EA 872 Week10: Simplifying EA Modeling

One of the main challenges perceived by enterprises and different teams about EA is the amount of documentation associated with the practice, and the time and effort usually spent on producing the artifacts. While it is true that producing documentation is not avoidable, a successful EA implementation will take the simplified approach of producing limited number of pages or slides per domain and thus set limits and provides framework for the EA modeling strategy.

For example, taking the approach recommended by Gartner on EA Modeling Made Simple, producing one slide high level conceptual views on each of the current state, future state, gap analysis and migration plan, is definitely a recommended method to view a complete EA strategy for the area of focus. The one slide approach per topic helps prioritize the efforts on defining the EA documentation deliverables in the early phases of EA kickoff as something that needs to be delivered in a short period of time and as a first iteration of the key elements of change needed within that area. Producing multiple iterations of a one slide is an easier process during review meetings (vs. a documentation with large number of pages). Having everything, at a high level, on one slide helps focusing the attention and priority on the important items that need change and is a perfect segway for a brief and to the point gap analysis illustration. Additionally, this approach leaves the complex graphs and diagrams as add-ons or appendixes to the EA model, while the main effort of the team is focused on the summarized slides. Having the migration plan on one slide is another strength of this approach where it can be used as reference during conversations, and concentrates effort on how the projects will adhere and accelerate (if any) the migration plan.

In summary, simplifying the EA modeling exercise by mainly listing a one slide high level of each of the current state, future state, gap analysis and migration plan is a highly recommended approach to defining an EA model and should be considered by all EA teams at the time of EA activities kickoff. At the simplest level, it helps to eradicate the facade of heavy documentation efforts typical of EA teams, and helps to assure the different teams in the enterprise that the approach will be one of speed, agility and concise effort.

References:

"EA Modeling Made Simple: ETA Domain Strategy Example". Bruce Robertson. (Gartner, Dec 2006)

EA 872 Week9: The New Era of an EA Outside-Out Model

This week I was attending a conference, and one of the inspirational speaker sessions touched on the subject of how technology and digital information is changing the way enterprises do business. The old model has relatively been stable around the concept of either inside-out or outside-in with the customers/business on the outside circle and the organizations/solutions on the inside either pushing out products to consumers or creating products directly influenced by the customers demand. In the inside-out model, one designs a product and then pushes it out  hence shaping the market with that product. In EA, this a focused planning on internal interactions for better operational outcomes. In the commerce world, a simple example would be a clothing store department where the designed outfits and apparel are pushed to the store floor, and I as a buyer would walk in with my buying choices limited to the available merchandise and designed outfits.

However, in the era of digital business combined with social and mobile transformations, these models are undergoing a forced change. Now, we are being governed by an outside-out model where everything is influenced and determined on the outside with focus shifting away from the enterprise to that outer circle. For example, and following the scenario given above, let us consider the new social apps such as those that lets you dress your friends and automatically buys the different designs imposed on your picture by other people. Here, we are no longer bounded by what designs and products introduced by rather altering the offered solution itself (the designed outfit). This is an outside-out model driving a new business model and imposing a different perspective for EA planning or approach to an enterprise. With and outside-out model, the EA team needs to take a broader perspective of not only business and technology but also the customers and their circle of influence. We are living in a connected world not only through devices but also through a social fabric and media where there are unknown possible combinations of all those three affecting the ecosystem of an enterprise and the way EA team approaches the architecture task.

The implications and ramifications on EA of an outside-out model will be felt at multiple levels. The business needs to understand this model and translate to the EA team, and IT should expect more agility and diversity. EA team should accordingly plan to communicate and work with both to facilitate and sponsor a closer partnership for driving change and innovation because  “the times they are a changin’ “. 

References:

"Architecting the Digital Business – Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Q&A With Betsy Burton". Christy Pettey. (Gartner, Sep 2015)

"Algorithms Are the Game Changers in a Digital Business". Daryl C. Plummer. (Gartner, Mar 2016)

EA 872 Week8: EA and Managing Conflict of Interest

One of the future state architecture deliverables is the EA architecture principles matrix with the information and technology principles. This starts by first gathering the important EA architecture principles that the executives, stakeholders, and business agree to. The process will take multiple meetings over several weeks to come to a conclusion or an agreed upon list of the principles. I have blogged before about the core business diagram model and the importance of having that for these early discussion where it will help guide the conversations around the architecture principles.

Once that list is obtained, the next logical step is to get the information and the technology principles and build matrices where the common intersections are to be the focus area of the implementation phases and serve as a clear reference and guide the forward steps of the EA implementation.

During this time, as with any process management and scenarios where there are different parties conversing on a list of goals and principles, conflict of interest will arise and jeopardize discussions and momentum on getting the different groups on agreeing on a common list of objectives. This is why the activities above are not an easy task as experienced first hand. One of the major difficulties is addressing the varying needs and opinions of the different teams involved in the discussions which will differ - sometimes considerably - on what constitutes a principle, whether it is relevant to the matrix or not, and how it relates to other categories in the matrix. 

As with most of architecture activities, having templates or toolkits such as the Gartner toolkits for the EA initiative activities helps to achieve a baseline and a sample for the beginners or the un-initiated into architecture. In addition to the templates, EA team should provide a discipline of managing the views and the values that are of best interest to the enterprise, and at the same time, the EA team should be given the authority to enforce this discipline while understanding that it is acceptable to have those wide discussions in the initial meetings to write down and note down all the suggestions and different opinions in order to be addressed appropriately, and do the research if needed to provide reasons for dropping some principles off the matrix while keeping others. It is the job of the EA team to update the different members involved in discussion on the latest trends in information and technology and what is relevant to the future state with respect to the business principles because the EA team is expected to have that future domain knowledge of latest trends and development as pertains to the domains. This is important and might be another challenging task to gather the intel and address the questions and more importantly be able to argue back on what is being included and for what reasons. This is why the executive support and sponsorship of the EA team is important as will be showcased during this stage where in most cases, the EA team is still relatively new in authority and the possibility of clashing with the well established organizations within the enterprise.

"Business and enterprise architecture - match made in heaven". Amitabh Apte (www.bc.org/content/conBlogPost,  July 22, 2013)