I started my JourneyToCTA a while back but recently I was assigned a coach and have refocused on the CTA path. I aim to sit on the review board early next year and wanted to take the time to document the key steps on this journey so that it might be useful to others on the path and I will be able to recount this fulfilling time of my professional journey.
As a CTA, you are expected to have broad knowledge across multiple technologies and a deep understanding of the Salesforce platform to design, scalable, high-performing, and secure solutions to maximize a client's investment on the Salesforce platform. Another aspect of the CTA is to combine that deep technical knowledge with excellent soft skills to convey the benefits and defend the merits of your solution. This is what makes a great CTA and it is important to keep this in mind as you dive into your prep so you are always aligning with this "North Star" of your journey.
CTA Review Board Format
The normal journey of a CTA candidate involves completing the Application Architect and System Architect certs, clearing the Architecture Review Board evaluation and then sitting on a review board with three CTA judges.
The Architecture Review Board Evaluation is a new step in the process and is a shorter format of the review board with more time for feedback and discussion. The purpose of the evaluation is to identify the readiness of the candidates and prepare them for the actual review board.
The review board's purpose is to craft an end-to-end presentation for a hypothetical scenario, explaining the different elements of your solution. The judges then ask clarifying questions to guide you to a more optimal solution and test your knowledge of the objectives listed below:
System Architecture
Security
Data
Solution Architecture
Integration
Deployment Life Cycle and Deployment Planning.
Communication
Preparation Strategy
The CTA exam touches a broad domain and needs expertise in most domains to successfully crack. Thus the preparation strategy must be as robust or more so then the exam itself.
At Salesforce to enter the CTA Academy you have to complete bedrock badges for the nine domains listed below. The bedrock badges are mini-scenarios focussing on the objectives of each domain but also being able to deliver an end-to-end solution for the scenario with the necessary artifacts.
Application Design
Sharing & Visibility
Apex & Lightning
Integration Architecture
Identity & Access Management
Data Architecture & Management
Communities Architecture
Development Lifecycle & Deployment
Mobile Strategy Architecture
Once you complete your bedrock badges you can request to be enrolled in the CTA Academy. It usually takes 9-12 months before you get assigned a coach. The coaches are CTAs and guide you through your preparation with short and long mocks throughout the way to gauge your progress and identify areas of improvement.
On top of this, it is highly recommended that you join a group of other CTA candidates in weekly study groups. The format for weekly study groups may vary but should have at least a couple of sessions in the week where somebody is presenting a mock and one or two sessions of group learning where one topic of interest is discussed and studied together.
Furthermore, self-study with hands-on investigations where applicable is crucial to getting the detailed knowledge to explain your solution concisely and effectively. Since the CTA subject area is so broad it is very likely that you will have some gaps and blindspots that need to be identified and time spent to get to a working level of knowledge to apply these effectively.
Stay Tuned
In the next part of this series, we will be going over the key artifacts and then dive into the key foundational domains that are critical for CTA success. Stay tuned with me on this journey!
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