Mission
Raise the quality and impact of software architecture by supporting practitioners and promoting excellence in system design.
Professional membership body
Advancing the Art and Science of Software Architecture
SoftArch exists to support architects at every stage — building capability, setting professional standards, and growing a community that designs reliable, secure, and maintainable software systems.
Quarterly
Journal & practice notes
Chapters
Regional meetups & mentoring
Standards
Competency model & ethics
Member benefits
- Access to member resources
- Discounts on events and training
- Quarterly journal
- Local chapter access
Serious about architecture? Join a community that invests in your practice — and in the profession.
View Membership TiersAbout SoftArch
SoftArch is a professional membership body for software architects. We advance the practice through knowledge sharing, professional standards, networking, and continuing professional development.
Community
Connect with peers through local chapters, webinars, and practical workshops — and contribute back to the body of practice.
Professional development
Develop your capability with a career framework, mentorship, and certification aligned to real-world architecture practice.
“SoftArch helped me move from senior engineer to architect with a clear competency model and mentoring that actually fits day‑to‑day work.”
“The chapter meetups are refreshingly practical — real trade‑offs, real decisions, and a community that cares about quality.”
“SoftArch’s journal is one of the few places where architecture ideas are grounded in evidence and experience, not hype.”
Membership
Choose the tier that matches your experience. All members receive access to resources, event discounts, post‑nominals, our quarterly journal, and local chapter participation.
Associate Member
For those working towards architecture roles
£95/year
- Mentorship programme access
- Career framework & competency model
- Member resources and templates
Most popular
Full Member
For practising architects with 3+ years’ experience
£175/year
- Priority event pricing
- Local chapter voting rights
- Quarterly journal subscription
Fellow
By invitation, for distinguished contributors to the field
£250/year
- Fellows’ roundtables
- Thought leadership & publication support
- Invitations to advisory panels
Membership fees are shown in GBP and billed annually. Fellowship is awarded by invitation based on
significant professional contribution.
Events
Learn, practise, and connect — from hands-on katas to our annual flagship conference.
Annual Conference
Typically held each September, featuring keynotes, case studies, and practitioner-led workshops.
Regional meetups
Local chapter events focused on peer learning, networking, and real-world architecture challenges.
Webinar series
Monthly sessions with working architects covering technical depth, leadership, and decision making.
Architecture Katas
Practical workshops to build architectural thinking, communication, and trade-off analysis.
Resources
Curated, practitioner-focused resources to help you deliver quality outcomes.
Architecture Decision Records (ADR) templates
Lightweight templates to capture decisions, context, constraints, and outcomes — consistently.
Reference architectures library
Patterns and reference designs for common domains and platform capabilities.
Career framework & competency model
Clear expectations and growth pathways from aspiring architect to senior leadership roles.
Mentorship programme
Structured mentoring to support capability building, confidence, and professional judgment.
Certification
The SoftArch Certified Architect programme recognises capability through structured assessment and evidence of practice.
Foundation
Core principles, terminology, and decision-making fundamentals for emerging architects.
Practitioner
Demonstrated competence across architecture methods, stakeholder alignment, and delivery outcomes.
Master
Advanced practice: strategy, organisational influence, and sustained excellence across complex systems.
Contact
Questions about membership, chapters, events, or certification? Send us a message.