Enterprise Architecture: Unifying Business and IT

What are we covering today? The Thinking Gap between the Business Culture and the IT Culture The Role of the Enterprise Architect: Small differences make a big difference The Enterprise Architecture Toolbox: What we have relied on and why we need a new approach! Conclusion: What we can do next ~ A Future full of opportunity!

Enterprise Architecture has consistently failed to deliver to business (Gartner % struggling, 25% in simple environments) Frameworks have grown ever more complex (Poorly performing teams – Winning the rally race) Competitive pressure has never been more (Business is changing daily – the nature of performance changes as well) So how can Enterprise Architecture deliver results? (We will look at being more creative and effective to deal with these problems) Enterprise Architecture Create, Integrate, Communicate

Business Methods are specialised (A difference in philosophy, a distinction) Technical Contexts are specialised (Network Load, Capacity, Growth, Refresh cycles)) Business and Technology have specialists (Henry Ford and the 1 armed operator, comfortable with the idea of specialisation) Communication and Language (The specialists have specialised vocabulary, opaque to those outside, a barrier) Thinking Gap

Sales Lead, Service Culture, Vision, Investors (Technology is more like ‘Engineering’ – No sales) What is ‘Business’? (You make things for less than a buck, sell things for a buck and the customer thinks it is worth more than a buck!) Is the right quality Perfection? (Not usually – The Model T Ford wasn’t perfect but it sold. Lots.) Making things more valuable with marketing (The Firewall story) Flexibility vs. Process (If you get too flexible in IT a backup-Admin could get fired!) IT and Business Language

Fascinated and Repelled Form over Function shift (Glamorous reports, great messages looking great, print shop printing, The Typing Pool) Speed of Data ever increasing We still only use supercharged quill and ledgers though Poor priorities and little resilience in the system Fascination with Technology

We all need focus Technical Focus Engineering, Coding, Rules, Routing, Debugging Business Focus Responsive, Customer, People, Leadership, Innovation What must an EA do? Business & Technical cultures, value & merit, language & vocabulary, Effort, Drive and Focus Thought Leadership gets to the fulcrum point in the enterprise The last big difference ~ What is Focus?

Where have we got to… EA: Unifying Business and IT

Informing and Clarifying Business Strategic Vision What is an Enterprise? Satisfying business “imperatives” Direct and motivate IT activity The Role of EA

Sculptor works stone The objective is the statue The tools are the method More complex tools do not make better statues Frameworks are tools not objectives

Extant to Envisaged A journey into the future Using the right vehicle Lingua Franca Strategic Journey

Specialised vocabulary Plain Speaking is vital Detailed understanding of the toolbox -Business Analysis- Marketing -IT- Sales -Acounting Relevant Language Communication Create, Integrate, Communicate

Where have we got to… EA: Unifying Business and IT

TOGAF Zachman Foundation Infrastructures The Operating Model supporting Agility What is Your Business The EA Toolbox

A set of methods for IT Architectures IT Emphasis Aims to provide a Common Vocabulary The Open Group Technology Neutral Technical Pedigree TOGAF

A principal structural mechanism A Universal Language Cross-Discipline and Diverse methods A Thought tool Zachman and TOGAF are not equivalent Where do you stand? Zachman

Enterprise Architecture as Strategy Creating a Foundation for Business Execution By Jeanne W. Ross Peter Weill David C. Robertson Foundation Infrastructure

The Foundation for Execution Foundation for execution Core business processes IT infrastructure Strategic Initiatives Operating model Defines integration and standardization requirements Enterprise architecture

Foundation is Partly the IT Infrastructure Automated and non-automated technology Understanding is key The tool is not the job! Supporting the ‘Undertaking to do Business’ Foundation and Infrastructure

Exploiting the Model Integration & Standardisation Agile Strategic Initiatives Managed Progression Business Types Supporting Agility

EA: Unifying Business and IT Where have we got to…

The EA and the CTO The Board The Coal-Face

The EA and the Programme Manager The Board The Coal-Face

The EA and the Users So we have the departments…. And where does the EA fit? The answer is ‘Everywhere’! (If there is plenty of room then the EA function must be filled by several people! You can’t compromise on where you integrate with the users) SMT SalesEng.I.T.

What do we take away? To succeed we must Create, Integrate and Communicate The tools are NOT the job and we must avoid fixating on the methods Integrating with the enterprise is a vital ‘team-working” method Work with the CTO and the Programme Manager if you want to succeed

Thank you