1. Building an Enterprise Architecture Program at Saint Louis University
Copyright 2007 Saint Louis University. This work is the intellectual property of the author.
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2. Agenda Introductions Section 1: EA Overview
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU
Section 3: Advancing EA
Section 4: When We’ve Arrived…

3. James Hooper Bredemeyer-trained Enterprise Architect
5 years as Director of Client/Systems Services and lead systems architect
5 years+ as a lead systems architect
15 years IT technical roles
Degrees in Biology and Management Information Systems
Introductions

4. Kevin Ballard Chief Architect Department head of Business Intelligence
Functional DBA and Information Architect
Corporate IT Background (19 years)
Introductions

5. John Ashby
7 years in IT management: educational technology (classrooms, content/ distribution, computing)
12 years academic media management
14 years media services roles
17 years as adjunct faculty
MA - Communication
Introductions

6. Section One: EA Overview
What is Enterprise Architecture?
Common Metaphors for EA
Two Manifestations of EA
Questions EA Asks…
Guiding Principles
Everyone has an architecture…

7. The Purpose of Enterprise Architecture
“EA provides a common basis for understanding and communicating how systems are structured to meet strategic objectives.”
Source: Bredemeyer Consulting
Section 1: EA Overview

9. More specifically… Enterprise Architecture (EA) is…
Set of processes for describing the current and future state of the structures and behaviors of an enterprise.
Includes people, process and technology as architecture components.
For the purpose of aligning with the University’s strategies.
Section 1: EA Overview

10. Insert New Diagram Here
Jim H.
Section 1: EA Overview

11. Common Metaphors More Like City Planning – High Level
“Connect the Dots”
The “glue” that connects Business and Technology.
A “bridge” between business problems and technology solutions.
EA: The Architecture of Business Capabilities
Section 1: EA Overview

12. EA: Two Major Manifestations
Establishing “IT Architecture Governance” as a part of “IT Governance”
Enterprise Architects engaged in “strategic differentiator” projects to ensure alignment.
Section 1: EA Overview

14. EA asks the following questions…
What are the top to bottom linkages between business strategy, processes, projects and technology and where are the gaps?
What technologies do SLU’s new projects require and do they align with business strategy?
Section 1: EA Overview

15. …and EA asks….
What are the opportunities for reuse and simplification across organizations and projects?
What is the business impact of planned project or technology changes?
Source:
Section 1: EA Overview

16. EA Provides Context Section 1: EA Overview
Section 1: EA Overview

17. Principles to Guide Architects
Minimalist Architecture Principle
Keep your architecture decision set as small as it possibly can be, while still meeting your architectural objectives.
If a decision can be delegated to someone with a more narrow scope of responsibility, then do so!
Decisions with Teeth Principle
Only make a decision part of your architecture if you can make it stick
There must be a process to ensure the decision is adhered to or you must be passionate enough about it to do what it takes.
Connect-the-Dots Principle
Show how decisions relate to higher level goals or decisions
You must document and communicate this traceability
Section 1: EA Overview

19. Section Two: Getting Started at SLU
Drivers for EA at SLU
First steps: Getting Started at SLU
Initial focus: Organize the IT architecture
Timeline on next steps

20. Drivers for EA at SLU
Mitigate Risk Associated with Banner Upgrade and Related Projects
SAS 112 / SOX IT control levels
Lack of Standards and Documentation
Inconsistent or Undocumented Architectural Decisions
Lifecycle (Mis)Management
Lack of Coordination across Technical Boundaries and organizational silos
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

21. How We Got Started Our CIO decided to launch EA
We opted to “roll our own”
Formalized “Architect” as a job title through Broadbanding Classifications
Provided Training (Bredemeyer) to Enterprise Architects
Separated the Effort Into Two Phases
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

22. Phase I – Getting ITS’ House In Order
Form the Structure
Recruit Architects
Start Producing Results Right Away
Create a Product Item Master to Document Standards
Integrate with Project Management Framework
Introduce Lifecycle Management
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

24. Initial Structure Enterprise Architecture (3 positions)
Architecture Council (19 positions)
Architecture Review Board proposed
Different Governance, Vision, Charters
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

26. PIM beginnings…
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

27. Phase II – Putting the “E” in EA
Gather and update University Mission, Values, Strategy documents
Look Outward to Business Units, Functional Areas, Provost’s Office, etc.
Adopt a Repository and Templates to support the framework and documentation needed by lines of business
Identify Savings and ROI measures
Section 2: Getting Started at SLU

28. Section Three: Advancing EA
Finishing up Phase 1: Governance Proposal and Validation
Publish the PIM, Integrate Governance with standards enforcement in IT business practice
Phase 2 begins Maturity Advancement

29. IT Governance Relationships
IT Business Office (purchase screening for standards)
Change Control Board (standards enforcement in production systems)
Project Management Office (gate review, design standards review)
Section Three: Advancing EA

30. Proposed Entity Relationships

31. Who decides what: RACI diagram*
* Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform
Section Three: Advancing EA

33. Continuing: Addressing the Gaps
Functional architects identify products and systems lacking architectural oversight, refer to governance
Variability reduction (sure we have standards- lots of them!)
Standardizing of architectural issue tracking, documentation templates
Section Three: Advancing EA

34. Documentation and Repository
Adopt a framework to guide documentation
Standard templates and artifacts developed for consistency in documents
University executive access via web-based repository- all lines of business
Should all users have access to all artifacts? What is Public on the web?
Section Three: Advancing EA

36. Repository for E2AF Documentation Framework

37. Maturing Enterprise Architecture
Section Three: Advancing EA

38. Working Toward Maturity Level Two…
Organizational Maturity Growth
(up to Level 5)
Metric
Level 0
Level 1
Level 2
Administration
No architecture governance
Need for standards committees identified
Need for committees for architecture governance identified; EA articulating roles; committees forming
Planning
No directed future state
EA need identified; EA activities informal and unstructured
Enterprise vision developing; EA tasks and resources being articulated; EA methodology in development
Framework
Architecture, processes, templates undocumented
No unified architecture process across technologies, business lines
EA program documented; architecture processes planned-tracked; templates and reusable information in development
Blueprint
Current standards undocumented
Documentation of business drivers, technology strategy and standards informal and inconsistent
Business drivers and strategy identified; repository need identified to store and disseminate artifacts
Communication
Executive level unaware of EA definitions or benefits
Need for EA awareness identified; little institutional communication about architecture processes
Executive level committed to EA definitions and benefits; EA awareness activities underway
Compliance
No compliance process in organization
Need for standards compliance process identified; compliance unstructured-informal-unmeasured
Organization has begun to develop compliance process to assure projects & enhancements are standards-based
Integration
No process to integrate IT investments across enterprise
Need to integrate common IT functions with EA planning identified; projects typically designed in isolation of architecture context
Need for Architecture Lifecycle and EA framework identified; basic mapping between EA & organizational business processes
Involvement
Duplicative work on a single issue; no program for architectural awareness
Organization has identified need to make all staff EA-aware
EA educational sessions and materials to organization; EA concepts beginning to appear in normal meetings.
Section Three: Advancing EA

40. Section Four: When We’ve Arrived…
Better, Faster Cheaper
Positive Outcomes / Supporting SLU’s Value Proposition
Action Architecture

41. Better, Faster, Cheaper
“Consulting firm Meta Group Inc. says companies that embrace EA spend 30% less on IT and are more adaptive and make better decisions.”
Source: CFO.com
Section 4: When We’ve Arrived…

42. Top Outcomes / Supporting SLU’s Value Proposition
To support decision making
Inform the IT portfolio
Deliver roadmaps for managed change
Support systems development
Manage complexity and reduce cost
Source: The Institute for Enterprise Architecture Development
Section 4: When We’ve Arrived…

43. EA Becomes “Action Architecture”
A mature EA program solves real world problems…
Opening eight application windows to answer a student’s question
Managers scrambling for information they need to make decisions
Projects not tied to strategic objectives
Silos of applications
Section 4: When We’ve Arrived…

44. Building an Enterprise Architecture Program at Saint Louis University
Q&A
Saint Louis University
Information Technology Services
3690 West Pine Mall
St. Louis, MO
Kevin Ballard
Chief Architect
James Hooper
Enterprise Architect
John Ashby
Enterprise Architect
Building an Enterprise Architecture Program at Saint Louis University
© 2007 Saint Louis University

45. Recommended Sites http://ea.slu.edu http://www.bredemeyer.com