Introduction

A beloved child bear many names. The word “IT Architect” is term that is used often and is a term that is covering a lot. We have defined six more specific architect roles to make it more precise which competences that are in demand in the specific activities in the FDA. An ”IT architect” can, in principle, cover one or more (but rarely all) of these six roles.

Many organizations – especially the public ones – do not have any employees with a title where Architect is part of the title in relation to IT and digitalization. More often, the title is IT Chief, Consultant, Project Manager or Developer. In other organizations – especially in IT vendor companies – you have IT Architects, Solution Architects or Security Architects. You could easily have defined other roles, than the six we describe here. But our goal is to create a connection to the most used Architectural frameworks. The examples above will typically manage one or more of the six roles, that we have defined. On the other hand, the six roles have a responsibility to ensure the solution is well connected and that security is handled in a good way.

The six roles

Enterprise Architect – focus on the proactive in maintaining the Enterprise Architecture in order to have overview over the connections and to involve technical experts when needed.
Business Architect - focus on analysis, modelling and optimal processes in order to support business processes.
Information Architect – focus on information modelling and database structures.
Application Architect – focus on applications and services.
Technology Architect – focus on the technological infrastructure and the technical sides of databases and applications.
Solution Architect - focus on implementation of solutions in the organizations.

Application

FDA do not describe the level of relations between the roles that need to be in place for a project, and does not describe how and if the roles can be combined. It is not likely to have an ”IT Architect” that have all six roles. On the other hand, is it not expected that every organization has (at least) six full year architect employees, hired in.

It is important to notice that the goal is to describe which competences the different roles is expected to have, and even though you will find guidance to what the different roles is named, it is not the goal to discuss titles, specific job profiles or the amount of full-time employees that is needed.

The need for the roles is dependant of the kind of architecture project that needs to be done. If there only is limited need for a specific competence, it might be worthwhile to hire in an external, whereas it will make sense to hire, or use, internal resources to the more broadly used roles in the architectural project.

About the role descriptions

Each role is described completely systematically and aligned, with the following point:

Description – what is the exact and most important architect roles tasks in the Architecture project?
Competence profile – which competences will the role typically have?
Good advice – further statement to whom that will typically possess the role.

Approach

The roles are made with input from different sources and methods like TOGAF and FDA, literature and experience, that is found relevant to be used in an Enterprise Architecture project.

The six roles are weighted based on two business related-, six general- and three technical competences. The competence levels are weighted on a scale from 0 – 5, where 1 is no knowledge (not relevant) and 5 is an expert (need high class competences). We have used half measures as well, to be more precise in the measure of competences.

Last updated 2020-12-23 by the Advisory Board for Danish IT Society Architecture Certification.

The Architecture profiling tool uses a scale over competence levels.

Definition of competence levels:

1. No knowledge

"...I have a general understanding of key elements and do understand the main message."

Means, that you within the area do understand basic elements, and can communicate about the area in a meaningful way on an overall level.

2. Know of

"…I know what to do, but don’t have the needed competences to do so."

Means, that you within the area, can explain basic elements, communicate about the area in a meaningful way, and can, under supervision, work with the area

3. Can use

"…I do what I can do, but it is taking a lot of effort."

It means that you within the area can transform theory to practice, and that you can, on your own, do routine work, and can instruct others in doing routine work.

4. Master

"…I do what I can do, without a lot of effort. In sudden circumstances it will demand for extra work."

Means that you within the area can pick and choose, to make a solution in a systematic way, and identify improvement possibilities / changes

5. Expert

"…I am, what I do, at it comes easy to me, it becomes to me as intuition."

Means, that you within the area can choose and put together complex problems and creative issues, and can combine and recognize patterns within the area and freely give advice to colleagues within the area.

Last updated 2020-12-23 by the Advisory Board for Danish IT Society Architecture Certification.

Overview of competences in relation to Danish IT Society Architecture Competence Framework. The overview is split up into 11 dimensions, which is each described in short terms below. The eleven dimensions fall into three groups:

Business/Solution: Here the emphasis is on business understanding, which an Enterprise Architecture project is going to support. When we use the term 'business', this will also cover management tasks and responsibilities.

Generic competences:Here the emphasis is on the general competences that are also important in an Enterprise Architecture project.

Technology: Here the emphasis is on knowledge of IT disciplines that will be part of designing the technological part of the Enterprise Architecture for the organization.

Business/Solution

Competence

Sub-elements in competence

Strategy

Broad knowledge of specific trends and actions, internally as external within the organizations business areas.

Have the overview on how technology can support business goals and strategy on a midterm horizon.

Define IT-governance and participate in corporation managements use of IT in an active way to support the business.

Business depth

Has broad business knowledge within the organizations area of responsibility.
Typically, very detailed business knowledge within selected business areas.
Has solid experience with business modelling, like setup/consolidation of targets and strategies for the business, and the ability to connect those to the processes and services that operationally should implement these.

Generic competences

Competence	Sub-elements in competence
Leadership	Can establish partnership with stakeholders. Make debate on basic questions. Influence decisionmakers and work as mentor for other project members. Able to maneuverer in political organizations. Possess negotiation and diplomatically skills. Master change control.
Project management	Traditional project management, like control of resources reporting, change control and deviations from the plan. Master project methods (ex. PRINCE2). Can manage a team, make innovation, solve conflicts amongst project members and in relation to other stakeholders. Has competences within system development and infrastructure establishment.
Security	Has experience and knowledge on how to build in security in applications as well as in the infrastructure, on the solution or Enterprise wise way that is the most appropriate, dependent on the security demands that should be covered in the solution (ex. GDPR, DS484 or one of the demands in ISO27K).
Communication	Can convey the terms of content to different recipients’ groups: technical items to the business, business related items to the technical side, and communication in general to all stakeholders. Can in terms of presentation, make clear and precise documentation, presentations and more. Possess traditional communications skills like listen and head meetings. Is capable of gathering wishes from all project members and convey these to the right owners of them.
Process/structure	Can collect demands – both technical as business wise. Can set the organizational frame for the way an Enterprise Architecture project is best realized, and engage the right stakeholders. Continuous management, in a structured and secure way of process and tactics in relation to project goal, that often change during the project timeline.
Analysis	Can analyse complex problems, and see the connections, analyse how decisions within on area, can influence other areas. Can communicate complexity in an understandable way, to both businesses as to technical members. Has great experience within design and modelling. Can bring IT and business together.

Technology

Competence	Sub-elements in competence
Technology depth	Possess specialist knowledge into two or more areas. Is known as” the” expert, within areas like Applications development (Java, C# ex.), Datawarehouse, XML, application frameworks, infrastructure, operations, outsourcing, network. Is capable of transferring knowledge from Enterprise Architecture projects to those that later is going to implement it.
Application knowledge / Technology width	Capability to have overview from” end-to-end” scenario and use” best practices” on those. Capability to think in solutions, from both a technical angle, and as how an end-user will experience the solution. Master many technologies conceptually and understand in which scenarios a specific technology has its force and flaws. Has a holistic view (both the vertical as horizontal perspective) on application.
Information- and data modelling	Has experience within information- and data modelling – probably with experience as DBA or business process development. Understand the connection between information and data, and how logical data models is realized with physical (often distributed) databases. Has the knowledge of which data standards that need to be used in the concrete situation, like the FDA-data standard.

Last updated 2020-12-23 by the Advisory Board for Danish IT Society Architecture Certification.

Introduction

The six roles

Application

About the role descriptions

Approach

Competence Levels

Competences

Business/Solution

Generic competences

Technology