Developing architecture at Defra¶
How architects at Defra learn, connect and grow, and how anyone interested in architecture can get involved. This is an early version: we will add to it as the profession develops.
Draft - to be confirmed
Parts of this page, such as names, timings and thresholds, are still being confirmed by the architecture team. Use it as a guide, and check with your solution design authority before relying on the detail.
Architecture at Defra¶
Architects at Defra work in three areas.
| Area | Where it sits | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery Architecture | Embedded in the delivery groups | Works with delivery teams to design their services, explains governance requirements and handles exceptions to the software development standards. Each delivery group has a principal architect. See working with architects. |
| Technical Architecture | Group Infrastructure and Operations (GIO) | Technical architects for Defra's infrastructure and operations. |
| Enterprise Architecture | The CTO Office | Writes the architecture principles, guardrails and service patterns on this site, and supports the Architecture Community across Defra. |
Architecture roles and skills¶
Architecture roles in government are described in the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Capability Framework. Use understand digital and data roles and skills to see the architecture roles, what each does at each level and the skills they need. It helps you:
- understand what is expected in your role and at the next level
- plan your learning and talk about your development with your line manager
- see how you could move into architecture from another role
The areas Defra architects work in are on the architecture team page.
The Architecture Community¶
The Architecture Community brings together architects across Defra, and anyone with an interest in architecture. It runs regular All Architecture meetups online, where people share what they are working on, talk through common challenges and hear from speakers.
You do not need to be an architect to take part. Designers, developers, analysts and delivery partners working on Defra services are welcome.
To be confirmed
TODO: how often the All Architecture meetups run, how to join them and the Architecture Community's collaboration channel.
Learning and development¶
To be confirmed
TODO: learning routes and pathways into architecture at Defra, such as mentoring, shadowing, apprenticeships and training budgets, and who to contact about them.
Contribute to this site¶
Writing and improving guidance is a good way to develop. You can suggest a change to any page, or open an issue with an idea. See contribute.