.
By
utilizing Certified Enterprise Architects (EA's),
it will be assured that all oversight agency and congressional
requirements are met, especially IT requirements.
A
Certified EA will have the skills to initiate, cost-justify,
procure, select and manage the right team and necessary
toolset to insure success.
The
Certified Architect will have what it takes to enable
their Agency to manage projected changes, effectuate
eGovernment and leverage all other significant investments
through every IT project's life cycle from conceptualization,
evaluation, implementation, maintenance, steady state
through retirement.
1255
C Street SE, Washington, DC 20003-2202, USA.
tel (202) 546-7929, fax (202) 478-1728
info@FEACinstitute.org
www.feacinstitute.org
|
FEAC
Program Details
The
FEAC Institute provides training and education leading
to certification in the Federal Enterprise Architecture,
the Department of Defense Architecture Frameworks,
and Integrated security Framework.
Browse our pages to find out details about our exciting
new offerings:
FEA(F)
[FEDERAL ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE (FRAMEWORK)] CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM addresses the FEA Reference
Models, how to build business and technology oriented
EAs, how to integrate the FEA with the Zachman Framework
(FW), describes Clinger-Cohen compliance, CPIC, Exhibit
300 & 53s, governance, performance metrics, and
security integration.
DoDAF
[DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ARCHITECTURE FRAMEWORK] CERTIFICATION
PROGRAM offers hands on experience
with the products for the integrated architecture
views, and provides an overview on the GIG, Network
Centric Warfare, LISI, the CADM and many other Service
issues.
New!
ENTERPRISE
SECURITY PLANNING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (SEAC)
will be taught in the context of the Zachman FW and
how it maps to an overall EA, the FEA Reference Models,
CPIC, Knowledge Management and many other Security
issues. A very advanced Security Knowledge Base will
be used as a resource to make this hands-on experience
relevant and valuable to the student's environment
|
|
'Enterprise'
Architects
Vendors
/ Suppliers Internal Architects Certification
Programs


The
following Companies have their own internal
architects certification program
|
Software
Architects & System Designers
Vendors
Certification Schemes, Rules & Criteria
Several
vendors of software development tools and infrastructure
solutions have their own certification schemes. The
list below delivers an overview of the most common
certification schemes in the market. However it is
possible that we are missing some certification programs.
In that case, please help us to enhance this list
and mail your info to: info@enterprise-architecture.info
Details
from Vendors Official Page
|
|
|
|
Extended Enterprise
Architecture Framework / E2AF &
Extended Enterprise Architecture Maturity Model / E2AM are Service Marks
(SM) registered by IFEAD |