Chapter Briefing, September 2022

For our September event, we have two great speakers who will help us learn about TOGAF 10 and the job market for IT Architects.

We also have a fantastic host:

• Ameriprise is providing us with the location this month.
• A hot breakfast will be provided, so plan on arriving early, having a hearty breakfast and spending some time networking with your peers.
• Optional lunch will be available for pre-order.

This will be an in-person event hosted by Ameriprise. This will be a great opportunity to meet with colleagues that you may not have seen in a long time.

For those unable to attend in-person, the Chapter will provide an option to attend online.

Surface lot parking across the street and ramp parking behind. 

Check in at security desk to be escorted to the Horizon Room.  Picture ID required.

Primary Contact: Roger Warner

Check-in at skyway (2nd ) level security desk. Superior Room

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF®) standard is the world’s pre-eminent enterprise architecture framework and has been adopted by thousands of organizations across the globe as the foundation for their EA practices. Version 9 was released in 2009, with two incremental releases 2011 and 2018. Now, the next major version of the TOGAF Standard, Version 10, has been published by The Open Group. Version 10 builds on the foundation of Version 9, by incorporating the Architecture Development Method with some modernizations and references to a new set of TOGAF Series Guides. A new technique for Architecture Alternatives and Trade-Offs was added to the eight existing techniques. The Enterprise Metamodel and Content Framework have been updated with influences from the ArchiMate specification and the BIZBOK® Guide. The TOGAF Fundamental content has been repackaged into 6 separate documents, with the addition of 10 new TOGAF Series Guides. Chris will review these changes and what they mean to organizations and practitioners alike.

Chris Armstrong, President of Sparx Services North America, is an internationally recognized thought leader in business and enterprise architecture, formal modeling, process improvement, systems and software engineering, requirements management, and agile development. Mr. Armstrong represents SSNA at The Open Group, the Object Management Group, and the Business Architecture Guild. Mr. Armstrong is certified in TOGAF, ArchiMate, IT4IT, Open FAIR, UML, SysML, and is a Certified Business Architect (CBA).

The job market is an all-time high in the US, and globally for IT. There is a lot of demand and not enough supply for IT Engineers and Architects. This has been the norm for many years, and it seems to be getting worse. Glassdoor just claimed that Enterprise Architect is the “best job in America” for 2022, however, it is not easy to find the right IT job or hire qualified candidates, and technology has only made it harder. In addition, IT lacks standardized titles and terms, and the rapidly changing employment environment can be very confusing. This presentation will address the state of the market, the key challenges for hiring managers and candidates, and some strategies for recruiting, applying, and advancing one’s career. There will also be a panel discussion with IT Architect hiring managers about what they look for in Architect candidates and employees, facilitated by Youssef Haddad, founder of the Midwest Architecture Community Collaboration (https://midwestacc.com/about-us/).

Jeff Hickstein is a founder, minority shareholder and president of IS Leaders, Inc., a Minneapolis-based IT leadership consultancy and staffing firm, established in 2002, and Treasurer of the Association of Enterprise Architects – Minnesota Chapter. His background includes over 30 years as a sales representative, manager and executive recruiter for several niche IT consulting and information firms including Gartner Group, Connect Computer, and TechArch Consulting Group after spending 5 years as a technical hardware and software representative for companies like Tech Data. Although not an Architect, Jeff was introduced to and trained in Enterprise Architecture beginning in 1990 and has helped to establish EA best practices in Fortune 1000 companies, helped guide the careers of IT Engineers and Architects, and supported the IT Architecture community. He is now a full-time executive recruiter for Senior IT Engineers, Architects, Directors, and Vice Presidents.

• A hot breakfast will be available to all in-person attendees.
• You may add lunch to your ticket when you signup by 5:00 on Friday, Sept. 9

Host or Publisher Association of Enterprise Architects - Minnesota Chapter