In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to adapt and thrive. At the heart of this transformation lies the crucial role of architecture, a craft that bridges the gap between business strategy and technology innovation.

This article outlines the support within Deloitte to grow, train, foster and sponsor architects within the organisation through Architecture Crafts, a community of practitioners who work in architecture.

A Tapestry of Architectural Crafts

Architecture, in a business context, extends far beyond the traditional realm of buildings and physical structures. It encompasses a diverse range of specialisms, each crucial in shaping the digital landscape of businesses. Here's a glimpse into some of the key digital architecture role:

• Enterprise Architects: These professionals are the visionaries, shaping the overall enterprise strategy of an organisation. They align business goals with technology roadmaps, ensuring that technology investments deliver tangible business value.
• Solution Architects: Acting as translators between business needs and technology solutions, Solution Architects design and oversee the implementation of technology solutions that address specific business outcomes.
• Business Architects: Focused on aligning strategic objectives with operational realities, Business Architects optimise business processes and organizational structures. They also identify technology requirements to drive business efficiency and agility.
• Data & Analytics Architects: With the exponential growth of data, these architects are essential in designing and implementing robust data management, analytics and AI solutions that unlock valuable insights for informed decision-making.

Professionals at Deloitte specialising in Architecture contribute across all our consulting practices in Deloitte Technology and Transformation (T&T). Those aligned to specialisms of architecture domains form part of Deloitte Architecture Craft Community.

Growing Talented Professionals

Architecture is recognised as a craft within Deloitte and as a craft it has its own skill track and career pathway. Architects have specific ambitions for growth, and these are acknowledged as part of their career programme so that long-term this discipline is valued. Deloitte is committed to the growth of its architecture craft professionals. To support this development, Deloitte has developed tailor made capability training, available on Deloitte’s internal CoPilot platform which is the self-service talent and training management platform.

Deloitte encourages employees to specialise in different architecture disciplines by providing tailored development pathways. These pathways are supported by a range of internal and external certifications, including options available through Deloitte's alliance with BCS. Deloitte's commitment to building architectural skills, both internally and for clients, is further demonstrated through its flagship global certification program, Deloitte Certified Architecture (DCA). This program has been externally reviewed and recognized by the British Computer Society, with senior architecture levels in the DCA receiving automatic BCS accreditation.

Talent Progression

Progression is supported at all levels for Architects whether they are experienced or junior. Deloitte recognises talent through both Apprentice Architect Programme (AAP) and Deloitte Certified Architecture (DCA) programme.

Those just beginning their architecture journey, our global AAP provides a structured development pathway to start junior architects’ architecture journey. This programme runs over 3 months and concludes with a Capstone project moderated by senior and chief architects.

Community Building

In today's digital landscape, fostering a strong sense of community among architects is more crucial than ever. The "Architecture Craft" initiative at Deloitte recognizes this need and provides a structured approach to community building through:

Renumerating Architecture: Recognizing Value and Expertise

Recognising and rewarding the expertise of architects is paramount. The Architecture Craft initiative aims to achieve this through:

The Impact of Architecture

The work of architects is instrumental in helping clients navigate the complexities of digital transformation. By aligning technology with business strategy, they empower organisations to:

• Enhance Agility & Responsiveness: By designing flexible and scalable technology architectures, architects enable businesses to adapt quickly to changing market dynamics.
• Unlock Innovation & Growth: By embracing emerging technologies and innovative architectural models, architects help businesses unlock new opportunities and drive growth.
• Improve Efficiency & Reduce Costs: By optimising technology systems and processes, architects help businesses streamline operations and reduce costs.

Conclusion

Deloitte crafts has enabled us to cultivate and develop a large pool of highly skilled practitioners across various technological capabilities, providing us with a significant competitive advantage in today's market. This successful approach, which allows us to rapidly nurture talent within our organisation, forms a key part of our client architecture offerings.

Our Deloitte Architecture talent programmes and Architecture crafts communities will aim to:

• Grow More Architects: Identify talented individuals and equip them with the mentorship and resources needed to develop into effective architects.
• Connect Architects to Projects: Create a directory of certified architects to ensure projects have access to the right talent, mitigating risk and enhancing quality.
• Connect Across the Firm: Unite certified architects from different specialisations and areas within a dedicated community, fostering collaboration on projects across the entire Deloitte enterprise.
• Build Architectural Depth and Breadth: Define clear knowledge certification levels for architects based on criteria that demonstrate both depth and breadth in their respective domains.