AI Augmented Architecture Foundations with Sparx EA and Claude
AI Augmented Architecture with Sparx EA and Claude
AI Augmented Architecture Foundations is Sparx Services’ hands-on training program for enterprise and solution architects. A five-session curriculum takes your team from first Claude interaction to confident daily use of AI Power Tools for Sparx EA. Nine real activities. Your actual repository. The architect stays in charge at every step.
📍 Available virtual and on-site. On-site travel costs quoted separately.
Your architects are capable. Your tools are ready. So why is so much of the week still consumed by work that doesn’t require an architect?
Your architects are spending expert time on entry-level work.
Hours every week go to transcribing content into EA models, manually tracing dependencies, running conformance checks, and assembling briefings for stakeholders who can’t open Sparx EA. None of this requires architectural expertise. All of it is time your most experienced people could spend on design, facilitation, and judgment.
Mechanical work moves to AI. Architectural work stays with the architect.
The course teaches your architects to direct Claude to handle the repository mechanics: model creation, dependency tracing, conformance checking, and stakeholder documentation. Every architectural decision stays firmly in human hands.
AI Power Tools for Sparx EA is available. Your architects aren’t using it.
The MCP server connects. The toolchain works. But without structured training on how to write effective briefs, configure a grounding document with MDG standards, and apply the right level of human oversight for each task type, architects default to the workflows they already know.
Structured training turns a deployed tool into a daily habit.
Foundations moves AI Power Tools for Sparx EA from installed to used, with hands-on practice on real repository tasks in every session. Architects leave with a configured environment, a tested grounding document, and nine completed activities from their own Sparx EA repository.
Architecture demand is growing. Architecture team headcount isn’t.
Every organization is adding systems, changing processes, and facing regulatory requirements that need architectural coverage. The work is increasing. The team isn’t.
AI augmentation scales what your existing team can do.
Architects trained on AI-assisted modeling and analysis can cover more ground without sacrificing quality or governance standards. The capacity freed by automating mechanical tasks is capacity redirected to higher-value architecture work.
There’s no clear path from “we should use AI” to “our architects actually do.”
Most architecture teams know AI could help. Few have a structured approach to identifying which tasks to automate first, how to configure the toolchain against their specific MDG standards, or how to maintain appropriate human oversight without losing the productivity benefit.
A structured curriculum from first install to confident daily use.
Five sessions take architects from understanding the case for AI augmented architecture, through installing and grounding the toolchain against their own repository and MDG standards, to completing nine hands-on activities across all four AI Augmented Architecture domains: Modeling, Analysis, Governance, and Stakeholder Engagement.
A Training Program Built for Practicing Architects. Not Developers, Not Beginners.
AI Augmented Architecture Foundations is a five-session, 20-hour curriculum designed for architects who already know Sparx EA and are ready to put Claude to work on real repository tasks. Every session is hands-on. Every activity uses real architecture work. Every architect leaves with a configured, working environment tailored to their repository and their MDG standards.
Built for Architects
No generic business user exercises. Every example, every activity, and every prompt pattern is drawn from real architecture work: modeling, analysis, governance, and stakeholder engagement. If you use Sparx EA today, you’re ready.
The Architect Stays in Charge
Human-in-the-loop is not a slide. It’s a design principle woven into every activity. Every hands-on task has an explicit review checkpoint. Students leave knowing which oversight model to apply to which task type, and why.
Your Repository. Your MDG. Your Standards.
The course doesn’t use sample data. Architects configure the toolchain against their own Sparx EA repository and their own MDG technologies. The grounding document they build in Session 2 is the one they use in production.
Five Sessions. Four Domains. Nine Hands-On Activities.
No fluff. No slides that could be an email. Every session builds something architects use on the job.
AI Augmented Architecture Foundations
Phase 1: Learn ClaudeEstablishes the why and the mental model before any tool is touched. Introduces the four AI Augmented Architecture domains (Modeling, Analysis, Governance, and Stakeholder Engagement) and the scenarios each one addresses. Covers the intelligent automation stack for architecture, the 80/20 principle applied to architecture work, and the “Architect Stays in Charge” framework that governs every subsequent activity. Architects complete their automation inventory and send their first Claude prompt.
Working with Claude for Architecture Work
Phase 1: Learn ClaudeThe full Claude skill-building session before the EA toolchain is introduced. Covers VS Code environment setup for architecture work, Claude Chat for architecture-relevant tasks (research, documentation, ADR drafts, option analysis), Cowork for multi-step document workflows, and prompt engineering for architects. Includes the five architecture-specific prompt patterns students use throughout the program. Architects build a first-pass grounding document and complete their first real Chat and Cowork tasks.
AI Power Tools for Sparx EA
Phase 2: Add the EA ToolchainIntroduces AI Power Tools for Sparx EA: what the MCP server is, how the live Sparx EA connection works, and what the skills layer provides across the four domains. Architects install and configure the EA MCP Server in Claude Cowork, extend their grounding document with MDG standards and repository structure, and verify the connection with their first live repository tasks. The human-in-the-loop framework is applied specifically to EA repository operations, including the review checklist, the “can this be undone?” test, and the correction discipline.
Architecture Modeling with Claude + Sparx EA
Phase 3: Domain Activities: ModelingThe first applied session. Three hands-on modeling activities covering the three primary ingestion sources architects work with:
- Activity 1: Model from spreadsheet data: ingest an application inventory and produce stereotyped elements with a diagram
- Activity 2: Model from a requirements document: extract and model architecture elements from a project specification
- Activity 3: Model from data in an external system: query a CMDB, Jira project, or other connected source; create elements; review relationship discovery candidates
Between activities, a focused discussion on reviewing AI-created models: common mistakes, the correction discipline, and how “flag, don’t guess” changes the output.
Analysis, Governance, Stakeholder Engagement + Build Your Own Skill
Phase 3: Domain Activities: Analysis, Governance, Stakeholder EngagementCompletes the four-domain coverage with six additional activities:
- Activity 4: Trace dependencies across a model: full dependency graph traversal; downstream impact identification
- Activity 5: Compare documentation to a model: assess architecture drift between a product specification and the EA repository
- Activity 6: Validate a model for modeling language compliance: conformance audit against MDG standards with severity-classified findings
- Activity 7: Create diagram notes for accessibility: generate plain-language descriptions of diagrams for non-EA audiences
- Activity 8: Create images from diagrams: export diagram images for presentations and stakeholder communications
- Activity 9: Create your own modeling skill: build and test a reusable Cowork skill for a modeling task you run repeatedly
Closes with the curriculum path (follow-on specialist courses) and a personal 30-day action plan.
Cohort Pricing
All programs are private. Your architects only. Content is configured to your repository, your MDG standards, and your architecture scenarios.
| Format | Delivery | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Cohort ★ Recommended | 5 sessions × 4 hours · delivered via video conference | $1,450 per student |
| On-Site Cohort | 5 sessions × 4 hours · delivered at your location | $1,450 per student · travel costs additional |
Minimum cohort size: 8 students ($11,600)
Fewer Than 8 Architects?
1:1 mentoring programs are available for individual architects or small groups who need the same skills outside the cohort format. Contact us to discuss →
Common Questions
What is AI Augmented Architecture Foundations?
AI Augmented Architecture Foundations is a private, cohort-based training program from Sparx Services that teaches enterprise and solution architects to use Claude and AI Power Tools for Sparx EA to automate the mechanical parts of architecture work: model creation, dependency analysis, conformance checking, and stakeholder documentation. Human judgment stays at the center of every architectural decision. It is a five-session, 20-hour curriculum for architects who already use Sparx EA and are ready to add AI to their practice.
What do participants need before starting?
Participants need to be familiar with Sparx Enterprise Architect — this is not a Sparx EA training course. Participants also need access to Claude (Pro or Team plan recommended) and a Sparx EA repository they can use during sessions. No prior AI or Claude experience is required. We will discuss your team’s starting point during the discovery call.
Is AI Power Tools for Sparx EA required?
Yes. The course is built around the AI Power Tools EA MCP Server, which provides the live connection between Claude and the Sparx EA repository. Session 3 covers installation and configuration. Participants need a working Sparx EA instance on their machine. Contact us if you have questions about compatibility with your current EA version.
Do participants use their own repository?
Yes — and this is by design. The most important learning happens when architects run real tasks against their own models, using their own MDG standards. Session 3 specifically covers configuring the grounding document for your repository structure and MDG context. We can also provide a sample repository for participants who prefer not to use a production model during training.
What is the time commitment?
Five sessions of four hours each — 20 hours total. Sessions can be run on consecutive days, spread across a week, or scheduled to fit your team’s calendar. Between sessions, we assign one short real-work task (30 to 60 minutes) to consolidate the prior session before the next one begins.
How many participants can join?
The minimum cohort size is 8 students. There is no strict maximum, but we recommend 12 or fewer to maintain the quality of hands-on facilitation. For larger groups, contact us to discuss split cohorts or additional facilitator support.
What if we have fewer than 8 architects who need training?
1:1 mentoring programs are available for individual architects or small groups. These are structured around your specific use cases and repository, with direct coaching rather than cohort delivery. Contact us to discuss the right format for your situation.
What do participants leave with?
Each participant leaves with: a configured Claude and AI Power Tools for Sparx EA environment grounded with their own MDG standards; a tested architecture grounding document; a personal architecture prompt library built during the course; nine completed hands-on activities from their own repository; and a personal 30-day action plan. The grounding document and prompt library are production-ready, not training artifacts.
Is this a virtual or in-person program?
Both options are available. Virtual delivery is the default. On-site delivery is available at an additional travel cost, quoted based on location. Contact us during the discovery call to discuss which format works best for your team.
What courses come after Foundations?
Foundations introduces all four AI Augmented Architecture domains. The Sparx Services specialist curriculum provides full depth in each: separate courses cover Architecture Modeling, Architecture Analysis, Architecture Governance, Building Architecture Dashboards with Power BI, Building Custom MDG Technologies, and Model Validation. Foundations is the prerequisite for all specialist courses.
The Plan · Build · Train Framework
Foundations is the core Train offering for architecture teams who have completed or are completing the Build phase. If your team is still evaluating AI readiness or hasn’t yet deployed AI Power Tools for Sparx EA, start with Plan →.
Ready to have a conversation?
No pitch. A conversation about where your architecture team is and what you’re trying to do.
Book a Discovery Call