It’s been far too long but I’m writing again - you see I’ve been writing a lot since I last wrote and so there are lots of pieces that should be appearing here soon - I’ll just have to figure out where to start.

I’ve been doing a lot of research lately on the resources available today on IT Architect Careers.  There isn’t much - a handful of books, a few websites and a couple of education offerings.  Career development has been a passion of mine for nearly 25 years - not sure why but I am fascinated to get a hold of the career section in the paper and have always been a go-to person when my colleagues and teams in architecture have been trying to decide what they might explore next.

I’ve decided it deserves to be in print and it’s been a work that’s been developing for nearly two years.  I finally have a name for this book that’s due from the publisher now April 28th, 2009 and it’s called “Architecting Your Career:  Build a Roadmap for Excellence in IT Architecture”.   It’s a partner to my architect career portal and so I’m so excited about it.

Here’s where you come in - I need to know the answer to this burning question as I’m trying to develop some bonus items for my book that will be accessible to those who buy it.  You can help by providing the answer to this one question.

Architect Abstract Ask Contest

At the end of the week, my assistant and I will draw the name for one who provide answers and they will win three free months membership on the career portal.  Deadline is February 28th, 2009

Happy Architecting!

Happy New Year

Here’s a quick post to announce some changes to our existing http://www.architectbootcamp.com site.  We’ve quietly launched a membership site that will enable our members to gain the knowledge and skills to become an excellent architect at a more rapid rate, and with less frustration and waiting.

For now, it’s a soft launch meaning there are still some bumps and bruises to be endured, but it will be great when it’s done, and a long time coming.  Membership login will be available shortly, so stay tuned for more info and links.

In the meantime, our blog has moved to www.architectbootcamp.net/blog, and we’ll provide updates to all of the links in the posts on this blog as soon as we can.

Have a very happy and safe new year in your part of the world, and join me in wishing others world peace, health and happiness in 2009!

Happy Architecting,

Sharon

If you ask just about any IT Director, Manager, or even PM, they’ll tell you that Architects are amongst the toughest resources to find.  I’ve experienced this so often either when helping clients build their teams, or when I’ve tried to build them myself.

Architect Boot Camp training was designed to help organizations train their own staff, or to help those in IT who have an affinity towards high end design & IT Strategy, but want to hone or learn Architect Methods, Process and Approach.  The objective is to deliver the theory, while using real life scenarios and then practice through case studies and exercises.

This fall our IT Architect Boot Camp workshop is now full, and we have but one spot left in our Solution Architect Workshop.  We had to move to larger space to deliver the workshops, and I’m sure with the great mix of staff and experience, they’ll be a good experience for all attendees.

If we can’t find architects, we’ve got to grow our own.  We need to optimize our IT dollars, and now more than ever we need to make sure we’re building and designing the right things.  Just ask John Zachman - he’ll tell you that Architecture is the ONLY way we can improve our success rate.  Only three days to go until the start of this first public offering this fall, so this blog entry will have to be short.

By the beginning of November, there will be several more architects ready to provide value to their organizations.  We must applaud organizations who believe that investments in their people are good ones, and won’t be impacted by rough economic times.

Happy Architecting

Happy Holiday Weekend to my Canadian Friends,

Some of you luck ones may have fled your cubes, offices or project rooms - and for those of you left, you might be in for a little reading.

If you have been considering the Canadian training coming up October 20-24th, there are still 3 spots available in the IT Architect Boot Camp workshop, and 4 spots in the Solution Architect workshop.  It will exciting as the exercises and labs have been a real treat to create and will be fun and challenging for the participants.  I truly wanted the attendees to experience what it was like to be put into the position of being an IT Architect, and a Solution Architect in a variety of situations.

For those of you watching the Google Group posts, or the IT tool box posts, there has been one of the most lively weeks I’ve seen for a really long time with many chiming in on the “types of architects” threads.  I’ve almost jumped in many times this week, and it took real discipline to get back to the training preparation I have been doing, and to keep my eyes off of the email, as well as dismal world news that is flooding our eyes, ears and households.

My hope for all of you is that Architecture is, and will remain to be alive, well and thriving in your companies and that those around you see what an incredible job you are doing with your projects and programs.  I hope you are in a position to enhance and tune your skills in the soft skills area, as well as in the areas in which you consult with peers and business folk alike.  During these tough times, you may be called upon to come up with some creative ways to continue business with less funding, and help the teams in your finance areas plan quickly.

If we can use some of the scenario analysis skills we’ve gained during our architecture training, as well as skills as an organizational politician and consultant, we should be able to add value to our business teams as they are trying to figure out how to continue to move towards corporate goals.  One of the soft skills we rarely touch on is empathy, and just trying to really understand what they are going through, before pressing on with the transitions that we had planned for systems inthe company is one of the things we can do to help.

It is your job as the architects to constantly keep a finger on the pulse of your business stakeholders.  Rather than keeping our heads down and surging forward with our work, we need to check in and make sure that they still feel that we are going in the right direction and that we are still spending our time and energy on the right things.

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in Canada, and Happy Architecting to everyone.

Sharon

Want to become a great architect?  Why not join our Architect Professional Site - entirely aimed at creating GREAT IT Architects!

Recently I was asked that if a person was already acting in the role of a software integrator, did they really need to learn how to be an Architect.  The answer was a little bit complicated, but it was an emphatic “yes!”

While the basis or core skills of a great IT architect does come from solid software integration knowledge and practice, the basic practices, approaches and thought processes as well as ways of thinking in the correct context is what is taught during an IT Architecture workshop.  Various approaches and ways of thinking allows an IT Architect to get a new perspective of the various contexts they must review before choosing a solution or constructing an architecture.

There are various thoughts on how one becomes an IT Architect, and granted there are so many ways to get here, the result is the same.  In order to become good or even excellent, the Architect takes on a different mind set.  There are various perspectives that are reviewed, and as well, various options with respect to ways about thinking about the issue, problem or opportunity are reviewed.

The architect considers more than fitting two pieces of software together, and the approach learned in a workshop will take them through the business objectives and IT Enterprise objectives, through to the various decision making techniques and options for formulating a solution.  Typically the instructions given to an integrator are taken after an architect has determined the best approach and seen best fit for the components that are selected.

During these exercises, the architect takes on a different approach with respect to requirements analysis, solution review, as well as some softer skills to deal with the political and communication parts of the equation.  Often integrators are given something very specific to be done, as well as a roadmap for doing so.  The architect takes part or creates that roadmap, and many more variables are considered than may be actually visible to the integrator.

Finally - there are various approaches that an architect learns to getting from A to B.  They learn to view a solution from a multitude of angles, and those which will enable them to see their way to the minimal path of risk.  In part, the approaches are part of the culture of the organization for which they must have an appreciation for, as well as a component of the overal IT & Business Strategies.

Hopefully that sheds a bit of light on the benefits of learning to become an IT Architect, rather than skipping these important steps.  For more information on training, see our site.

Happy Architecting.

I’m emerging from the haze of planning for my upcoming Architect Boot Camp classes.  My focus is editing my book, and between questions about “which course do I take” and “am I suited to be an architect”, I figured I’d write a series of posts related to the Architect’s Role.

The Architect’s Role

Problems are well less defined for an architect and they must spend the time to ensure that a context has been set before they go about assessing their problem.  They must ensure that the scope and the boundaries of the problem are very well defined.  The primary activity of the architect is to focus on the implications of the organizations objectives on technical choices. They must understand all of the over-arching dynamics and impacts in making such choices, as well as  leading a team of developers, integrators and implementers in the prescribed certain path.

The architect must contain and sustain an overall system view at all times while designing a solution.   The architect builds models of the problem and the solution space and must possess a very analytical and conceptual mind in order to visualize how the pieces may fit.   They must also have a strong ability to recognize patterns and apply things and concepts that they’ve known from their past when they approach new solutions.

Architects explore alternative approaches to almost every solution that is presented to them. They must view and take into account all of the different aspects within the organization such as people, process and technology, as well as technology, data, and applications when determining which approach they will take.  Architects spend a great deal of their time preparing documents, positions, presentations and diagrams, and they must be very strong in communication skills as well as their diagramming and documentation skills.

They must be very good modelers and able to adapt to varying levels of tools and be able to quickly pick up the skills required in order to use these tools readily.   Architects must have a strong business sense, and the ability to scale down or tailor up explanations of architecture to sponsors and stake holders as well as technical staff.  As you see, they must be able to describe things at very detailed levels for technology staff and implementers as well at the highest granular level for the business in order to demonstrate that they understand the business problem.

Success for an architect depends on skills and characteristics that are not typically emphasized in university curricula or on the job training.   An architect gains experience during their years within information technology.  They merge experience they may have gained from other careers and depends on their experience and their keen business sense in order to propose solutions.  They diagram &  document their solutions, and solve the largest and most complex technology problems for the organization.

More on the specific types of architects another day.

Have thoughts on this post?  Drop me a comment.

Happy Architecting!

Just a short one today - we’ll have other exciting news later on…

In the meantime, we’re getting into the swing of fall and “back to school” and our Architect Boot Camp classes are starting to fill.  If you haven’t already visited our training site, visit today and download our course catalog.   There is a full section on “how to decide” what type of architecture training is best for you in this catalog.

Deadlines for earlybird registration are fast approaching:

• Enterprise Architecture Boot Camp (EAB) - September 14, 2008 - Extended - September 19, 2008
• Business Architect Boot Camp (BAB) - September 23, 2008
• IT Architect Boot Camp (IAB) - September 22, 2008
• Solution Architect Boot Camp (SAB) - September 24, 2008

After these dates, registration fees return to normal, and classes that haven’t achieved their minimum registration will be rescheduled or cancelled.  If you are interested, but are just waiting approval let us know — each session we get calls for some of the workshops after the deadline dates indicating interest, and by then we’ve already made decisions to postpone or reschedule or even cancel classes.

If you aren’t sure - just give us a call at  204-488-2819 or leave us a comment about our training registration here.  Did you find it easy, more complicated, or about the same.

First of all - reminder that the deadlines for early bird pricing on the Architect Boot Camp workshops in October are creeping up on us.  Get your registration completed and reserve your spot at Early Bird Rates!  There are limited seats, and all we need is your registration, and you’ve got your spot.  We’ll send you confirmation and invoices.

I’ve been answering a few questions in email lately, so I thought I’d add the questions in this blog:

Question: Do you see a big benefit from the Solution Architect Workshop (SAB)?  What’s the difference between it and the Information Architect Boot Camp Workshop (IAB)?

Answer: The IAB will teach you what the role of IT Architect is, how the various types of IT Architects are interrelated, how they fit into the project lifecycles, and how to be an architect practitioner.  You’ll learn the skills you’ll need to play any architect role and the basic architecture methods and process.

The SAB will teach you how to do solution architecture, review many options and put together solutions.  You will learn the skills as well as the steps and process to complete various Solution Architect activities and artifacts.  It is the best course for someone in a project architect role, provided the attendee already knows how or has basic IT architect knowledge and skills

Question: Should I take both of these courses together?

Answer: As we go through the IAB workshop, we are going to practice the various IT Architect skills as they are taught.  We’ll work on a project throughout the three day workshop, and each successive step will build on the previous, so that we will have gone through a typical Architecture activity from start to finish after we have spent three days together.

In the following two days in the SAB, we’ll learn more about putting solutions together and about the various scenarios the Architect faces when asked to create or update the architecture.  We’ll use the existing Architect’s skills if the attendee is just joining us, or the skills just acquired in the IAB if they are continuing.  It is not necessary to take both, but if you are a self-taught architect, it would be beneficial to take both together, to learn some of the best of breed approaches, and practices.

Question: What happened to the 1 day Architect Boot Camps - The Introduction and the Executive Architect Boot camp?

Answer: These training sessions have been held multiple times in the last few years and demand wasn’t high following the catalog release.  These classes are targetted to be offered as an online offering in October.  There will be some self-study, and some instructor/participant interaction offered.  More information to follow - stay tuned!

Question: Where are the classes being held?

Answer: Currently we are only scheduled for Winnipeg in October.  We have plans to offer some classes in Phoenix Arizona in 2009, and are currently looking into demand in other large Canadian and U.S. centers.  Classes are always available in group settings.  If you are interested in booking a class for 6 participants or more at your workplace, contact us for more information - choose the option of “other” for location and fill out the rest of the form.

Question: Do you offer a coaching and mentoring service?

Answer: Our online coaching service will be released today - more information later on.  We do also offer Enterprise Architecture coaching through EAdirections.  For more information on either of these services, please contact us, or watch for our information blast coming out shortly.  If you would like to get on our list for notification, please fill out the contact request form.

If you have more questions, or have other architecture problems or questions you’d like answered, please give us your comments.

Happy Architecting

As leaves change color, so do our interests.  We’ve been pretty busy carefully planning a new course catalog, scheduling upcoming IT Architect Workshops, and updating and enhancing our class lab exercises.  The book edits have gone on the back burner, and a complete change to the Architect Boot Camp website are imminent.

We try to do the best we can to respond to the needs of those who want to attend our public education offerings, and these changes have been included in the 2008 Fall Catalog:

IT Architect Boot Camp Workshop (IAB) date has now been scheduled for October 20-22 in Winnipeg.  There was good demand for this class, and I’m really pleased that many are interested in learning what it takes to be a great IT Architect from the ground up.

Solution Architect Boot Camp Workshop (SAB) is now shortened, and scheduled for October 23-24 in Winnipeg.  We’ve added Solution Architecture labs to the Information Architect Boot Camp class, and putting these two classes together during the same week made a good deal of sense based on the feedback we were receiving.

Technical Architect Boot Camp Workshop (TAB) - the Public class has been postponed until January;  Please enquire about our in-house group classes if you have a group interested in receiving this training before then.

The Intro to Architect Boot Camp Workshop (iAB) - the public class cancelled - and we are pleased to announce that an online version will be available shortly  - expected date October, 2008**

The Executive Architect Boot Camp Workshop (XAB) public class has been cancelled - the online version is available - expected date October, 2008**

We will do our best to get these online classes up and ready for October - it seems that many have attended these locally and are looking for the next steps.

If you have six or more individuals interested in these classes, enquire about our group in-house sessions for any location.  Courses can then be customized for your industry vertical and specific requirements, and date preferences.

More locations are under review for late fall 2008 and early 2009.

Do you have a comment?  Any ideas about IT Training? We’d love to hear about it - please add your comments.

Monday is as good as any to do something new.  For most, above average.  Well - today I figured I’d **make** the time to move this blog to the Architect Boot Camp site.  Here it is - hope you benefit from it and I do have plans (hopes) to post much more regularly.

What’s new?  I’ve been really busy getting the fall 2008-09 Architect Boot Camp Workshop schedule completed, as well as some drafts on my book and the course ware updated.  I’ve gone with a new set of lab exercises, as well as a lot of more up to date content.  After a recent speech at the Open Group Enterprise Architecture Conference, in Chicago in July, I felt that a more expansive section on TOGAF was warranted.

As well, the Firefli Web Site has been updated with a new blog format, so that I have a hope (and a prayer) of keeping these things up to date!

Upcoming events are detailed on both the Architect Boot Camp site, as well as Firefli.  I will be giving a speech “Good To Great – Paving the Road to Excellence for the Enterprise Architect”at the upcoming Enterprise Architecture Conference, provided by IIR.  More details as they are posted on their site.

Happy Architecting!

Sharon