Course Tutor(s)

Richard Levy

Software Developer and Agile Coach/Trainer

As a Software developer, it is Richard’s responsibility to technically oversee all new and on-going development, maintaining a hands-on presence to ensure a laser focus on quality. Richard also takes on-line and resource management responsibilities for development teams, along with ownership of development practices and R&D into new technologies & Agile methodologies. A Sun Certified Java Programmer and Developer, plus a Certified ScrumMaster and Kanban Practitioner.

Darren Wilmshurst

SAFe Fellow, Head of Consulting & Scaling Agile Practice Lead

Darren has a background in commercial management, being an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers following sixteen years in Retail Banking. This culminated as a Senior Personal Banking Manager within the Guildford Group of Branches. A career change into IT in the late 1990s has led to a number of senior IT positions with world-class organisations in the travel and transport industry. Darren is now an active Agile practitioner, coach and is a SAFe Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT), one of a small number in the UK. The SPCT Certification is the highest level of certification provided by Scaled Agile. He is also an accredited contributor to the SAFe Reference Guide. Darren is a Chartered IT Professional and frequent contributor to local Agile Interest Groups. He is the Treasurer of BCS Kent Branch and co-founder of the Kent Scrum User Group and more recently the founder of the London SAFe Meetup Group. He is a co-author of the BCS Book “Agile Foundations – Principles Practices and Frameworks” and a reviewer of “Valuing Agile; the financial management of agile projects

Course Content

• Exemplifying Lean-Agile architecture
• Architecting for DevOps and Release on Demand
• Aligning architecture with business value
• Developing Solution Vision, Solution Intent, and Roadmaps
• Preparing architecture for Program Increment (PI) Planning
• Coordinating architecture throughout PI Planning
• Supporting Continuous Delivery during PI execution
• Supporting new Strategic Themes and Value Streams
• Leading as an architect during a Lean-Agile transformation

Learning Objectives

To perform the role of a SAFe® Architect, attendees should be able to:

• Architect using SAFe principles
• Align architecture with business value
• Develop and communicate architecture vision and intent
• Plan architectural runway to enable delivery success
• Architect for continuous delivery and Release on Demand
• Lead and coach architects and team members during Program Increment (PI) Planning and execution
• Provide leadership during a Lean-Agile transformation

Audience

The following individuals will benefit from this course:

• System, Solution, and Enterprise architects
• Architects in supporting technical disciplines
• Experienced software developers
• Technical managers making architectural decisions
• Product leaders collaborating with architects

Pre-requisites

The following prerequisites are highly recommended:

• Have attended at least one SAFe course
• Have participated in at least one ART and one PI

Course Preparation

We'd recommend prior to attending this course participants explore the Full SAFe Configuration at the Scaled Agile Framework website (v5.scaledagileframework.com). The icons are clickable, and they will take you to the relevant article.

The following articles are recommended reading:

• Agile Architecture in SAFe (https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-architecture/)
• System and Solution Architect/Engineering (https://v5.scaledagileframework.com/system-and-solution-architect-engineering/)
• Enterprise Architect (https://v5.scaledagileframework.com/enterprise-architect/)

Certifying Bodies & Exams

Exam requirements

The first step toward becoming a certified SAFe professional is to attend this course. This is a requirement because attending the course provides access to all the study materials and the exam. Note that attending the course does not guarantee passing the exam.

Exam prerequisite skills

• Application of Lean-Agile principles

Exam details

• Exam name – SAFe® 5 Architect Exam
• Exam format – Multiple choice; Multiple select
• Exam delivery – Web-based (single-browser), closed book, no outside assistance, timed
• Exam access – Candidates can access the exam within the SAFe Community Platform upon completion of your course
• Exam duration – Once the exam begins, candidates have 120 minutes (2.0 hours) to complete the exam
• Number of questions – 60
• Passing score – 45 out of 60 (75%)
• Language – English
• Exam cost – First exam attempt is included as part of the course registration fee if the exam is taken within 30 days of course completion. Each retake attempt costs $50.
• Retake policy – Second attempt on exam (first retake) can be done immediately after the first attempt. Third attempt requires a 10-day wait. Fourth attempt requires a 30-day wait.

Exam study materials

The exam is designed to measure knowledge and skill related to the job role. We highly recommend candidates use a variety of resources to prepare for this exam including:

• Course materials – The course materials are an essential artifact from the course and can be downloaded from the SAFe Community Platform. These materials can be used to refer back to the content that was presented during the class.
• Study guide – This comprehensive guide details the job role and all resources related to the exam, including a detailed reading list. Access is available through the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform upon course completion.
• Practice test – The practice test is designed to be predictive of success on the certification exam,* and it has the same number of questions, level of difficulty, and time duration. It is part of the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform and can be taken an unlimited number of times at no cost. *This is not the actual exam, and passing it does not guarantee success on the certification exam.
• Sample Questions – A web-enabled, flashcard style version of the sample questions can be found online and in the study guide.

What You Receive

The class registration includes:

• Attendee workbooks
• Eligibility to take the SAFe® 5 Architect (ARCH) exam1
• One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform
• Course certificate of completion

Attendees who pass the certification exam will receive:

• Certified SAFe® Architect PDF certificate
• Certified SAFe® Architect digital badge to promote your accomplishment online
• One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform, which includes access to the ARCH Community of Practice
• Access to Meetup groups and events that connect you with other certified SAFe professionals
• A variety of learning resources to support you during your SAFe journey

Online Details

We use Zoom video conferencing to host our live online courses via a virtual classroom. We recommend that before registering participants run a zoom test meeting and check system requirements to ensure they are able to connect. Participants will also use our digital workspace, Mural and our Agile Tools Mobile app for collaboration with the class and completing exercises for the duration of the course. You’ll find links below to test and explain requirements for each of these tools.

Zoom requirements

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-Requirements-for-PC-Mac-and-Linux

Zoom test meeting

https://zoom.us/test

Mural requirements

https://support.mural.co/en/articles/2113688-technical-requirements-to-run-mural

Agile Tools Mobile App

https://www.radtac.com/resources/agile-tools-mobile-app/

On registration full information will be provided via joining instructions to each partcipant with instructions on how to acess the virtual classroom and additional tools.

Still unsure? Talk to our team of friendly learning advisors, they are here to assist before, during and after your class if you have any questions.