Certified Enterprise Architect Program

The Enterprise Architecture training and certification program from Carnegie Mellon University will give you the knowledge and skills you need to successfully implement an EA initiative in the public or private sector. You will learn to use recognized EA concepts, best practices, and methods.

The EA certification program from Carnegie Mellon University was introduced in Europe in 2007 and was quickly recognized as the classic training for enterprise architects.

This training program is useful for anyone who is involved in enterprise architecture, particularly those involved in EA planning, EA program management, EA implementation, EA governance or EA auditing. This includes, but is not restricted to business executives, program managers, technology managers, project managers and technical staff who want to gain an understanding of how to run EA programs.

Completion of the program, and two exams on the way, will give participants the title Certified Enterprise Architect (CMU).

About the Program

The certification program was developed by Dr Scott A. Bernard, US Federal Chief Architect, and author of Introduction to Enterprise Architecture, which is the textbook for the course. In addition to the book, the course material includes 500+ pages of methodology, cases and tools, adapted to a European context by EA Fellows, in cooperation with Scott A. Bernard.

The principal instructor on the certification courses is Dr John Gøtze, CEO of EA Fellows ApS. John is an experienced EA trainer and have delivered the CMU Certification program over 25 times. He has over 20 years of experience with EA.

The certification program is delivered by EA Fellows in collaboration with Devoteam.

The EA Fellows program delivery is accredited with Carnegie Mellon University.

The program consists of three modules. The first level is aimed at architects and managers who wish to be introduced to EA. The two subsequent levels go deeper and reach out to practicing business and IT architects.

Module 1: Fundamentals of Enterprise Architecture (3 days)

According to certification program developer Scott Bernard, enterprise architecture is the analysis and documentation of an enterprise in its current and future states from an integrated strategy, business, and technology perspective. Essentially, Enterprise Architecture is all about understanding and documenting how an organization’s strategic goals drive its business activities, and how various types of IT enable many of those activities:

During the course, Scott Bernard’s enterprise architecture framework called EA Cube will be used as a tool for explaining what the basic elements of EA are, and how such a framework is used in documenting your enterprise architecture. Every now and then, we will also look at what TOGAF, Zachman, and others have to offer.

This “Fundamentals of Enterprise Architecture” course is intended to provide executives, managers, IT staff, enterprise architects, and other interested individuals with exposure to the basic concepts of enterprise architecture.

About this course

This course provides students with an understanding of the basic concepts and practices of Enterprise Architecture (EA). Upon course completion students will:

• Understand the role of EA in integrated governance; specifically, how EA relates to IT-related strategic planning, capital planning, operations management, security and privacy, program management, standards, and workforce planning.
• Understand how EA uses strategic priorities and business requirements to drive IT solution development, and implementation.
• Understand how EA functions as a management program as well as an analysis and documentation methodology.
• Understand how the scope of the EA program and documentation method is visualized through a hierarchical framework that encompasses strategic initiatives, business processes, information flows, IT systems and services, and networks.
• Understand how EA can lower the risk of implementing successful IT solutions.
• Understand how EA addresses organizational culture and dynamics in supporting strategies for implementing and managing change.
• Understand the historical roots of EA practice and theory.
• Understand how to use scenario planning to gain executive level participation in future architecture development.

Why should you attend this course?

Participants who complete this course will have a basic understanding of EA concepts and practices, and will be better prepared to participate in and add value at a basic level to EA projects in private and public sector organizations. This should result in improved EA program success, higher quality EA documentation products, better support for IT resource planning and decision-making, improved communication with EA program stakeholders, and increased EA value delivery.

Who should attend this course?

This course is particularly useful for anyone who is involved in enterprise architecture, but who wants a basic understanding of what is involved in this domain. This includes, but is not restricted to Business Managers, Program Managers, Technology Managers, Technical Staff.

Course Overview

The course provides participants with a basic understanding of how EA serves to integrate strategic, business, and technology planning and documentation methods, which supports enterprise-wide information technology resource development and governance in the context of business requirements.

The course covers:

EA Theory and Practice:

• Basic concepts of EA
• Drivers and value proposition of EA
• EA Cube as a complete and holistic EA approach
• Use of EA in private and public sector

Basic elements of EA:

• Architecture Governance
• Implementation Method
• Architecture Framework
• Deliverables and Artifacts
• Standards
• Best Practices

EA Documentation:

• Strategy, Business, Information and Data, Systems and Applications, and Infrastructure and Networks

This includes:

• the identification, development, modeling, and integration of strategic goals, initiatives, and measures;
• business requirements for processes and services;
• and supporting technology solutions including information systems, applications, databases, websites, networks, security, and standards.

The course will also cover basic concepts in linking EA to other governance processes, including capital planning, program management, security, and human resources management.

Module 2. Applied Enterprise Architecture (project)

As part of the certification as enterprise architect, all participants must do an individual project under supervision. The project’s problem statement is defined together with the supervisor, and can either be based on the participant’s own company/practice, or on a more theoretical problem/issue.

The project typically runs over 4-5 weeks. All participants must produce a project report and a project presentation. The report is typically a written report (10 pages) or, if relevant, other kinds of documentation of the work, for example a set of architecture artifacts. The project presentation (a set of slides) is presented to the supervisor and either other participants in the certification or in-house where the participant works.

Module 3: Advanced Enterprise Architecture Concepts (3 days)

The course builds upon prior knowledge of EA concepts and practices. The course is intended to build proficiency in managing EA programs, establishing/leading EA teams, winning EA work, delivering EA products, and using EA to improve mission performance. The course will also cover advanced concepts on linking EA to other governance processes, including capital planning, program management, security, and human resources management.

Spread over 3 days, the “Advanced Enterprise Architecture” workshop covers:

• An EA program management overview
• The EA program critical success factors
• Integration of EA and Enterprise Governance
• Development and use of business cases
• Developing and managing EA program budgets and schedules
• Managing EA program risk
• EA program metrics using EVM (Earned Value Management)
• EA program maturity
• EA program governance
• EA management and transition plans
• Using EA in strategic and Scenario Planning, Business Process Improvement, IT Investment Decision-Making, IT Project Management, IT Security Planning, IT Workforce planning, IT outsourcing, …

This course is intended to build proficiency in managing EA programs, establishing/leading EA teams, winning EA work, delivering EA products, and using EA to improve mission performance. The course will also cover advanced concepts on linking EA to other governance processes, including capital planning, program management, security, and human resources management (HRM).

Following this course, participants will have an advanced understanding of EA concepts and practices, and should be able to more successfully establish and lead EA teams and projects in the public and private sector, as well as develop project proposals and gain/maintain customer and stakeholder confidence and support. This will result in improved EA program success, higher quality EA documentation products, improved communication with EA clients and stakeholders, and increased EA value delivery.