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SAFe® for Architects Certification (ARCH)
Deciding architecture up front and letting it emerge from the work are both right, and they contradict each other daily. ARCH is about exactly that contradiction: how much intent an Agile Release Train needs to stay fast, and where intent starts slowing it down. Across three days you work on solution intent, enabler work and your part in PI Planning. You leave with a solution intent teams can actually read.
Attendance certificate4.8/5 on ProvenExpert
What this module delivers.
ARCH works on the contradiction no other SAFe module takes as its subject: intentional architecture against emergent design. You decide how much solution intent a train needs, and defend that decision in PI Planning.
How the training runs
- Method
- Working architecture decisions through on one solution
- Basis
- Official Scaled Agile exam guidelines
- Outcome
- Exam not available in German, fee included in the course price
Dates & booking
Choose a date that fits
No public dates are scheduled yet.
New dates are published regularly. Join the waitlist or plan an in-house course for your team.
Fit
Who this module is designed for
Typical roles
- You make architecture decisions that several teams then have to work to.
- You own non-functional requirements across an entire value stream.
- You have to justify technical groundwork to business stakeholders who want features.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites
You can start right away. What you need: practical experience as an architect or in comparable technical ownership, solid English, because Scaled Agile does not offer this exam in German.
Consider instead ASE For people writing the code themselves rather than setting direction for several teams.
Curriculum
SAFe® for Architects Course in Detail
Scaled Agile splits the course into nine lessons. They run from the role itself through DevOps, the business value of architecture and the solution vision, on to the work inside a running Program Increment, and close on leading during a transformation.
01Agile architecture and the role
The opening settles what about architecture can be agile and what cannot.
- Attributes of agile architecture
- The architect role in SAFe and what it owns
- Working with the other roles in the enterprise
02Architecture for DevOps and Release on Demand
Here architecture is judged by delivery rather than by the diagram.
- Designing for continuous exploration and integration
- Designing for continuous deployment
- Making release on demand technically possible
03Aligning architecture to business value
The heaviest block of the course: justifying architecture against strategy.
- Reading strategic themes, the portfolio canvas and the portfolio vision
- Using value streams as the basis for architecture decisions
- Aligning architecture to the enterprise strategy
04Solution vision, solution intent and roadmaps
This is where the document the teams actually work from takes shape.
- Connecting the solution vision to strategic themes
- Contributing to solution intent without freezing it
- Managing quality through non-functional requirements
05Preparing architecture for PI Planning
What has to be ready before planning so that planning does not fail on it.
- Surfacing enabler work in time
- Preparing architecture topics for the planning
06Architecture during PI Planning
Two days in which architecture is negotiated rather than announced.
- Contributing to the planning and answering the questions it raises
- Taking part in the management review and problem-solving
07Continuous delivery during PI execution
The weeks between two plannings, seen from the architecture side.
- Guiding architecture and delivery through execution
- Preparing iteration reviews and the system and solution demos
08Supporting new strategic themes and value streams
What happens when strategy shifts and the architecture has to follow.
- Evolving the solution portfolio
- Bringing enabler epics into the portfolio Kanban
- Coordinating across several value streams
09Leading as an architect through a transformation
The closing part covers the role while the enterprise itself is changing.
- What marks out a Lean-Agile leader
- Guiding the shift to agile architecture
- Writing your own action plan for the transformation
Outcome
What you will be able to do afterwards
- 01
You weigh intentional architecture against emergent design.
- 02
You describe solution intent in a form teams can actually work from.
- 03
You write non-functional requirements as testable statements rather than intentions.
- 04
You cut enabler epics and bring them into the portfolio Kanban.
- 05
You shape the architecture around a continuous delivery pipeline.
- 06
You prepare a PI Planning from the architecture side and see it through.
- 07
You plan your first steps as an architect inside a transformation already under way.
Certified SAFe® 6 Architect
Scaled Agile issues the certification as a PDF and as a digital badge for your online profiles. This certification has to be renewed. The first year is included in the course price, and renewal with Scaled Agile costs USD 295 per year after that.
Certification terms scaledagile.com ↗Examination
SAFe Architect examination
45Questions
- Working time
- 90 min
- Pass mark
- 71 %
- Format
- Multiple Choice
- Conditions
- Closed Book
After the course the exam waits in your SAFe Studio account and is administered online by Scaled Agile rather than by tecnovy. Scaled Agile offers this exam in English and Japanese only, not in German. You attend the training in German and sit the exam in English, which is why the English terminology is used throughout the course.
Official examination rules scaledagile.com ↗Proof of attendance
Certificate of participation
≥80%attendance
The tecnovy certificate of participation records your attendance of the SAFe for Architects training, not a passed Scaled Agile examination.
Open the Certificate Showroom tecnovy → Offer scope
What is included
Included
- External certification feesThe certification fee of around CHF 485 (about EUR 520) excl. VAT is already part of the course price; it is not charged to you on top.
- One year of access to the SAFe Studio platformThat covers the community with its meetup groups, the full Framework articles and the toolkits for the architect role.
Why tecnovy
What you get on top with us
01
Certification Guarantee
We have an impressive pass rate on the certification exam, so we're pretty confident you'll pass the exam on the first try. However, we're giving you the 2nd try for free. Promised!
02
Certificate Showroom
Get your certificate of participation and, if you have one, add your exam certificate from E-Learning. Fully automated, beautifully designed. Just for you, only at tecnovy.
03
Flexible Date Change
If you are not able to attend the course, you can rebook your training free of charge up to one week before the start of the training.
04
Attend Twice, Pay Once
You are welcome to visit the training course online again within a year as a refresher or exam preparation.
05
No Slideshow, Hands-On!
Promised: no PowerPoint marathon. We work in groups, tie theory to practice, and you get real project examples from our experienced trainers plus the exchange with like-minded people.
06
Learn from Experts
We always guarantee you the use of didactically and methodically first-class qualified trainers who draw their knowledge from training experience as well as professional practical and project experience.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
01Can I take the ARCH exam in German?
No. Scaled Agile offers the SAFe Architect exam in English and Japanese only. The tecnovy training runs in German, which is why we carry the English terminology throughout.
02Can I look things up in the SAFe Framework during the SAFe Architect exam?
No. Scaled Agile runs the exam closed book and names the Big Picture specifically as material you may not use. Notes, published material and help from another person are all excluded.
03Do I need prior knowledge for SAFe for Architects?
Scaled Agile requires nothing formally but files the course at Advanced level and writes it for experienced architects. Without practice in a technical decision-making role the pace of the tecnovy training gets demanding.
04Why does ARCH run three days when most SAFe courses run two?
ARCH covers nine lessons rather than five to seven and deals with architecture across several value streams. Scaled Agile sets three days for this course accordingly.
05What happens if I do not pass the SAFe Architect exam?
The tecnovy course price covers one exam attempt, as long as you use it within 60 days of the course ending. Every further attempt costs USD 50 with Scaled Agile.
06Does my SAFe Architect certification expire?
Yes, it has to be renewed, and that first year is included in the tecnovy course price. To renew it afterwards Scaled Agile charges USD 295 plus 24 continuing education units every year. Your SAFe Studio membership renews automatically unless you cancel it at least 24 hours before the cycle ends.
07What material do I get in the ARCH training?
You get the course material in digital form and keep it permanently. Every flipchart worked out during the tecnovy training reaches you afterwards as a photo protocol.
What does your training at tecnovy look like?
ARCHSAFe® for Architects Certification
No dates yet
We will let you know as soon as the next date is scheduled.
