PECB CMSA study plan
PECB CMSA · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Software Architecture Fundamentals and Principles
Define architecture, architectural drivers, and the architect's responsibilities in your own words, then map each definition to a concrete system you have worked on.
Compare at least six quality attributes (availability, performance, security, modifiability, testability, usability) and state one measurable scenario for each against a sample system.
Explain the difference between architecture and design, and between tactical and strategic decisions, using two worked examples.
Classify architectural principles (separation of concerns, single responsibility, abstraction, information hiding, coupling and cohesion) and identify one violation of each in public open-source code you can inspect.
Your checkpoint
A 2-page personal glossary plus 6 quality-attribute scenarios written in stimulus-response-measure form, each scored for measurability by a peer or self-review checklist.
Software Architecture Fundamentals and Principles & Software Architecture Design and Modeling
Apply at least four architectural styles (layered, client-server, pipe-and-filter, event-driven, microservices) to the same requirement set and record trade-offs in a comparison table.
Derive architectural drivers from a written business case by separating functional requirements, quality attributes, constraints, and concerns.
Translate three quality attributes into tactics and explain the mechanism by which each tactic improves its attribute.
Draft a first context and component diagram for a chosen case system using a consistent notation.
Your checkpoint
An architecture decision record set (minimum 4 ADRs) each stating context, decision, alternatives rejected, and consequences, plus a style comparison table with at least 5 criteria.
Software Architecture Design and Modeling
Model a system with at least three UML or C4 view types (context, container/component, sequence or activity) and keep them mutually consistent.
Distinguish structural from behavioral modeling and justify which view answers which stakeholder question.
Apply decomposition and interface-design heuristics to split one oversized component into cohesive services with explicit contracts.
Identify and correct at least three modeling defects (missing interfaces, ambiguous cardinality, cyclic dependency) in a diagram you produced earlier.
Your checkpoint
A consistent multi-view model package (context, component, and one behavioral view) with a traceability table linking each element to a requirement or quality scenario.
Software Architecture Documentation and Communication
Select documentation views appropriate to three distinct stakeholder groups and justify each choice.
Write architecture documentation using a template that captures context, views, decisions, and rationale without duplicating content across views.
Produce one diagram with a legend, notation key, and stated level of abstraction so it is readable without narration.
Review a peer's or open-source project's documentation against a checklist and log concrete gaps.
Your checkpoint
A documentation package for the case system (context, at least two views, decision log, glossary) that passes a 15-item self-review checklist with all items marked pass.
Software Architecture Documentation and Communication & Software Architecture Implementation and Governance
Deliver a 10-minute architecture walkthrough to a non-technical and a technical audience, adapting vocabulary to each.
Map architectural decisions to implementation constraints and identify where governance gates belong in a delivery lifecycle.
Define conformance criteria that let a reviewer check whether code matches the documented architecture.
Explain how architecture principles are enforced through reviews, fitness functions, or automated checks.
Your checkpoint
A recorded or written walkthrough script for two audiences plus a governance plan listing at least 5 checkpoints, each with owner, artifact reviewed, and pass criteria.
Software Architecture Implementation and Governance
Assess an existing codebase against its documented architecture and list deviations with severity.
Design at least two automated fitness functions (for example dependency rules or layering checks) and describe how they would fail a build.
Analyze the impact of a proposed change on components, interfaces, and quality attributes, and record the result as an impact analysis.
Explain how technical debt is identified, prioritized, and communicated to decision-makers.
Your checkpoint
A conformance report covering at least 8 checked rules with pass/fail evidence, plus 2 fitness-function specifications including trigger, check logic, and remediation guidance.
Software Architecture Evaluation and Maintenance
Compare at least three evaluation methods (for example scenario-based, checklist-based, and metrics-based) on cost, timing, and what each can and cannot reveal.
Run a lightweight scenario-based evaluation on the case system with at least 5 quality scenarios and record risks and sensitivity points.
Identify trade-off points where improving one quality attribute degrades another and propose mitigation.
Prioritize evaluation findings by risk exposure and propose a remediation backlog.
Your checkpoint
An evaluation report with 5+ scenarios, identified risks, sensitivity and trade-off points, and a ranked remediation backlog of at least 6 items.
Software Architecture Evaluation and Maintenance & Software Architecture Fundamentals and Principles & Software Architecture Design and Modeling & Software Architecture Documentation and Communication & Software Architecture Implementation and Governance
Diagnose architecture decay by comparing intended versus actual architecture and propose maintenance actions.
Consolidate weak areas from all five domains into a prioritized review list and close each gap with targeted practice.
Complete a timed full-length practice set and analyze every wrong answer by domain and root cause.
Rehearse explaining three core concepts aloud in under two minutes each to confirm recall without notes.
Your checkpoint
A final readiness pack: domain-by-domain self-assessment scores, a list of corrected misconceptions, and a timed practice result with error analysis.
Milestones
Week 2: Can define architecture, list architectural drivers, and justify a style choice with trade-offs without notes; ADR set reviewed and complete.
Week 4: Multi-view model and documentation package are internally consistent and pass the 15-item documentation checklist.
Week 6: Conformance report and fitness-function specifications demonstrate that governance is enforceable, not just described.
Week 8: Timed practice score meets your target threshold, every error is traced to a domain and root cause, and no domain remains unaddressed.