Architect roles are broad, and the enterprise or solution architect must be a generalist. No syllabus, training course or examination can be enough to make an architect. The role requires extensive experience on a variety of projects spanning the spectrum from business concerns to information technologies.

The primary aims of the BCS examinations and associated training are to give enterprise and solution architects a broad framework that covers the range of architecture work that precedes and steers system development, and to focus attention on areas where the architect is responsible for effective design and risk management.

A secondary aim is to provide architects with generally applicable knowledge and training. General here means independent of any specific architecture framework (Gartner, TOGAF, etc.). This enables Accredited Training Organisations to teach general knowledge and skills, rather than
framework-specific terms, concepts, structures and processes.

The BCS have a professional certification that covers solution development and architecture. This has a modular approach for their certifications structure supporting career progression with an international benchmark of skills and experience. Within the solution development and architecture certification set are:

• Foundation level
  • Systems development
• Intermediate level
  • Enterprise and solution architecture
• Practitioner level
  • Enterprise and solution architecture
  • Integrating off-the-shelf solutions
  • Systems design techniques
  • Systems development essentials
  • Systems modelling techniques

Specific details, including the syllabus, the reference model and case study are available on the BCS website that can be accessed via the links in the table at the top of the page.

Enterprise and Solution Architecture Intermediate Certification -top

Holders of the Intermediate Certificate will have demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of:

•  different kinds of architecture and the roles architects play in the IT/IS industry
•  the business context, and the importance of business-IT alignment
•  architecture precursors: goals, directives and constraints
•  architecture development process and description frameworks
•  business architecture concepts and techniques
•  data architecture concepts and techniques
•  applications architecture concepts and techniques
•  solution design to meet non-functional requirements
•  infrastructure architecture as a process to support applications architecture

Enterprise and Solution Architecture Practitioner Certification -top

Practitioner level training and examinations elaborates on the more practical parts of the syllabus, and focuses on the practical application of the knowledge to a case study. Holders of the Practitioner Certificate will have demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of: intermediate level concepts, including architecture processes and descriptions  that they can apply this knowledge to a case study that involves producing deliverables in the following areas:

• architecture precursors:
• goals,
• directives and scope
•  architecture descriptions: business, data, applications and infrastructure architecture.
  

They will also have demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of architecture management techniques in the areas of migration planning, implementation, change management and governance.

It is recommended that candidates have more than 6 years’ experience of IS/IT work, including some architecture definition. Candidates must hold the Intermediate Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture, or have a TOGAF certificate and have studied the BCS Intermediate Level syllabus before attending. 

BCS P X - Model Template, Workshop Template, CS Analysis, Exercise Terms