Effective Architecture
Forrester's Assessing EA Program Effectiveness
Effectiveness Grows Through the Value Chain
Run each of our key stakeholders through the GAIN model to make sure we are hitting their perspective for what value EA can offer.
- Produces value "in the eye of the beholder"
- Sustainable growth
Typical barriers to EA effectiveness
- Undocumented business and IT strategy
- Strategic view in a tactical world
- Small organizational footprint
- Soft skills shortfall
- Descriptive architecture
- Poor IT process definition
- Disconnected from important stakeholders
- Little support within IT
- Lack of success reference models
- Challenging investment models
Effectiveness Grows Through the Value Chain
- Strategy - Approach
- Resource - Effort
- [FDEA:Product \- Tools]
- [FDEA:Process \- Action]
- [FDEA:Relationship \- Impact]
- [FDEA:Results \- Value]
Gartner: The 10 Best Practices of Successful EA Programs
- Charter Your EA Program
- Develop (and Execute) a Change Management Plan
- Treat Each Iteration Like a Project
- Start With the Business Strategy and Obtain Business Sponsorship
- Do the Future State Before the Current State
- Be Pragmatic
- Don't Forget Governance
- Set Up a Measurement Program
- Track EA Program Maturity
- Pay as Much Attention to Talent as to Skills
Gartner: Avoid the 13 Worst EA Practices and Navigate to EA Success
- No Link to Business Strategy and Targeted Business Outcomes
- Confusing Technology Architecture With Enterprise Architecture
- Focusing on the Current-State Architecture First (or Primarily)
- Excessive Governance and Overbearing Assurance
- Creating a Standard for Everything
- Engrossed in the Art and Language of EA Rather Than Business Outcomes
- Strict Adherence to EA Frameworks and Industry Reference Models
- Adopting an "Ivory Tower" Approach to EA
- Lack of Continuous Communication and Feedback
- Restricting the EA Team to IT Resources Only
- Lack of Key Performance Metrics
- Purchasing an EA Tool Before Understanding the Use Cases and Critical Capabilities Required by the Organization
- "We're done"
Key Steps in Creating a Foundation for Execution - from Enterprise Architecture as Strategy
Book: Enterprise Architecture as Strategy
Leadership Questions to Position EA
- Analyze our existing foundation for execution (chapter 1)
- Define our operation model (chapter 2)
- Design our enterprise architecture (chapters 3 and 4)
- Set priorities (chapters 4 and 5)
- Design and implement an IT engagement model (chapter 6)
- Exploit our foundation for execution for growth (chapter 8)
Concours's architecture cycle
Step 1: Identify Architecture Stakeholders
Step 2: Define Architecture Principles - needs to be worked on
Step 3: Implement IT Governance Process
Architecture Peer Group
Architecture Review Board
Application Portfolio Management
Step 4: Build Architectural Fit Assessment
Step 5: Define Current Architecture
Step 6: Define Future Target Architecture
Step 7: Apply Architectural Fit Assessment to Current Architecture and Determine "Quick Hits"
Step 8: Review Existing Projects and Initiatives
Step 9: Review and Finalize Principles; Develop Policies and Standards
Step 10: Define Architecture Organization Structure
Step 11: Develop Architecture Communications Plan
Step 12: Publish AFA, Principles, Policies, and Standards
Step 13: Develop Architecture Management Program
Step 14: Develop Architecture Intelligence Program