BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solutions Architecture

Want to take the next step in your career as a solution architect or enterprise architect? Many organisations are missing the architecture skills to deliver their objectives – in fact, 28% of IT leaders say they’ve got a skills shortage in enterprise architecture. So, if you want to succeed, you’ll need to demonstrate that you’ve got the skills to drive your organisation's architecture strategy.

The BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solutions Architecture was designed with major employers, having identified their real-life skills gaps. In this Enterprise and Solutions Architecture course, you’ll explore how architecture links to an organisation’s strategy, mission, vision and purpose, and how it relates to each area of the business. You’ll learn to tailor solutions to different stakeholder needs, influence senior leaders, and present a strong business case. The course lets you apply your practical knowledge, giving you confidence that you can put your learning into practice straight away. Plus, you’ll build new skills to boost your earning potential and prepare you for your next opportunity.

Prerequisites

Learners require one of the following to take this course:

• BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains
• TOGAF® EA Foundation and Practitioner Program: Level 2
• TOGAF® EA Foundation and Practitioner Program: Combined Level 1 & 2

You should also have at least three years’ experience in information systems or IT, including some involvement with architecture.

Recommended reading for any learner undertaking this certification is detailed below:

• Title – Solution Architecture Foundations
• Author – Mark Lovatt
• Publisher – BCS
• Publication Date - 2021

Target audience

This includes professionals with existing experience in IT architecture, such as:

Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects, IT Architects, Business Architects, System Designers, and Technical Leads.

In this certificate, you’ll learn about:

• The roles of and relationships between architecture levels and domains
• The required skills and professional behaviours of an IT architect
• Tools, frameworks, and artefacts used in architecture
• How to implement and uphold governance and quality assurance

During this three-day practitioner course, you will cover the following topics:

Architecture Domains and Frameworks (15%)

• Discuss the role of architecture in an organisation
• Discuss the different architecture domains and the relationship between them
• Discuss the key architecture frameworks.
• Discuss how industry standards are relevant to architecture.

Architecture and the Organisation (15%)

• Explain the role of architecture to other business areas.
• Discuss use of the business change lifecycle as an input for architecture.
• Discuss the business needs and the intended solution.

Professionalism in Architecture (20%)

• Discuss compliance with professional standards.
• Discuss types of stakeholders.
• Explain specific stakeholder needs.
• Discuss how to influence others.
• Apply a practical customer focus.
• Discuss the roles and dynamics of a successful team.
• Discuss social, ethical and economic concerns to the role of an architect.

Corporate Governance (10%)

• Explain corporate governance and the impact it has on the role of an architect.
• Discuss key architecture governance concepts, roles and artefacts.
• Explain the importance of risk management to the role of an architect.

Architectural Process, Tools and Vision (25%)

• Discuss the practical application of the solution architecture framework.
• Discuss three varieties of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Discuss the design of a target solution architecture.
• Discuss the use of common architecture models.
• Discuss the use of common information systems modelling techniques.
• Explain different types of business requirements.
• Explain a method of preparing a gap analysis.
• Discuss a business case for presentation.

Quality Assurance (15%)

• Discuss the use of a range of quality assurance tools or techniques.
• Discuss the principle of Separation of Concerns (SoC).
• Explain change management tools and processes.
• Discuss opportunities for continuous improvement.

Exam Format

Please note: The online oral exam is not conducted as part of this course and is not included in the stated course RRP. If you require, QA can book this examination with the BCS on your behalf but please note that exams require a minimum of four weeks notice from point of booking. Please contact your account manager for further information and exam costs.

This certification is assessed through an online interview, learners are required to book this separately from the course, Please Note the exam fee is not included in this course. The format is as follows:

• Interview with scenario-based questioning
• 50 minutes
• Supervised
• No materials can be taken into the examination room
• 65% pass mark
• Online proctored