Welcome to the iSAQB^® Blog

The 6th edition of Basiswissen für Softwarearchitekten by Gharbi, Koschel, Rausch, and Starke is now available for pre-order, offering an essential resource for CPSA Foundation Level preparation.

Gain valuable insights from Simon Wardley as he discusses the power, limita­tions, and strategic role of AI in software architecture. Learn about AI’s impact on decision-making, critical thinking, and the future of software engineering.

In this interview, Gernot Starke and Alexander Lorz share insights about the new CPSA®-Foundation Level curriculum, highlighting key updates and its relevance to modern software architecture.

Discover the dangers of DDoS attacks and how they can disrupt your systems. Learn about different attack methods and essential strategies to protect your infrastructure from these growing threats.

Curators Erik Wilde, Falk Sippach, and Thilo Frotscher give an insightful interview about the new CPSA Advanced module “API: Appli­cation Programming Inter­faces”, discussing key topics like API design, security, and governance.

The updated CPSA Advanced SOFT curriculum intro­duces new learning objectives, including stake­holder management and decision-making tools. It empha­sizes practical exercises, self-reflection, and adaptable methods for software archi­tects to enhance their skills.

Stefan Toth, curator of the module AGILA, shares insights on integrating architecture and agility, overcoming challenges in agile teams, and the impor­tance of trans­parency and collab­o­ration in architectural work.

Michael Sperber and Lars Hupel discuss why formal methods are essential for ensuring software correctness, partic­u­larly in safety-critical systems. The module teaches how to integrate these mathe­matical techniques into the devel­opment process for guaranteed reliability.

This article discusses key ethical guide­lines designed to govern the use of AI in today’s digital age. It highlights essential principles like privacy, trans­parency, fairness, and account­ability to ensure respon­sible AI devel­opment and usage.

This blog post explores how AI tools can assist software archi­tects in tasks like design, documen­tation, and code gener­ation. It highlights the impor­tance of maintaining critical thinking, as AI is a helpful tool but not a substitute for expertise.

The revised CPSA‑A® FLEX module addresses modern demands for flexible archi­tec­tures with updated learning objectives, new topics like chaos engineering, and practical training approaches. It highlights the connec­tions between architecture, organi­zation, and adaptability.

This blog explores the evolution of AI in software devel­opment, from assis­tants to fully autonomous teams. It also intro­duces the AI Agile Manifesto, shaping the future of IT.

The new SWARC4AI module explores AI system architecture, focusing on Machine Learning and Gener­ative AI, including LLMs and Diffusion Models. It covers both funda­mental and advanced topics, providing practical insights for software archi­tects and engineers.

On August 20, the iSAQB intro­duced the new Advanced Level module Green Software – Devel­opment of Resource-Efficient Appli­ca­tions (GREEN). GREEN focuses on devel­oping resource-efficient IT systems from a software architect’s perspective, covering topics from raising awareness in the company to designing energy-efficient archi­tec­tures, measuring and monitoring tools, and cloud opera­tions. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wanner, one of…

This blog article discusses the key requirements for software archi­tects, highlighting the impor­tance of agile methods, stake­holder engagement, and advanced techniques like BDD. It empha­sizes collab­o­ration between archi­tects, analysts, and product owners to achieve successful project outcomes.

This blog article outlines key requirements for software archi­tects, highlighting the need for agile requirements engineering, addressing functional and non-functional requirements, managing complexity, and ensuring effective commu­ni­cation and imple­men­tation of architecture.

This blog article under­scores the critical nature of requirements engineering in shaping effective software architecture, highlighting how it ensures that customer needs directly inform the devel­opment process.

Falk Sippach’s blog post intro­duces the iSAQB CPSA Advanced certification, detailing the practical and theoretical challenges involved in completing its rigorous project-based exam within three months alongside regular work.

The 2nd updated and revised edition of “Software Architecture Funda­mentals” written by Mahbouba Gharbi, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Arne Koschel, Prof. Dr. Andreas Rausch and Holger Tiemeyer can now be pre-ordered. The new edition is available for pre-order in both the USA and Europe.

The article “Maintaining an Overview” by Dr. Peter Hruschka and Dr. Gernot Starke empha­sizes the impor­tance of having a struc­tured overview in software projects to effec­tively manage detailed requirements, suggesting a method to prior­itize archi­tec­turally signif­icant requirements early on.

On November 21, the iSAQB published the curriculum of the new Advanced Level module Domain-Specific Languages (DSL). DSL covers crucial techniques in programming language design and compiler construction. It enables partic­i­pants to under­stand the role of DSLs in overall architecture, design user-friendly DSLs system­at­i­cally, and recognize them as integral to architecture design. The editorial team…

The iSAQB editorial team asked several questions about the CPSA®-Advanced Level Module Enter­prise Architecture Management (EAM) to Mahbouba Gharbi and Roger Rhoades. Both software architecture experts are long-standing iSAQB members and are, among other things, respon­sible for the mainte­nance and further devel­opment of the EAM module as curator (Roger Rhoades) and as co-curator (Mahbouba Gharbi).…

The time had come again: The new release of the iSAQB Foundation curriculum came out just in time at the beginning of April 2023. Alongside key differ­ences compared to the previous version, this blog post explains how work is under­taken within an inter­na­tional and decentral associ­ation and what methods and tools we use.   Why a new…

Tom Asel is an iSAQB member and the founder of tangible concepts. He has been working as a developer, architect, and trainer in software devel­opment for over 15 years. Agile architecture work is a focus of his profes­sional activ­ities. He supports teams and organi­za­tions in aligning devel­opment processes, skills, technologies, and archi­tec­tures. We talked to…

The Tower of Babylon is a myth meant to explain why the world’s peoples speak different languages. Refer to Bibli­og­raphy [0] below for details. In modern IT systems, it’s often a requirement to support multiple languages. Such inter­na­tion­al­ization (i18n for short) is a tough challenge – and this post describes a simple solution to just…

What is behind the CPSA Advanced Level training CLOUD­INFRA: Infrastructure, Container, and Cloud Native? What can partic­i­pants expect from this training course which is one of 17 modules of the iSAQB’s multi-level CPSA program (Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture)? The module curators Marc Haid and Anja Kammer shed light upon some very relevant questions concerning…

The CPSA Advanced Level module REQ4ARC, one of 17 Advanced Level training options, concen­trates on requirements for software archi­tects. But what exactly is in it for partic­i­pants? The iSAQB member and curator of REQ4ARC, Gernot Starke, took the time to give a short interview about this module with some highly relevant questions concerning content, target…

The iSAQB’s multi-level CPSA scheme, short for Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture, is a program of further education. It is aimed at IT profes­sionals who work on solution struc­tures. At Advanced Level, the second step of the CPSA program, partic­i­pants can choose between 17 modules – and one of them covers the topic of embedded…

What is behind the CPSA Advanced Level module IMPROVE, one of 17 trainings that partic­i­pants of the Advanced Level can choose from? The CPSA Advanced Level is the second step within the iSAQB’s multi-level CPSA program (Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture) after the Foundation Level. Gernot Starke, iSAQB member and curator of the Advanced module…

The CPSA Advanced Level is the second step within the iSAQB’s multi-level CPSA program (Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture). One of the 17 training options of the Advanced Level that partic­i­pants can choose from is the module BLOCKCHAIN – Low-Trust Consensus in Decen­tralized Appli­ca­tions. In this infor­mative interview, Lars Hupel, curator of the Advanced module…

The CPSA Advanced Level is the second step within the iSAQB’s multi-level CPSA program (Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture). Partic­i­pants can choose from 17 trainings, so-called modules, in three areas of compe­tence – techno­logical, methodical, and commu­nicative compe­tence. The most important training when it comes to commu­nicative compe­tence is the Advanced Level module SOFT (Soft…

The iSAQB’s Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture program (CPSA) is a program of further education. It is aimed at anyone who works on solution struc­tures in IT projects. Within the multi-level CPSA program, the Foundation Level is the first step. It provides a solid and pragmatic intro­duction to software architecture. But why exactly should you,…

Which audience does the module WEB address? The training course is meant for people who are looking for a somewhat broader overview of the huge subject that is “web”. The goal is to illuminate and classify as many existing standards as possible as well as different approaches to archi­tec­tures on as many levels as possible…

Which audience does the module DDD address? The module DDD is aimed at software archi­tects and software devel­opers who not only want to feel at home in technology, but who would also like to learn about methods and concepts that support them in deeply under­standing the domain and modeling it in software. This module is…

Which audience does the module FUNAR address?  The training course is meant for all software archi­tects who are curious about approaches to software architecture that are funda­men­tally different from tradi­tional OOP-based approaches (and more effective, of course).   What is the relevance of the module for the profes­sional practice of software archi­tects? That depends: Functional…

There is a lot of confusion regarding architectural work these days. When? How much? Who? Tons of heated debates, and nobody is asking the essential question: Why? But without asking Why, all the other questions are futile. Thus, this session at the Software Architecture Gathering 2021 by Uwe Friedrichsen will start by asking: *Why* do…

Abstract Hybrid: From Latin hybrida, a variant of hibrida. Something of mixed origin or compo­sition; often, a tool or technology that combines the benefits of formerly separate tools or technologies. (Source: Wiktionary) Hybrid workshops allow people online and on-site to collab­orate, both in education/training, or other types of meetings. Before COVID-19, workshops and trainings were…

Software archi­tects are faced with uncer­tainty more often than we would like to admit. How can we deal with it — or can we even make it disappear? In this episode of Eberhard Wolff’s Software Architecture in Stream, Kevlin Henney talks about uncer­tainty and how to deal with it.     Kevlin Henney has been a member…

The architecture of a system has to change over time. In this episode of Eberhard Wolff’s Software Architecture in Stream, evolu­tionary architecture and why it is important will be discussed. Rebecca Parsons and Eberhard Wolff will talk about patterns and principles to build archi­tec­tures that stand the test of time.     Dr Rebecca Parsons co-authored the…

Software architecture  is essen­tially about how you divide a software system into multiple parts. In this episode of Eberhard Wolff’s Software Architecture in Stream, Chris Richardson and Eberhard Wolff have an exciting conver­sation on the topic of microser­vices, monoliths, and modular­ization.     Chris Richardson is a Java champion and a Java One rock star. These days,…

A myth: The iSAQB seminars – regardless of Foundation or Advanced Level ­– primarily rely on hard skills – technical know-how that modern software archi­tects should possess in order to do their job well. At the same time, it has long been clear to industry insiders that IT projects rarely fail because the people involved are…

In many consulting projects over the last few years, we have seen devel­opment teams complain about two things: that they suffer from a lack of good requirements or that they have not received important requirements or have received them much too late. They then blame requirements engineers, business analysts, or product owners who “didn’t do…

There is a wide range of certifi­cates on offer, yet most certifi­cates and certification proce­dures are based on a similar process with some compa­rable variants…

Fueled by ever new highs in cryptocur­rency prices, there is currently a lively debate about blockchains…

In my work as a trainer for domain-driven design (short: DDD), I notice that…

This blog post answers the most important questions about the written part of the iSAQB Advanced Level exam…

Wittgen­stein wrote, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Moritz Nähr, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons And functional architecture works best with functional programming languages. Functional Software Architecture (“FUNAR”) is one of the most advanced curricula in the iSAQB Advanced canon. It’s about the specific techniques for domain modelling and struc­turing software…

Want to learn Software Architecture? Look no further – the recently released iSAQB Foundation Curriculum covers all your needs! A group of inter­na­tional software architecture experts has been working on optimizing and stream­lining this systematic education path, resulting in the most systematic and practical curriculum ever. The 2021 update is the result of nearly 12 months…

The iSAQB provides a mock exam for the Foundation Level certification. This post shows how we moved this exam from docx format to AsciiDoc, facil­i­tating collab­o­ration and enabling automated gener­ation of the required multi­lingual document variants. So, this is the story of how we moved from Microsoft Word to AsciiDoc for the collab­o­ration on files…

In this brand-new podcast episode, Carola Lilienthal, Gernot Starke, and Eberhard Wolff sat together to discuss the iSAQB’s two-level certification scheme CPSA – Certified Profes­sional for Software Architecture – in detail. What are the reasons for, and what is the actual meaning of the CPSA certification program? Which are the benefits for partic­i­pants, but also…

Christoph Witte: Hello, my name is Christoph Witte. I’m a freelance journalist. I’m here in front of the booth of the Inter­na­tional Software Architecture Quali­fi­cation Board at the OOP conference in Munich. And I want to talk to Mischa Soujon. He’s working at IBM as a solution architect, making proto­types, and proof of concept for…

You are a software architect, or inter­ested in becoming one, and would like to know more about the iSAQB CPSA certification program, and how your career could benefit from it? Then take a look at this presen­tation, created in a cooper­ation with iSQI. iSAQB member Roger Rhoades gives an overview of the field of software architecture,…

Mirko Hillert: Hello, we are here at OOP in Munich. Standing next to me is Mahbouba Gharbi, chair­woman of the iSAQB. Mahbouba, you are an author, software architect and trainer. You wrote a book with Arne Koschel, Andreas Rausch and Gernot Starke. It is called Software Architecture Funda­mentals. The book is quite successful and is…

Mirko Hillert: Hello, we are here at the Architectural Gathering 2019 in Munich. Kim Nena Duggen is sitting next to me. Perhaps you can briefly introduce yourself to our viewers again. Kim Nena Duggen: Sure. My name is Kim Nena Duggen. I work for embarc as an organi­za­tional developer. embarc performs software architecture, agile software…