AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
AWS CAF phases (Envision, Align, Launch, Scale) and four domains
AWS CAF describes four transformation domains, technological, process, organizational and product, each enabling the next. It also recommends four iterative phases for the journey: Envision, Align, Launch and Scale.
The four transformation domains
Technological transformation: use the cloud to migrate and modernize legacy infrastructure, applications, and data and analytics platforms.
Process transformation: digitize, automate and optimize business operations. AWS examples include using machine learning for customer service, forecasting, and fraud detection and prevention.
Organizational transformation: reimagine the operating model, for example by organizing teams around products and value streams and using agile methods.
Product transformation: reimagine the business model by creating new products, services and revenue models to reach new customers and markets.
AWS calls this a value chain: technological transformation enables process transformation, which enables organizational transformation, which enables product transformation. Key business outcomes include reduced business risk, improved ESG performance, increased revenue and increased operational efficiency.
The four phases of the journey
Envision: show how the cloud will accelerate business outcomes by identifying and prioritizing transformation opportunities across the four domains, in line with strategic business objectives.
Align: identify capability gaps across the six AWS CAF perspectives, identify cross-organizational dependencies, and surface stakeholder concerns and challenges.
Launch: deliver pilot initiatives in production and demonstrate incremental business value. Lessons from the pilots shape the approach before scaling.
Scale: expand production pilots and business value to the desired scale and make sure the business benefits of the cloud investment are realized and sustained.
The phases are iterative and incremental. You do not have to build every foundational capability at once.
Where the exam catches people
- Believing Align is where opportunities are prioritized: prioritizing opportunities across the four domains is Envision; Align finds capability gaps and stakeholder concerns.
- Believing Launch means full production rollout: Launch delivers pilots in production; expanding them to the desired scale is the Scale phase.
- Believing using machine learning for fraud detection is technological transformation: AWS lists it under process transformation.
- Believing product transformation means migrating applications: migrating and modernizing legacy systems is technological transformation; product transformation creates new products and revenue models.