Challenges in teaching conceptual modeling for systems architecting

Abstract

Systems architecting requires systems architects that are able to understand, reason, communicate and make decisions about system specification and design. Systems architects use multiple views on a system and its context to achieve that. Systems architecting uses conceptual modeling as tool for understanding, reasoning, communication and decision making. After ten years of teaching, we reflect on the challenges of teaching the conceptual modeling ability to practitioners in companies. We find that we have to stretch participants multifold to let them evolve from designer into systems architect and conceptual modeler.