What an amazing first week! The kickoff meeting was exactly what I was expecting, with lots of energy from the CTA Program Team to showcase everything. I couldn’t be more excited for the weeks to come.

About the CTA

You might be wondering, “What is a Technical Architect?”…

The CTA is a valued partner and trusted technical advisor on an organization’s digital transformation journey.

What about some of its responsibilities?

• Identify the elements of an enterprise technical strategy and plan
• Recognize the impact of technical decisions on outcomes
• Discuss how to assess platform health The Certified Technical Architect (CTA) is part of the Expert Programs, along with the Certified Master Architect certification:

Registration

It was tricky to get my spot - I think America’s region sold out in minutes. If you are planning on taking this certification or CMA, be prepared because it feels like you’re getting a famous concert ticket!! 🤣

Pro tip: My setup was a laptop and a computer, one at the CTA Catalog Item (Now Learning) and another in the category level, both on different networks - I already knew what the registration form would ask me, so I prepared a draft doc with everything and when the page loaded I promptly pasted everything there.

– Edit: CTA enrollment has changed for good, I believe… here’s the documentation:

About the First Week:

At the kickoff we got to know everyone, we had a deep dive into the program and the case study, and also got the chance to meet with our group! We came up with a fun name called Inferno Squad (why not? lol).

After reviewing this week’s case study, we had to present to the client’s management about our team, skills, some understanding of the challenges they might face in their project, and proposed solutions. The main focus was:

• Architect responsibilities
• Presentation skills

Shoutout to Dan Franko for delivering an excellent presentation this week!

Key takeaways

• My first big shock was that if you don’t self-organize effectively, you probably won’t perform well in your presentation and understanding of the case study.
• From the peer reviews, I noticed some things that I’ll consider putting some work into moving forward:
• Filler words, it’s important not to use them often.
• Looking straight at the camera 100% of the time seems weird - find the perfect timings.
• Using certain verbiage may lead you to stray from the camera and look at the script, keep it simple.
• Transitions like “Now I’ll talk about”, and “This slide is about” - find a way to connect smoothly with the slides.
• To receive feedback and how address it properly.
• Teamwork is also essential for success. Our group consists of six highly experienced members who are well-versed in the ServiceNow platform. Our prep meetings to discuss the week’s case study are beyond valuable, they provide us with insights, feedback, and a better understanding of the whole picture. This collaboration is crucial for our journey ahead.

Although I was not scheduled to present this week, I reviewed the slides that were prepared and recorded myself presenting to identify areas for improvement, so that I can be fully prepared when it is my turn.