How do you showcase systems thinking and creativity in your portfolio?

1 Choose relevant projects

The first step is to select the projects that best represent your system architecture skills and achievements. You want to choose projects that are relevant to the domain, industry, or problem you are interested in or applying for. You also want to choose projects that show your diversity, versatility, and innovation as a system architect. For example, you can include projects that involve different types of systems, such as software, hardware, network, or cloud-based systems, or projects that use different methodologies, frameworks, or tools, such as agile, DevOps, or UML.

2 Describe the system context and goals

The next step is to describe the context and goals of each project in your portfolio. You want to explain the purpose, scope, and requirements of the system you designed or worked on, as well as the stakeholders, users, and constraints involved. You want to show your understanding of the problem domain and the system environment, as well as the value and benefits of the system solution. For example, you can use diagrams, charts, or tables to illustrate the system context, such as the business model, the user personas, the system boundaries, or the external dependencies.

3 Explain your system design and architecture

The most important step is to explain your system design and architecture in your portfolio. You want to show how you applied systems thinking and creativity to design a system that meets the goals and requirements of the project. You want to show your rationale, logic, and trade-offs behind your design decisions, as well as your use of best practices, standards, and principles of system architecture. For example, you can use diagrams, models, or code snippets to illustrate your system design and architecture, such as the system components, the system interactions, the system patterns, or the system quality attributes.

4 Highlight your system implementation and evaluation

The final step is to highlight your system implementation and evaluation in your portfolio. You want to show how you implemented, tested, deployed, and maintained the system you designed or worked on, as well as how you evaluated its performance, functionality, and usability. You want to show your technical skills, tools, and techniques that you used to build and operate the system, as well as your feedback, lessons learned, and improvements that you made or suggested. For example, you can use screenshots, videos, or links to demonstrate your system implementation and evaluation, such as the system interface, the system functionality, the system metrics, or the system feedback.

By following these tips, you can create a system architecture portfolio that showcases your systems thinking and creativity, as well as your technical skills and experience. A well-crafted portfolio can help you stand out from the crowd and land your dream job or project as a system architect.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?