New Curriculum Version of the CPSA‑A® Module ADOC Released
The CPSA‑A module ADOC – Architecture Documentation equips software architects with the skills to design and create architecture documentation independently, to assess existing documentation for suitability and adequacy, and to improve it where necessary. Participants learn how to systematically describe key aspects of software architectures, including decisions, structures, concepts, quality requirements, and views. To support this, ADOC introduces fundamental description and notation techniques as well as tools for practical implementation.
With the new curriculum version 2025.1, the module has been updated and refined in several areas. While the overall scope has only been slightly expanded, learning objectives have become more specific and concrete. New topics include the use of Generative AI, Docs-as-Code, and additional notation options such as C4, ArchiMate, and practical canvases. The curriculum also updates relevant standards, moving from IEEE 1471 to ISO/IEC 42010:2022, and now defines architectural views more explicitly.
In addition, the didactic structure has been improved. The updated curriculum clearly separates teaching time from exercise time while keeping the total duration of the module at 12 hours.
As part of the release, Dr. Gernot Starke, one of the curators of the ADOC module, shares his perspective on the update. According to Starke, the revision was driven both by practical experience and by ongoing methodological developments:
“After a few years of experience, there are always some small things in curricula that should be cleaned up. At the same time, methodological approaches continue to evolve – and we wanted to reflect that in this update.”
One of the main goals of the revision was to balance stability and innovation:
“It was important for us to preserve the solid methodological foundation of ADOC while at the same time addressing new developments from practice.”
From the perspective of software architects, the benefits of the new curriculum are clear:
“Quite simply, it has become even more practical and applicable. Development teams can directly use the content to explain their own systems in a targeted way and tailor their documentation to different stakeholders – both in written and verbal communication.”
The new ADOC curriculum version 2025.1 is now available for download: https://public.isaqb.org/curriculum-adoc/
