Iasa’s focus has always been, and will continue to be, to empower aspiring and practicing architects to be business technology strategists for their organization. The ITABoK provides an awareness-level review of the broad set of skills every IT architect needs to be successful as a practicing architect.
The process used to identify the skills is an industry standard process for job task analysis. In the development of the ITABoK we invited successful practicing architects from around the world to participate in working groups to create a description of the skill set.
The process took into account existing definitions available in the architecture field and data from root cause analysis on failed projects; set a future state of predictable, repeatable success in the practice of architecture; and created a road map to move the profession forward.
As we move along that roadmap to version 3.0 I will dedicate time to overview each of our current working groups.  First in the series is the Iasa Engagement Model.
An engagement model describes how a team of architects interact with an organization, client or internal group. The goal of the engagement model is to best distribute and align an architecture team to create long-lasting value. Many organizations treat this as an enterprise framework adoption problem, but the Iasa Engagement Model goes far beyond frameworks and yet is simpler to understand and implement. The ITABoK engagement model is based on people and outcomes and works with any Enterprise Architecture frameworks in existence. It also includes a simplified framework of tasks, roles and artifacts that can be used either at the project or enterprise level if no other framework is selected. However, it is not the goal of the ITABoK to replace or supersede any existing framework but simply to connect them in a more coherent professionally oriented way.
As it stands, our current Core Engagement Model works for teams up to about 15-20 architects, but may not meet all the needs for larger teams. In ITABoK version 3.0 we are going to advance the engagement model by describing artifacts, roles, process, tools, assessment methods, and maturity for larger teams.
It will cover managing progress, taking a frequent look at the full architect delivery capability, value management and improving over time. We will bridge our current Core Engagement Model and Enterprise EMs with agile development components and change management.
The engagement model, like the ITABoK in its entirety, is not a proscriptive process but it builds a model that allows you and your team to make the most out of your organization. Whether you are a team of 20 or an enterprise team of 80 or more architects you will be benefited by the version 3.0 upgrades of the Iasa Engagement Model. Read more about the ITABoK.
It is not too late to join the team. There are volunteer opportunities available for everyone no matter how much time you have. Build a Professional Network, Gain Skills and Experiences and Develop as a Subject Matter Expert by volunteering today!
To volunteer, visit: https://itabok.iasaglobal.org/itabok3-contribution