Enterprise, Solution and Software Architecture Training to professional certificates “The best and most relevant all-round architect courses I have come across.” CTO “The most inspiring and useful course I have been on” Architect. “Depth and breadth of knowledge second to none.” Architect	…….…	….……
			//////.//.//

	Avancier
	Home page

Our courses help you pass examinations for architect certificates from three industry bodies.

Foundation and Practitioner certificates in the IT Architecture Pathway from the British Computer Society - see below.

Certified Professional Software Architect – Foundation (CPSA-F) from International Software Architecture Qualification Board (iSAQB).

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) from The Open Group.

To study for the BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains (“open in new window”)

You can attend our 3 day on-line FCACD course.

Or else, attend the first four days of our classroom F+P course.

To study for the BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture (“open in new window”)

You can attend our 3 day on-line PCESA course (if you the foundation certificate, or a level 2 certificate in TOGAF 9 or 10).

Or else, attend combined F+P course below.

The BCS expect candidates to study privately between a course and the PCESA exam interview, several weeks after the course

We set work to be done in that period, and offer candidates an on-line review of their preparation work, before their interview date.

We offer a combined F+P classroom course that covers both Foundation (FCACD) and Practitioner (PCESA) syllabuses.

Candidates sit the Foundation exam within the course, and book the Practitioner exam several weeks after the course.

If you are satisfied with completing the case study in the course, and decide not to proceed to the PCESA exam, we can return the BCS exam fee.

“A good F+P course really goes a long way to become an excellent architect.”

“I attended one of Graham's courses and it made me a much better architect.”

Q) Do we run short courses to the “awards” in BCS “IT Architecture Pathway”?

Not in our public schedule, since we recommend our more substantial and practical certificate courses.

Calendar 2024

Public course dates are shown on the calendar below.

Book a course place Ask a question Ask for a private on-site or Zoom course

Call 07711 884412 for information you cannot find on this web site.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Bank holiday

Dublin

reserved

Bank holiday

Zoom

reserved

FCACD

Classroom

FCACD

F+P

Classroom

FCACD

reserved

F+P

Zoom

F+P

Zoom

F+P

CPSA-F

reserved

Zoom

F+P

CPSA-F

F+P

CPSA-F

F+P

CPSA-F

reserved

CPSA-F

F+P

CPSA-F

F+P

CPSA-F

F+P

reserved

CPSA-F

F+P

Zoom

CPSA-F

F+P

Zoom

CPSA-F

F+P

Zoom

reserved

Zoom

CPSA-F

FCACD

F+P

reserved

FCACD

Marble Arch

reserved

Classroom

FCACD

reserved

F+P

FCACD

Bristol

reserved

F+P

reserved

Zoom

F+P

reserved

CPSA-F

F+P

Zoom

reserved

CPSA-F

F+P

Zoom

PCESA

reserved

CPSA-F

PCESA

reserved

PCESA

reserved

PCESA

reserved

Leicester

Bank holiday

reserved

Bank holiday

reserved

Bank holiday

reserved

Bank holiday

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

All prices exclude VAT.

FCACD: Foundation in Architecture

Zoom. Small case study.

FCACD 3 day £1,290, including the FCACD exam fee

Prepares you for the BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains.

You take the on-line exam after the course, when you choose.

FCACD 5 day £1,790, including the FCACD exam fee

Following the course above, two more days prepare you for examination to

the iSAQB Certified Professional Software Architect – Foundation.

You sit the on-line exam after the course, when you choose.

You can ask us to buy a voucher for you (250 euros + VAT), or choose to pay after the course.

“Thanks again for passing on your knowledge and wisdom and not just reading out the syllabus.

I appreciated your real-life examples and going the extra mile to explain in more depth. Defo a worthwhile course!”

PCESA: Practitioner Certificate in ESA

Zoom. Large case study.

PCESA 3 + 1 day, £1,590, including the PCESA exam fee

Prepares you to be interviewed for the BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture.

And sit the case-study-based Avancier Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture.

Note the BCS need up to 2 months notice to arrange the on-line interview exam.

· The 3 day on-line course covers the syllabus

· Then you do private study, answering more than 100 set questions.

· Then we give you an on-line review of preparation work set – on a day near to your interview date.

F+P: Combined Foundation and Practitioner

Classroom (usually Epsom, SW of London). Large case study.

F+P 4 day variant, £1,490, including the FCACD exam fee

Concludes with in-class examination to

the BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains, and

the case-study-based Avancier Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture.

F+P 5 day, £2,390, including FCACD and PCESA exam fees

Following the course above, one more day completes coverage of the syllabus for

the interview-based BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture.

Note the BCS need up to 2 months notice to arrange the on-line interview exam.

So, after the course, you do private study, answering more than 100 set questions.

And then, we give you an on-line review of preparation work set – on a day near to your interview date.

“I highly recommend Avancier Limited if you actually want to learn, not just pass the exam… a really enjoyable and informative course.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed your teaching, the work and the time to think about what I am and am not doing properly at the moment.”

“Excellent course. I enjoyed every minute. Almost everything relevant to what I do. Great to meet you and thanks for an excellent week!”

CPSA-F: Software Architect

Zoom. Small case study.

CPSA-F, 3 day, £990, excluding the exam fee.

Leads to the Certified Professional Software Architect – Foundation exam.

You sit the on-line exam after the course, whenever you choose.

You can ask us to buy a voucher for you (250 euros + VAT), or choose to pay after the course.

Read this feedback from the first running of the course.

TOGAF: The Open Group Architecture Framework

On-site: private courses only.

TOGAF® and ArchiMate® are registered trademarks of The Open Group.

“Thank so much for the wisdom you imparted”.

No risk (your money is safe) booking

We never cancel a course place and date you have paid for – unless you ask us to.

We refund money in full if you cancel more than five days before a course.

We offer free retraining to anybody who fails an exam.

Payment is due a week before the course, or on booking within ten days of the course start date.

After you have paid, our policies protect you from the dodgy practices of some other training providers.

If others drop out and the class size reduces to one, then we offer you three options:

a) go ahead with a 1-to-1 course, b) join a future course c) full money back immediately.

On-site courses

Course delivery £1,200 per tutor day for up to 4 delegates,

+ an amount to be determined for each delegate over 4.

+ relevant exam fees for each delegate

+ tutor expenses

Expenses: typically an amount in the range £700 to £1,000

If the customer pays for transport costs, and nights in a hotel with dinners, then Avancier will charge no expenses.

The tutor expects to arrive late evening before the course (c22.00) and leave early evening (c15.00) on the last day of the course.

Other prices that are usually not applicable:

+ £500 for leaving home before midday on the day before the course.

+ £500 for returning home the day after the course.

+ any taxes that apply.

Course structures

FCACD: Foundation in Architecture

The first three days cover content common to the syllabus of both FCACD and CPSA-F certificates.

If you want the five day version, call us to discuss,

Mon	FUNDAMENTALS levels and domains standards and frameworks governace, risk management and compliance.	business case. gap analysis. drivers architecture description	BUSINESS ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities business system structure business system behaviour	1. Basic concepts 2. Roles, responsibilities 3. Context and requirements CASE STUDY part 1
Tues	DATA ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities data v information data structures	APPLICATIONS ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities application behaviour cross-reference grids. kinds of application.	SOFTWARE ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities system modelling techniques. the role of APIs	4. Design principles Distributed systems Data transformation
Wed	INFRASTRUCTURE ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities technology rationalization solution technology definition	SECURITY ARCH. meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities legislation and professional standard data, apps, infrastructure security	SA PROCESS meaning & objectives, artifacts & activities different types of solution requirements the SA lifecycle	FCACD exam preparation Sit the exam when you choose (in or after the class)
Thurs	5. Design patterns (inc Microservices)	6. Additional considerations	7. Approaches & methods	7-8 iSAQB approach
Fri	CASE STUDY part 2	8. Documentation & communication	9. Architecture Evaluate & ATAM	Exam preparation
Later	Private study	Private study	Private study	CPSA-F exam

CPSA-F: Certified Practitioner in Software Architecture

Mon	1. Basic concepts	2. Roles, responsibilities	3. Context and requirements	CASE STUDY part 1
Tues	4. Design Principles	5. Design patterns (inc microservices)	6. Additional considerations	7. Approaches & methods
Wed	7-8 iSAQB approach CASE STUDY part 2	8. Documentation & communication	9. Architecture Evaluate & ATAM	Exam preparation
Later	Private study	Private study	Private study	CPSA-F exam

PCESA: Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture

Mon

Architecture Domains and Framework

1.1 architecture in an organization

1.2 architecture relationships

1.3 architecture frameworks

1.4 industry standards

Architecture and the Organization

2.1 the role of architecture

2.2 business change cycle

2.3 business needs

Professionalism in Architecture

3.1 compliance

3.2 stakeholder types

3.3 stakeholder needs

Tues

Professionalism in Architecture

3.4 influencing others

3.5 customer focus

3.6 team roles and dynamics

Architectural Process, Tools and Vision

5.1 SA framework.

5.3 target solution architecture

5.4 common architecture models

5.5 common modeling techniques.

5.6 business requirement types

5.7 preparing a gap analysis

Wed

Planning and Implementation

6.1 Delivery road map

5.8 Business case

5.2 SDLC varieties

Corporate Governance

4.1 Corporate governance

4.2 Key governance concepts

4.3 Risk management

Quality Assurance

6.2 Separation of concerns

6.3 Change management

6.4 Continuous improvement.

Avancier PCESA exam in class

Private study, answering more than 100 set questions

Later

On-line review of preparation work set – on a date near to the interview date.

F+P: Combined Foundation and Practitioner

The first four days cover content common to the syllabus of both FCACD and PCESA certificates.

Mon

FUNDAMENTALS

Levels and domains

Standards

Frameworks

Governance, risk & compliance

Business case

Gap analysis

Drivers

Architecture description

EXTRA

Architect roles

PRACTITIONER

1.1 architecture in organization

1.2 architecture relationships

1.3 architecture frameworks

1.4 industry standards

PRACTITIONER

2.1 the role of architecture

2.2 business change cycle

2.3 business needs

…

3.1 compliance

3.2 stakeholder types

3.3 stakeholder needs

Tues

BUSINESS ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Business system structure

Business system behavior

EXTRA

Solution business architecture

DATA ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Data v information

Data structures

EXTRA

Enterprise data architecture

Data stores and flows

APPLICATIONS ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Application behaviour

Cross-reference grids

Kinds of application.

EXTRA

App portfolio rationalization

App services

Integration tools & patterns

Wed

SOFTWARE ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

System modelling techniques.

The role of APIs

EXTRA

Design principles

Distributed systems

Microservices

SECURITY ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Legislation and standards

Data security

Application security

Infrastructure security

PRACTITIONER

5.3 target solution architecture

5.4 architecture models

5.5 modeling techniques

5.6 business requirement types

5.7 preparing a gap analysis

EXTRA Design for NFR qualities

Thurs

INFRASTRUCTURE ARCH.

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Technology rationalization

SA PROCESS

Meaning & objectives,

Artifacts & activities

Requirement types

The SA lifecycle

PRACTITIONER

5.1 SA framework.

FCACD exam preparation

FCACD exam sat in class

Fri

PRACTITIONER

3.4 influencing others

3.5 customer focus

3.6 team roles and dynamics

PRACTITIONER

6.1 Delivery road map

5.8 Business case

5.2 SDLC varieties

PRACTITIONER

4.1 Corporate governance

4.2 Key governance concepts

4.3 Risk management

PRACTITIONER

6.2 Separation of concerns

6.3 Change management

6.4 Continuous improvement.

Avancier PCESA exam in class

More feedback

“For me, spot on” Architect”.

“I can highly recommend Avancier Limited if you actually want to learn about Enterprise and Solution Architecture and not just pass the exam. Graham Berrisford delivered a really enjoyable and informative course.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed your teaching, the work itself and the time those two things gave me to think about what I am and am not doing properly at the moment.” Enterprise Architect

“Excellent course. I enjoyed every minute of it. Almost everything relevant to what I do every day. I'll make a post... that highlights the value it delivers. Great to meet you and thanks for an excellent week!”

“Whereas TOGAF training is abstract, your F+P training fleshes it out with concrete guidance on techniques and artifacts. Much was new to me, well beyond what I learned when studying for TOGAF. The training is more intense – it teaches very useful stuff, as well as covering the reference model for the exams. Internal training tends to focus on our core domain and job role (e.g. I never see Business Architecture). This training is much broader and develops knowledge and skills across all the domains of Solution & Enterprise Architecture. It will be a huge benefit to me when working on future projects.” IBM Infrastructure architect

“A great course with the content brought alive by the depth of knowledge and understanding of the tutor which made it far more meaningful and easier to learn - and I certainly achieved my objective of bringing together my understanding into a coherent picture of the work and role. Do quote me!”

“Your course is brilliant I would recommend it to anyone.” Solution Architect

“The course was very interesting and it is what I needed. I found it very professional and it will help in my future career.”

“Thank you. It was amazing how [the training] helped me understand architecture terms and concepts. I have started to put into practice some lessons learned and look forward to the practitioner course soon.”

“I really enjoyed your course and [have since] found the material you presented very useful.” Solutions Architect

"explains what others (TOGAF, CMU…) leave obscure."

“Really good and provided me with new views on EA and SA – one of the best trainings I attended.” Enterprise Architect

“Your exam preparation really useful (a key objective for me).” Consultant

“One of the few people I know who can articulate this area and subject in an understandable format.” Consultant

“It is amazing how my conversations have changed! On Monday I had three conversations that [made me] realise the positive effect the course has had… many things I now understand that I had only the smallest glimmer of before.” Infrastructure architect.

“An intensive course, covering the end-to-end of enterprise and solution architecture, from a tutor with a clear in depth knowledge and experience of his subject matter. A ‘must’ for all technologists, not just architects, it provides the structure of what all of us do on a day to day basis, business, data, systems and technology.” Solution architect

“thank you for an interesting and stimulating course. It covered a lot of what I was expecting and more, and opened my eyes to architecture questions and concerns I need to be more familiar with.... Your anecdotes and examples helped make what is often a dry subject more interesting... [it] really helped me to grab the fundamentals of what it takes to be an Enterprise Architect.” Business intelligence architect.”

Click here for further course comments