April, 2006
Revision 2.0
version
Contents
- Positioning
- Process
- Criteria
1.
Positioning
1.1 What is the Open Group IT Architect Certification
Program?
The Open Group IT Architect Certification program certifies IT Architects
that meet an open standard for skills and experience. The program includes
direct certification of applicants as well as a process and a set of criteria
for accrediting an organization’s internal certification programs.
By defining criteria for recognizing certified professionals it also sets
the foundation for establishing a recognized IT Architect profession.
1.2 Who is the target audience of the IT Architect certification?
The program will be of interest to organizations with large IT Architecture
practices and to individual IT Architects working in consulting firms, user
organizations and as individual consultants.
The certification criteria for skills and experience may also be useful to
educational institutions intending to create IT Architect development programs.
The Accreditation Policy defines the requirements for managing a recognized
IT Architect Certification Program. These requirements can be used as the
foundation for establishing an effective IT Architect practice with a company
or organization.
1.3 Can a single individual become certified through the program?
Yes, the direct route has been developed specifically to make certification
available to individual practitioners, as well as to architects working in
practices for which the establishment of an accredited program would not be
cost effective.
1.4 What benefit will individuals gain from becoming certified?
- Individuals across the industry will be assessed and measured
against the same baseline criteria, thereby establishing a standard for
the use of the title of IT Architect.
- Certification credentials are granted to the individual and remain with
the individual as long as they maintain good standing as a practicing
IT Architect.
- Professional certification may provide additional opportunities for
increased responsibility and stature to an individual.
1.5 What benefits will organizations get from participation in the program?
· Companies that have not yet established their own certification
program or formalized their architecture profession will benefit from the
adoption of the IT Architect Certification program accreditation framework
by leveraging the best practices of the contributing members. They will essentially
get a head start in developing their own IT Architect Certification program.
- The flexible framework of the program allows companies to add
additional industry, cultural and organizational extensions to the base
certification framework. Such confidential company methods and added value
remain confidential.
- Credibility will be improved for companies or organizations that accredit
their certification program or certify their IT Architects.
- Governments, companies and organizations that develop safety- or mission-critical
IT systems may require Certified IT Architects to lead the design of important
systems to help mitigate risk of project failure or shortfall.
1.6 How is the IT Architect certification different from the TOGAF certification?
Is one a higher-level certification than the other?
The two programs are complementary.
The IT Architect Certification program is agnostic about methods and is
concerned instead with an architect's skills and experience - their ability
to deliver business value to their clients.
TOGAF is one of the methods used in the IT Architecture domain. TOGAF certification
confirms an individual's knowledge of the TOGAF Architecture Development
Method (ADM) and the TOGAF body of knowledge.
The Open Group’s Architecture Forum will continue to evolve and develop
TOGAF, the ADM and associated tools. TOGAF certification will operate
in parallel with the IT Architect Certification program.
1.7 In the press release announcing the IT Architect Certification program,
representatives from IBM and HP are quoted. How are they related to the Open
Group? Are they sponsoring accredited IT Architect or TOGAF certification
programs at their companies?
IBM and HP are Platinum members of The Open Group and have representatives
on our governing board.
They jointly submitted the initial outline of the program to The Open Group
and, in concert with other members, have been developing the formal program
documentation, processes and systems.
1.8 What is the reason The Open Group’s members
embarked on the program?
The membership realized that IT Architecture was becoming a critical discipline
for large organizations to achieve their IT goals in support of their business
objectives. It was clear that the industry needed a formal definition of
the skills and experience necessary to be recognized as a certified IT
Architect.
Members of The Open Group realized that their companies or organizations
had established similar internal programs to support their consulting organizations
or IT programs.
1.9 What is the importance of this certification? How is different than
other architect certifications?
This is the first independent program to deal with the skills and experience
of IT architects as opposed to a particular body of knowledge, and as such
represents a most important step in the development of IT Architecture
as a profession. While examination based programs are of value, repeated
and recognized success (i.e. experience) is a best indicator of professional
stature and, ultimately, the ability to succeed.
1.10 Microsoft recently announced a board level certification
program for IT Architects. How does your program compare with Microsoft’s?
The skill and experience requirements of the two programs are broadly similar,
as they have both been developed to respond to the needs of the market. A
key similarity is the use of a board of IT Architects to evaluate candidates
for certification. In the Microsoft program, about 25% of the requirements
are related to Microsoft-related technologies. In contrast, The Open Group’s
program is agnostic in terms of technology, frameworks, methods, and products.
One difference that seems to have been highlighted in the press is the number
of years of experience required. Microsoft state that 10 years of experience
would be expected, whereas we state that 3 years as a lead architect is required – more
similar than might at first appear!
Microsoft’s announcement is a validation of our view that the
market needs an independent and respected certification program
for IT Architects.
1.11 What is the difference between accreditation and certification?
Accreditation is attained by organizations
whose internal certification or staff development programs have been assessed
as meeting the accreditation requirements of The Open Group’s certification
program.
Certification is attained by those individual IT Architects who have successfully
been assessed as meeting the requirements of the program either directly
by The Open Group or by an accredited certification program.
1.12 What does it mean to be accredited?
Before an organization or company can offer IT Architect certifications through
the program, their company’s own program must be accredited. Accreditation
is the process of verifying that the company or organization is managing
their certification program according to the established criteria.
Obtaining accreditation requires that the organization submits an application
for accreditation to The Open Group. An on-site accreditation assessment
will be scheduled once the application is completed and accepted. The process
of accreditation was established to ensure uniformity of the process and
requirements for managing an IT Architect certification program – and
therefore in the certified IT Architects qualifying through the program.
The program framework is intended to be flexible and provides for additional
industry, cultural and organizational extensions to the base certification
framework. As a result confidential company methods remain secret.
1.13 What is direct vs indirect certification?
IT Architects may achieve certification by applying directly to The
Open Group, or indirectly by certifying through third party programs
accredited by The Open Group for this purpose.
It is an essential feature of The Open Group’s IT Architect Certification
program that the Conformance Requirements that Candidates must
meet are the same for both the direct and indirect routes, and the process
by which applications and candidates are assessed meet the same high standard
of objectivity and fairness.
2.
Process
2.1 When did the IT Architect Certification Program
commence?
The program opened on July 18th 2005.
2.2 Are there tests required to obtain the IT Architect
certification?
Since there is no prescribed body of knowledge for the program, there
is no test. Instead we will assess candidates’ experience and skills
against the requirements of the program by evaluating their written
applications and by a Certification Board interview
2.3 Your white paper talked about "Certification
Board reviews" evaluating
a candidate's skills. How is that administered? Who is
on that board?
In their applications for certification, candidates are required to
describe their work experience in sufficient detail to support their
claim to meet the skills and experience requirements defined for the
program. Certification Boards consist of certified IT Architects and
they evaluate applications against the requirements of the program.
Evaluation includes interviewing the candidate.
2.4 What are the different levels of certification?
There are presently two
conformance levels for IT Architects within the program:
Level 2: Master Certified IT Architect (able to perform independently
and take responsibility for delivery of systems and solutions as lead
architect).
Level 1: Certified IT Architect (able to perform with
assistance/supervision, with a wide range of appropriate skills, as a
contributing architect).
2.5 Level 1 is a recent addition. What is the motivation for the additional
conformance level?
The new level 1 certification is designed to complement the existing
Master Certified IT Architect level. The new level will provide
recognition for IT architects who are currently in contributing roles
and who might expect to qualify for the Master level certification in
the future.
2.6 Is there training available and required for the
IT Architect certification?
As the program does not prescribe any particular body of knowledge, no training
requirements have been defined.
The program does require IT Architects to be knowledgeable of,
and have successfully applied, one or more formal methods but makes
no requirements about which, or how such knowledge has been gained.
2.7 Will the 24-month validity period of the TOGAF
certification apply to this certification as well?
Certification will be valid for three years, at which point certified
architects will be required to re-certify
2.8 What is the process to obtain accreditation?
Applicants will request accreditation from The Open Group, who will appoint
an assessor. The assessor will conduct a review of the applicant’s program
documentation and will conduct an on-site assessment of the program’s
procedures. The assessor will report the results to the applicant
and The Open Group, and if the applicant has been successful
accreditation will be granted.
2.9 Are there any fees in obtaining the IT Architect
certification?
Direct applicants pay certification fees to The Open Group. These
fees are $1250 for the assessment plus $175 per annum to remain
certified. (The fees are the same for both Level 1 and Level 2
certification)
2.10 Will I need to travel to the Certification Board?
It depends on the level of certification. If
Level 2 (Master Certified IT Architect) then yes, the applicant will be
required to attend the Certification Board and to meet any costs
involved in travel and accommodation. If Level 1 (Certified IT
Architect) then the Certification Board interviews take place by
telephone and no travel is required.
2.11 How long will it take to become certified?
The application process and documentation systems are on-line and can be
competed over a period of time. Thorough documentation of how the applicant
meets the criteria is required – this is rather like a detailed resume – and
it is anticipated that most applicants will take three to
six months to complete the entire process.
2.12 Why would I want to go through the effort and
cost of certification?
ITAC certification will increase the trust of clients, increasing
demand for the services of the IT architecture practitioner and enabling
certified architects to demonstrate independent recognition of their
skills and experience."
2.13 How do I know that anyone will actually want this
certification or that it will make any difference to me?
Both The Open Group and accredited organizations will be working
to build awareness of the program which will build demand. There
are numerous industry examples where rigorous certification programs
have proven to be highly valued and individuals with those certifications
are in demand.
2.14 Will I receive some sort of logo or title that
I can promote once I’m
certified? What does it look like?
Yes, there are official marks, one for each certification level, that
are awarded for use by certified architects. Details of the use of this
mark on business cards, proposals, etc. can be found in the Trademark
Usage Guide at www.opengroup.org/itac/.
2.15 How do I obtain a Personal Confirmation Code
to verify that a person is a Certified IT Architect?
You should contact the individual concerned. As a Certified IT Architect
they have an obligation to provide the Personal Confirmation Code (PCC) on request
to customers and prospective customers. Once you have obtained the individual's
PCC you should enter this together with the surname into the Search facility
within the Directory of Certified IT Architects at http://www.opengroup.org/itac/directory.html
2.16 Where can I get the certification/accreditation
logo artwork?
Once you are certified or accredited a link appears within your login
account to a Resource Center from where these can be accessed.
3.
Criteria
3.1 What are the certification criteria?
There is an extensive set of criteria defined in the IT Architect Certification
Conformance Requirements. The document may be found at www.opengroup.org/itac
3.2 What is the best method of obtaining the skill
and experience necessary to meet the Open Group IT Architect Certification
criteria?
There is a set of foundation skills criteria that form the basis for a practicing
IT Architect. An individual seeking to become certified should obtain training
to satisfy the base skills criteria – for example a Project Management
course, etc.
Experience is best obtained and imparted through a combination of formal
mentoring and individual performance and empowerment.
Many accredited organizations benefit by promoting a formal IT Architect
mentoring program in order to grow a community of certified IT Architects.
The authors of the original white paper that launched the program are optimistic
that academic institutions will leverage this material in the curriculum
of their education offerings.
3.3 My organization has a proprietary methodology that we believe
provides our architects a competitive edge in the industry. How will my organization
obtain accreditation?
The Open Group publishes a set of criteria for the recognition of IT Architecture
methods. During accreditation (or subsequently), applicants may submit their
proprietary method for evaluation against the criteria. If the criteria are
met, the method will be recognized by The Open Group and may be referenced
by candidates for certification.
3.4 What are the criteria for recognizing a company specific Method
as part of the certification process?
The criteria are documented in the Conformance Requirements in the last section
(section 7 in version 1.2)
3.5 What documentation needs to be submitted for getting a method
recognized?
A template for providing an assessment of a method is available at:
http://www.opengroup.org/itac/cert/methods.tpl
You should complete and submit the above template to provide your
assessment of how the method meets the published criteria, with
sufficient references and/or back up material to support your case when
evaluated by an expert the field of IT Architecture. This assessment
should be a summary of the case for recognition of the method and
limited to no more than five pages of text.
If the method is publicly available, then references (URLs, publication
titles, course references) will usually suffice.
If the method is proprietary and not publicly accessible, you will need
to provide more information.
3.6 Can a method be evaluated and recognized in advance of an individual
certification request?
Yes. You may at any time submit a request for recognition of a method.
3.7 Does EC04 require me to have used three different methods?
In EC04,
some candidates have interpreted the request for three experiences to mean
experiences using three different methods.
This is incorrect.
The requirement
is to document three experiences using one or more recognized method(s),
so three experiences using the same recognized method to do architectural
work fully meets the requirement.
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