The training for Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) provides fundamental knowledge for designing an appropriate software architecture.

The participants deepen their existing knowledge in software development through iSAQB Software Architecture Foundation Level (CPSA-F) by learning relevant approaches, methods, and principles for developing software architectures.

With the knowledge gained, they can design, communicate, analyze, evaluate, and further develop adequate software architectures based on suitably detailed requirements and constraints. 

Target Group

Software architects, software designers, software developers, system analysts, test managers, or other team members in development projects who want to deepen their knowledge regarding software architecture.

Training Contents of the iSAQB® Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) Course

The iSAQB Software Architecture Foundation Level (CPSA-F) training imparts foundational knowledge irrespective of specific design methods, processes, programming languages, or tools. This allows participants to apply their acquired expertise and skills to a wide range of use cases. The focus is on acquiring the following skills:

• coordinating essential architectural decisions with other stakeholders from the areas of requirements management, project management, development, and testing
• understanding the essential steps in designing software architectures and independently carrying them out for small and medium systems
• documenting and communicating software architectures based on views, architectural patterns, and technical concepts.

Furthermore, our CPSA-F trainings impart fundamental knowledge on topics such as

• the concept and significance of software architecture
• the tasks and responsibilities of software architects
• the role of software architects in development projects

Prerequisites for the iSAQB® Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) Course

Participants should have practical experience in software development, as this provides a good basis for understanding the learning material and successfully passing the certification exam. Desirable are

• more than 18 months of practical experience and collaboration in software development teams
• knowledge and experience in at least one higher programming language, especially with modularization, parameter passing, validity of type or variable declarations and definitions, fundamentals of type systems, error and exception handling, and potential issues with global state and global variables
• basic knowledge of modeling and abstraction, algorithms and data structures, and UML and their relation to source code

Familiarity with related curricula, such as the curriculum for “ISTQB^® Certified Tester Foundation Level,” is also helpful for understanding some concepts.

The basic concepts or differences between imperative, declarative, object-oriented, and functional programming should be known. Practical experience in an object-oriented programming language, and the design and implementation of client/server systems or web applications is desirable. Knowledge of technical documentation, especially in documenting source code, system designs, or technical concepts, is also advantageous.

Certification Exam

After the four-day training, participants can optionally take the exam for the Software Architecture Foundation Level (CPSA-F). The exam is conducted by the independent certification body iSQI^® as a multiple-choice test based on a question catalog developed by iSAQB^®.