WICSA is the premier gathering of practitioners and researchers interested in finding out about and improving the state of practice of Software Architecture. Since its inception, WICSA has functioned as a working conference, where researchers meet practitioners and where practicing software architects can explain the problems that they face in their day-to-day work and so influence the future of the field. Next to traditional conference keynotes and paper sessions WICSA includes interactive working sessions where practitioners and researchers discuss their experiences to understand the current state of the field, and identify opportunities to make a difference in the future.

For WICSA 2011 the theme is "Architecture across boundaries" – exploring the relations between software, system and enterprise architecture in cyberspace. This conference puts architecture in a global perspective and looks at the crucial role of architecture in integrating enterprises across business, technological, cultural and geographical boundaries, interconnecting systems of systems, providing a frame of reference for communication, evolution and change, as well as an instrument for continuous innovation.

This year WICSA is co-located with CompArch, the federated events on component-based software engineering and software architecture.