Enterprise Architecture as Strategy

Andrew Sparks recently posted over at the Oracle blog how the book Enterprise Architecture as Strategy written by Ross, Weill, and Robertson has helped him come to a better understanding of enterprise architecture maturity and the underlying IT architecture that supports it.

The book as described by Andrew, uses the concept of EA as a framework to bind the existing business operating model to IT architecture. Here are 3 disciplines that are needed in order to execute this foundation.

1. Operating Model The level of business process integration and standardization for delivering goods or services to a customer. a framework of four generic operating models is described, each with differing emphasis on business process integration or standardization.
2. Enterprise Architecture This is the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure reflecting the integration and standardization requirements of the operating model. The book also describes how organizations go through four stages of maturity in applying Enterprise Architecture to design their business processes. It is exactly this maturity model that provided key insights for me (see below)
   
3. IT Engagement Model This is the governance that you put in place to ensure that business and IT projects meet local and corporate objectives.
   

Do you agree with the Enterprise Architecture as Strategy framework?

Techworld: Sybase launches new modeling tool

According to Techworld, the UK has seen some enhancements with Sybase’s modeling tool.

David Dichmann, Sybase's product manager for design tools said the changes had been made to improve agility within an enterprise. He said that there was an analogy with business intelligence. "If you look at the way that we build business intelligence systems, we enter the customer information and how to manage that, but we forget the architecture," he said.

Also…

the product uses what Sybase calls Link and Synch technology which works by capturing the intersections between all architectural layers and perspectives of the enterprise. This allows users from all groups to clearly visualise and effectively implement fast, reliable and predictable change.

For more information on Sybase, please visit their website: www.sybase.com

Some industry colleagues are skeptical about this new endeavor; what do you think?

Models and Leadership in Enterprise Architecture

What matters most in enterprise architecture? Is it the business model, or the people who lead the organization? Chris Potts reviews this question in his latest post on CIO. One of the points Chris brings up relates to the Economist’s article "No Size Fits All", which explores whether the business model or the people managing it were responsible for the credit crunch.

According to Chris, replicating a business model within organizations does not guarantee success or failure. Only people, ex: customers, suppliers, partners, and employees are able to make a model work. Chris states that business instead, should start on the right hand side like the Zachman Framework for EA (Who, When, Why), not the left (What, How, Where).

Is your organization more concerned with its structure than management?