SITAC Registration

We are glad that you are interested in learning how to build better IT solutions, here is some information that will help you with the registration for the competition.

Unlike coding hackathons, this competition is about architecting an end-to-end solution using holistic systems thinking. This journey of about 4 months will take you from analyzing a business problem, to synthesizing a solution to satisfy the requirements like Security, Scalability, Performance. The modules of the competition will take you through the journey of delivering a real world solution. In addition you will receive feedback about key modules before they are submitted.

Why Participate?

The IT Architecture Competition is an opportunity for you to develop holistic thinking while working with an experienced professional. Key benefits are:

• Build Epics, Features and User Stories as a part of managing the development.

• Convert the business requirements to architectural concerns.

• Learn about Security Architecture, Data Architecture, Technology Stack, Execution Plan.

• Satisfy quality attributes like security, scalability, performance, usability by building architecture.

• Create a detailed deliverable plan for Operationalizing and Implementing the architecture.

• Design a Poster of your work and Present it to an audience of professionals.

And above all …

• Opportunity to be mentored by professional architects and learn from their real life experience.

• Internship opportunities with sponsoring organizations.

• Network with senior executives and technologists from leading organizations.

• Attractive cash prizes and digital certificates for your Linkedin profile.

To help you plan your time and effort, refer to the table below. The values are indicative only, use them as guidelines, rather than a recipe.

Effort required for each module (for a team of 3 students, duration of 4 weeks per module )

Module # Description Total team effort Per week per person

Module - 1 Scope, Epics and User Stories 18 hours 1.5 hours

Module - 2 Business Process and UX/UI Architecture 30 hours 2.5 hours

Module - 3 Information Architecture and Analytical Reporting 36 hours 3 hours

Module - 4 Software and Security Architecture 36 hours 3 hours

Module - 5 Deployment Infrastructure, Technology Stack 30 hours 2.5 hours

   and Execution Plan

Module - 6 Presentation and Poster 30 hours 2.5 hours

Outline of the 6 modules

Module 1 -  Requirements , Epics, User Stories

This is an introductory module which walks you through your understanding of the problem statement. You will be asked to create requirements and define the scope of the solution to be presented. It will require you to define Epics and User stories for the requirements. 

By the end of this module you will have built an overview of the solution. You will be able to dissect a problem statement into requirements, and scope. You will be able to further take those requirements to create chunks of workload in terms of Epics and User stories. 

Module 2 - Business process, UX/UI

User Interface and Experience is the visual gateway to any application. While the Business process defines the working of any application and addresses functional requirements derived from the requirements. This module builds up on Module 1 where you are required to take the User Stories and build Business processes to address the Business functions. 

By the end of this module you will be able to build a visual representation of your final product while addressing the Business requirements. This module taps into your creative side and provides you an opportunity to experiment with different layouts, you will have options to support form factors and define the scope of the final deliverables.

Module 3 - Data, Analytical Reporting

As we know Data is the “king” however there is a lot of thought process involved in creating an efficient and scalable data model. This module covers all aspects involving data and the Analytics associated with it. You will be required to design a data model that will support the business functional needs as well as any analytical requirements. 

By the end of this module you will have ER diagrams for the data model to support the functional and analytical requirements. You will also be required to handle data with special considerations (PII, HIPAA, etc) and address any legal requirements if applicable. This module will highlight the architectural considerations while selection databases, data caching, data retrieval, etc. 

Module 4 - Software Architecture and Security

This module comprises the two core components of your deliverables. Software architecture is about encapsulating components and the integration between them, you will be creating logical components diagrams and component diagrams in this Module. Security Architecture is about addressing the most important aspect of any application, you will be required to address security concerns in terms of data, access and application interaction.

At the end of this module you would have developed a software framework of components and relate them to the User Stories. You would also have a security landscape and justify your choices to address Security related non-functional requirements.

Module 5 - Deployment Infrastructure, Technology Stack and Execution Plan

The next logical path to building a solution is to convert a Software architecture into a deployable system. Technology stack will require you to design the different components or services to be used to implement your architecture solution. This includes description of the programming language, UI Frameworks, Operating system, system software, web components, database, hardware components, etc. Deployment Infrastructure will require you to make choices in terms of hardware and software to implement your solution. Lastly, the execution plan will require you to break down your deliverables in different phases. The execution plan will require you to create a sequence for the user stories with sequence and associated timelines.

At the end of this module you would be able to relate to how a solution is assembled together in terms of the hardware and software choices. You will be able to justify the choices in your design to be based on addressing the relevant architectural concerns. Execution plan will help you break down and organize the deliverable in a logical manner. 

Module 6 - Presentation and Poster

This is the last and the most important part of the competition. This is the time when you get to present your work in the form of a poster as well as a team presentation to the audience. You will be provided the specs for the poster to be put together for your solution. The poster will be displayed to the audience and hence need to “speak for itself” and highlight your achievements in the solution. You are required to present your work to an audience of professionals who will probe you to get an understanding of your solution. 

At the end of this module you will gain the “showmanship” skill of your work. It is a crucial part of your career success and will help you build the confidence of presentation to an audience as well as a medium (poster).