Stage 1 · Weeks 17–19
Analyze & Architect
analyze → design → connect
Phase 3 · Weeks 17–24
PKI Architect Capstone
You are the PKI Architect for one assigned organization. Over eight weeks you analyze the environment, design the trust model, run certificate operations, test real workloads, respond to change, and defend every decision with evidence.
How the capstone works
Stage 2 · Weeks 20–21
Certificate Operations
operate → automate
Stage 3 · Week 22
Workload Validation & Testing
validate → test
Stage 4 · Weeks 23–24
Change, Incident & Defense
adapt → defend
Weekly deadlines
Each deliverable is due 23:59 on the Friday of that week. Work is saved continuously in your workspace — the deadline is when it must be complete and evidenced.
Week 17 — Scenario Analysis & RequirementsCurrent
Due Fri, Sep 11, 2026Read the brief, separate facts from assumptions, trace requirements.
Deliverable: Requirement register with traced sources.
Week 18 — Trust Model & PKI Hierarchy
Due Fri, Sep 18, 2026Root, intermediate and issuing authorities with key protection.
Deliverable: CA hierarchy with justification for every tier.
Week 19 — Infrastructure & Connectivity
Due Fri, Sep 25, 2026VMs, HSMs, zones and the paths between them.
Deliverable: Architecture that passes validation with findings dispositioned.
Week 20 — Certificate Strategy & Issuance
Due Fri, Oct 2, 2026Pools, profiles, ownership, request and approval flow.
Deliverable: Certificate profiles mapped to workloads.
Week 21 — Lifecycle Automation, CRL & OCSP
Due Fri, Oct 9, 2026Renewal, revocation and status freshness.
Deliverable: Lifecycle controls with failure behaviour recorded.
Week 22 — Workload Validation & Testing
Due Fri, Oct 16, 2026Run workloads, read failures, correct and re-test.
Deliverable: Passing runs plus the diagnostic history that got you there.
Week 23 — Change / Incident Response
Due Fri, Oct 23, 2026Respond to the released change, revalidate, record before and after.
Deliverable: Change response with re-test evidence and checkpoints.
Week 24 — Final Portfolio & Defense
Due Fri, Oct 30, 2026Assemble evidence and defend the decisions you made.
Deliverable: Submitted portfolio and live defense.
What strong work looks like
- Every design choice is traced to a requirement or a constraint in your brief.
- Failures are diagnosed, corrected and re-tested — not hidden.
- Change and incident response is evidenced before and after.
- You can defend the architecture out loud, without the diagram in front of you.
There is no single perfect diagram. Your capstone is individual: you see only your own assignment, and your work is private to you and your instructor.