Architects’ peer review

Microsoft has introduced a peer-reviewed qualification for IT professionals that will assess both their technical and business skills.

The Microsoft certified architect qualification, launched this month following a pilot programme, aims to give IT professionals additional credibility with employers and senior executives.

The centrepiece of the programme is a peer review board, which conducts an in-depth deliberation on a candidate’s skills and competency.

The board provides in-depth feedback to help the candidates grow professionally. The qualification assesses all technologies, not just Microsoft.

“Whether you pass or fail, you get an hour or two of deliberation on your skills, what you do well and what you need to improve yourself.

“It includes what books to read, what classes to take, things in the industry you should do, and people you should shadow. It is a complete review of yourself,” said Jim Wilt, a software architect at Metrics Reporting, who took part in the pilot.

Microsoft said that the certificate would provide employers with a benchmark for selecting candidates with genuine architect skills, rather than those that simply claim to be architects.

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