A self-paced career-skills course for solution architects, senior engineers, analysts and IT leads who want to move into enterprise architecture. Seven lessons cover what enterprise architects do, the business, data, application and technology domains, modelling current and target states, principles and standards, architecture roadmaps, governance and decision records, and a personal transition plan. The course builds skills and does not promise a job, promotion or salary outcome.
What you will learn
- Describe the purpose and responsibilities of enterprise architecture
- Explain business, data, application and technology architecture
- Model current and target states with capability maps
- Write architecture principles and standards
- Build an architecture roadmap linked to strategy
- Run lightweight architecture governance with decision records
- Plan your own move into an architecture role
Lessons
- What Enterprise Architects Do
- The Architecture Domains
- Modelling the Current and Target State
- Principles and Standards
- Architecture Roadmaps
- Governance and Decision Records
- Your Transition Plan
Self-paced course from Tech Skills Library. Educational content only; it is not an accredited qualification, licence or credential.
Lessons
What Enterprise Architects Do
The Architecture Domains
Enterprise architecture is commonly organised into four domains. Understanding each and how they connect is fundamental. Business architecture Describes what the organisation does: its capabilities, value streams, organisation structure and processes. A capability is something the business does, such as “manage customer accounts”, independent of who does it or how. Data architecture Describes the information […]
Modelling the Current and Target State
Models help people understand complex landscapes and make decisions. The aim is useful clarity, not exhaustive documentation. Capability maps A capability map shows the organisation’s capabilities in a hierarchy, usually on a single page. Colour capabilities by strategic importance, performance or investment level to start conversations about priorities. Application portfolio analysis List applications with their […]
Principles and Standards
Architecture principles and standards guide many decisions without the architect being in the room. They are among the most powerful tools an enterprise architect has. Writing principles Each principle should have a short statement, a rationale and implications. Example: Statement: “Reuse before buy before build.” Rationale: reduces duplication and cost. Implications: teams must check existing […]
Architecture Roadmaps
A roadmap shows how the architecture will evolve from current to target state. It connects technical change to business strategy and investment. Building the roadmap Identify gaps between current and target states. Group gaps into work packages, such as consolidating CRM systems. Identify dependencies and constraints such as contracts and skills. Sequence work packages into […]
Governance and Decision Records
Architecture governance ensures that significant decisions are consistent with principles and the roadmap. Done badly, it becomes a bottleneck; done well, it speeds teams up. Lightweight governance Publish principles, standards and reference architectures so teams can self-serve. Review only significant decisions: new platforms, major integrations, exceptions. Engage early, during design, rather than approving at the […]
Your Transition Plan
Moving into enterprise architecture usually requires broad experience and demonstrated ability to think across the organisation. Broaden your experience Work on projects in different domains: business processes, data, applications and infrastructure. Join architecture reviews or design authorities as a contributor. Volunteer to map capabilities or applications for your area. Write decision records for decisions you […]