Presentation for Open Group Summit Amsterdam 2014

1. Core competences of Architects
Danny Greefhorst (dgreefhorst@archixl.nl)
contributions by: Toon Abcouwer, Casper van den Wall Bake, Fons Panneman and Pascal van Eck

2. Agenda
• Context
• Developments
• Competence frameworks
• Core activitites
• Core competences
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3. About Danny Greefhorst
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• Director and consultant at ArchiXL
• Instructor on EA, TOGAF and ArchiMate
• Chair of Via Nova Architectura
• Board member of Dutch Computer Society
• Honorary Medal | Dutch Architecture Forum
• Author of “Architecture Principles” book

4. Reason:
• Overlap of sections within Dutch
Computer Association
Collaboration:
• Understanding each discipline
• Determining overlap and
relationships
– Processes
– Competences
• Papers
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Collaboration within Dutch Computer Association
IT-governance
Architecture
Business
information
management

5. High-level positioning
Business
information
management
Architecture
IT-
governance
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Control and agreements
Vision and structure
Coordination, information and meaning

6. • Outsourcing and cloud computing
– Shift of IT-departments from
execution to coordination
– Increasing importance of IT-
governance, information
management and architecture
• More focus on strategic
organizational issues in
information management
• Shift from IT-architecture to
business architecture
• More focus on architecture
principles
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Relevant developments

7. 7
Competence frameworks
Competences of IT Architects
R. Wieringa et al.
The Open Group Certified Architect
(Open CA)
The Open Group
BCS Enterprise and Solution
Architecture
British Computer Society
European e-Competence
Framework
CEN
Enterprise Architecture – Creating
Value by Informed Governance
M. Op ‘t Land et al.
Certified Information Technology
Architect Foundation
IASA
TOGAF
The Open Group
Bachelor of ICT domeinbeschrijving
HBO-i
Sturen op samenhang op basis van
GEA
R. Wagter
Functiegebouw Rijk
Min BZK
Employability Framework
Informatica (EFI)
Ngi
Functie-ordeningsysteem (UFO)
VSNU
The Open Group Certified IT
Specialist (Open CITS)
The Open Group
Taken, Functies, Rollen en
Competenties in de Informatica
Ngi
Skills Framework for the
Information Age (SFIA)
SFIA foundation
CIGREF's nomenclature of IT job
profiles
CIGREF
Advanced IT Training System
(AITTS)
Kibnet
European Certification of
Informatics Professionals
EUCIP
ArchitectureInformationTechnologyGeneral

8. 8
Competences of architects in TOGAF

9. 9
The architect

10. Architecture Design in e-CF 3.0
Title and generic description
• Specifies, refines, updates and makes available a formal approach to implement
solutions, necessary to develop and operate the IS architecture.
• Identifies change requirements and the components involved:
hardware, software, applications, processes, information and technology platform.
• Takes into account interoperability, scalability, usability and security.
• Maintains alignment between business evolution and technology developments.
Proficiency levels
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Level 3
Exploits specialist knowledge to
define relevant ICT technology
and specifications to be
deployed in the construction of
multiple ICT
projects, applications or
infrastructure improvements.
Level 4
Acts with wide ranging
accountability to define the
strategy to implement ICT
technology compliant with
business need. Takes account of
the current technology
platform, obsolescent
equipment and latest
technological innovations.
Level 5
Provides ICT strategic leadership
for implementing the enterprise
strategy. Applies strategic
thinking to discover and
recognize new patterns in vast
datasets and new ICT
systems, to achieve business
savings.

11. Knowledge examples
• architecture
frameworks, methodologies and
systems design tools
• systems architecture requirements:
performance, maintainability, extendi
bility, scalability, availability, security
and accessibility
• costs, benefits and risks of a system
architecture
• the company’s enterprise architecture
and internal standards
• new emerging technologies
(e.g., distributed
systems, virtualisation
models, datasets, mobile systems)
Skills examples
• provide expertise to help solve
complex technical problems and
ensure best architecture solutions are
implemented
• use knowledge in various technology
areas to build and deliver the
enterprise architecture
• understand the business
objectives/drivers that impact the
architecture component
• assist in communication of the
enterprise architecture and
standards, principles and objectives to
the application teams
• develop design patterns and models
to assist system analysts in designing
consistent applications
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Architecture Design in e-CF 3.0 (2)

12. Main tasks
• Devise business improvement
opportunities and create proposals
• Align IT strategy and planning with the
organisation’s business goals
• Streamline business
processes, functions, procedures and
workflows and apply a consistent
implementation approach
• Manage stakeholder engagement in the
development of new processes and
systems and verifies feasibility
• Conduct post-implementation reviews
to evaluate benefits accrued from new
processes and systems
e-Competences
• IS and Business Strategy Alignment
(Level 4-5)
• Business Plan Development (Level 3-4)
• Architecture Design (Level 4)
• Technology Watching (Level 5)
• Business Change Management (Level 4-
5)
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Enterprise Architect in
CWA 16458 (European ICT Professional Profiles)
Mission
• Balances technological opportunities with business (process) requirements. Maintains a
holistic view of the organisation’s strategy, processes, information and ICT assets. Links
the business mission, strategy and processes to the IT strategy.

13. The three disciplines in verbs
Business
information
manager
Inspire
Mediate
Organise
Architect
Translate
Validate
Structure
Governance
consultant
Motivate
Secure
Assign
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14. Core activities of a business information manager
Inspire: can show the importance of information from business motivations in
a socio-organizational context;
Mediate: can inform and communicate to show how IT can support the
organization;
Organise: can coordinate the realisation of IT systems, building upon the
governance principles.
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15. Core activities of an architect
Translate: translates business motivation to the desired design of
organization, processes and information systems;
Validate: ensures that knowledge, ideas and opinions of individuals are
properly represented in common principles, guidelines, structures and plans;
Structure: can reduce complex information at several abstraction levels to the
essential structure.
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16. Core activities of a governance-consultant
Motivate: can properly motivate and support decisions with respect to
project / asset / services portfolios quantitatively and / or qualitatively based
on systematic and complete inventory of projects, assets and / or services;
Secure: can secure that the IT organization is in line with laws and regulations
and that IT resources are used efficiently and effectively;
Assign: can facilitate the process in which responsibilities with respect to IT
are assigned properly within the organization.
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17. Dublin Descriptors
Knowledge and
understanding
Applying
knowledge and
understanding
Making
judgements
Communication
Learning skills
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18. Core competences of an architect
Knowledge and understanding
• Has knowledge of the typical organization of organizations, processes and
IT and the associated advantages and disadvantages.
• Has knowledge of methods and techniques for the development of
architecture principles and modeling of processes, information and IT
systems such as TOGAF and ArchiMate.
Applying knowledge and understanding
• Is able to determine a structured approach to determine a high-level
solution for a given problem.
• Is able to determine the most appropriate decisions of how to structure
systems based on business motivations.
• Is able to translate information into a model that provides a relevant
perspective on that information.
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19. Core competences of an architect (2)
Making judgements
• Is able to determine which decisions need to be made at a certain
moment in time.
• Is able to determine which information and opinions need to be collected
to support decisions.
• Is able to determine “the things that matter” in information and reduce
them to the essence.
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20. Common competences
Communication
• Is able to formulate issues, hypotheses and questions and collect the
information needed using interviews, questionnaires and workshops
• Is able to identify and emphasize commonalities in conversations and
discussions and build consensus for them.
• Is able to support decisions using qualitative and quantitative statements
and defend these towards (senior) management.
• Is able to use verbal and written communications to convey information in
an accessible manner using the appropriate media.
Learning skills
• Is able to determine which additional personal knowledge and skills are
essential at a certain moment in time and attain these in a short amount
of time.
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21. Conclusions
• Increased importance of information management, architecture and IT-
governance
• Multi-disciplinairy collaboration is necessary
• Competences should be developed
• Focus on core competences, use of Dublin Descriptors
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22. Questions?
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