Lecture 3: The Role of Enterprise Architecture Practice
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The lecture series by Svyatoslav Kotusev explores the significance and benefits of enterprise architecture (EA) in modern organizations, emphasizing its role in aligning business and IT functions. It highlights the historical evolution of EA practices, their applicability across various industries, and the misconceptions surrounding them. The lecture also describes the continuous nature of EA practice, the need for stakeholder involvement, and clarifies what EA is not, including its distinction from technical planning and enterprise modeling.
Lecture 3: The Role of Enterprise Architecture Practice
- 1. Copyright © 2019 by Svyatoslav Kotusev. All rights reserved. Svyatoslav Kotusev, PhD The Role of Enterprise Architecture Practice LECTURE 3
- 2. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #2SK âȘ The need for enterprise architecture in modern organizations âȘ Benefits of practicing enterprise architecture âȘ The applicability of enterprise architecture across various industries and organizations âȘ The historical origin of enterprise architecture and modern EA best practices âȘ Popular misconceptions related to enterprise architecture and what an EA practice is not In This Lecture
- 3. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #3SK âȘ Enterprise architecture is a natural solution to natural problems of modern organizations âȘ The critical interdependence between business and IT functions requires a disciplined approach to coordinating business and IT plans âȘ However, business and IT are disparate areas and establishing effective communication between them have always been troublesome âȘ The emergence of enterprise architecture is a natural reaction to the desperate need to improve collaboration between business and IT stakeholders The Need for Enterprise Architecture
- 4. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #4SK âȘ Enterprise architecture is here to stay and its importance seemingly is only going to increase in the future because of three ongoing trends: âą IT systems are getting more sophisticated, comprehensive and diverse âą The dependence of business on IT is constantly increasing âą The innovative potential of IT for business is growing âȘ Enterprise architecture seemingly represents one of the most significant and widely applicable management innovations of the last two decades Significance of Enterprise Architecture
- 5. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #5SK âȘ Direct benefits resulting from the proper usage of particular types of EA artifacts include: âą Improved effectiveness of IT investments âą Improved efficiency of IT investments âą Reduced costs of IT operations âą Reduced technical and compliance risks âą Reduced complexity of the IT landscape âą Increased reuse of available IT assets âą Reduced numbers of duplicated and legacy systems âą Increased agility of IT planning âą Improved speed and quality of the project delivery âą Improved overall conceptual consistency Direct Benefits of Enterprise Architecture
- 6. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #6SK âȘ The direct benefits of utilizing certain types of EA artifacts eventually help organizations achieve overall business and IT alignment âȘ The improved business and IT alignment leads to numerous indirect organizational benefits including: âą Better operational excellence, customer intimacy and product leadership âą Increased speed to enter new markets and overall organizational agility âą Improved managerial satisfaction Indirect Benefits of Enterprise Architecture
- 7. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #7SK The use of enterprise architecture leads to a number of direct benefits, which in turn lead to a number of indirect benefits for organizations Link Between Direct and Indirect Benefits
- 8. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #8SK âȘ An architecture function is a supporting function and its business value cannot be easily calculated or measured âȘ Like an HRM function, an architecture function adds no direct business value to the organizational value chain âȘ Since an EA practice is a continuous activity rather than a one-time project, it is impossible to estimate the return on investment (ROI) from EA efforts âȘ However, it is arguably impossible to manage thousands, hundreds and even tens of information systems without using enterprise architecture to drive their evolution âȘ An EA practice is simply not an option any longer The Value of Enterprise Architecture
- 9. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #9SK âȘ An EA practice can benefit all organizations employing more than 30-50 IT specialists where IT is used to support main business activities âȘ Enterprise architecture is practiced in commercial companies and non-profit organizations from diverse industry sectors including banking, agriculture, retail, education, healthcare and public services âȘ Currently the vast majority of large organizations in developed countries either already practice enterprise architecture or plan to start practicing it in the near future What Organizations Practice EA?
- 10. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #10SK âȘ The widespread commercial adoption of information systems in business began in the late 1950s âȘ Since then the issue of organization-wide information systems planning gained significant attention âȘ Since the 1960s consultancies and experts proposed numerous step-by-step architecture-based planning methodologies, and later EA frameworks, to translate business strategies into architectural plans for IT, e.g. BSP, Method/1, Information Engineering, EAP, FEAF and TOGAF âȘ However, none of these formal architecture planning methodologies actually worked successfully in practice Historical Origin of Enterprise Architecture
- 11. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #11SK âȘ Genuine EA best practices emerged and matured in industry as numerous system planners tried to address the problem of business and IT alignment âȘ The emergence of consistent EA best practices is a natural reaction of industry, rather than a deliberate product of some consultants, gurus or âfathersâ âȘ EA methodologies and frameworks might have inspired current EA best practices, but did not define them âȘ Although the concept of enterprise architecture is associated with popular EA frameworks, e.g. TOGAF, Zachman and FEAF, all these frameworks have nothing to do with the actual EA best practices Modern EA Best Practices
- 12. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #12SK âȘ Since the early 2000s enterprise architecture has been a âhotâ, widely discussed and overly hyped topic âȘ As a result, many descriptions of an EA practice available today are unsubstantiated, misguiding, unrealistic or even completely fictitious âȘ Therefore, it is important to understand what an EA practice is not What an EA Practice Is Not
- 13. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #13SK âȘ An EA practice should not be confused with a purely technical planning accomplished inside IT departments âȘ The general purpose of an EA practice is to bridge the gap between business planning and IT planning and thereby improve business and IT alignment âȘ Successful EA practices require to be closely integrated with business planning âȘ The separate planning of IT disconnected from business planning can lead only to misalignment Not a Purely Technical Planning
- 14. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #14SK âȘ There are no easily replicable one-size-fits-all approaches or universal step-by-step methodologies for organizing a successful EA practice âȘ Though EA practices follow the same high-level patterns described in this course, they are always idiosyncratic in many lower-level details, e.g. specific EA artifacts, roles of architects or peculiarities of EA-related processes âȘ EA practices cannot be copied from other organizations, but need to be established in-house and then continuously adapted to specific organizational needs âȘ In this light, this course should be considered as purely descriptive, rather than prescriptive in nature Not a One-Size-Fits-All Methodology
- 15. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #15SK âȘ An EA practice does not make the planning in organizations happen automatically âȘ An EA practice itself is unable to translate the business strategy into specific information systems in an automated semi-mechanical manner âȘ EA artifacts are merely the tools that help different actors make better planning decisions âȘ The planning work is carried out only by human actors, not by EA artifacts âȘ EA artifacts only facilitate, but not automate information systems planning Not an Automated Planning
- 16. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #16SK âȘ An EA practice is unable to transform incompetent decisions and actions into competent ones âȘ An EA practice cannot help develop winning business strategies to incompetent business executives âȘ An EA practice cannot help develop successful IT strategies to incompetent IT leaders âȘ An EA practice cannot help implement IT solutions to incompetent IT specialists âȘ An EA practice, though facilitates information systems planning and delivery, is unable to compensate for the incompetence of involved actors Not a Substitute for Competence
- 17. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #17SK âȘ An EA practice requires involvement and participation of multiple business and IT stakeholders in planning âȘ Architectural planning cannot be carried out by an isolated group of architects on behalf of the whole organization âȘ Any plans are useless unless all their stakeholders understand how they were developed, why and how they should be modified when circumstances change âȘ Architectural plans produced by architects on behalf of their real stakeholders typically end up laying on shelves Not a Work of Dedicated Experts
- 18. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #18SK âȘ An EA practice is a continuous organizational activity requiring constant communication and collaboration between various actors, not a one-time planning project âȘ The ongoing process of planning and communication itself is more important than the actual plans represented by EA artifacts produced as an outcome of this process âȘ An EA practice implies intensive organizational learning and matures over time as its main stakeholders learn to cooperate by means of using EA artifacts âȘ Heaps of EA artifacts describing the ideal future produced as a one-shot planning effort usually end up laying on shelves Not a One-Time Planning Project
- 19. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #19SK âȘ An EA practice is a technology-agnostic and vendor- neutral practice that is not related to any particular technologies, technical approaches or paradigms âȘ An EA practice facilitates information systems planning regardless of what specific systems, products or technologies are used âȘ The primary focus of an EA practice is not technologies but people âȘ The role of an EA practice is to help make optimal decisions regarding the selection of appropriate systems, products, technologies and approaches Not a Technology-Specific Practice
- 20. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #20SK âȘ An EA practice should not be confused with enterprise modeling âȘ EA practices include not only and not so much modeling âȘ An EA practice is a much more complex and broader activity than just modeling âȘ All EA artifacts created as part of an EA practice are developed in a pragmatic manner for specific aims âȘ Creating holistic models is not the goal of an EA practice âȘ Sophisticated diagrams are incomprehensible to business stakeholders and have only a limited application Not an Enterprise Modeling
- 21. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #21SK âȘ An EA practice should not be confused with enterprise engineering âȘ An EA practice does not imply any rigid analysis- synthesis procedures similar to traditional engineering âȘ Compared to âhardâ engineering, an EA practice can be considered as a âsoftâ organic planning approach âȘ Real organizations are complex living systems that cannot be designed with traditional engineering methods âȘ Enterprise engineering can be considered only as a utopian idea unfit for the real world Not an Enterprise Engineering
- 22. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #22SK âȘ An EA practice should not be confused with implementing popular EA frameworks, e.g. TOGAF, Zachman, FEAF and DoDAF âȘ EA frameworks are only management fads unrelated to successful EA practices âȘ All the attempts to follow the actual recommendations of EA frameworks in practice result in failures âȘ Popular EA frameworks can be considered only as proven anti-patterns âȘ Successful EA practices do not resemble EA frameworks neither in specific details, nor even in general ideas Not an Implementation of EA Frameworks
- 23. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #23SK âȘ Enterprise architecture is a natural solution to natural problems of modern organizations bringing numerous benefits, e.g. increased effectiveness and reduced cost âȘ Enterprise architecture is widely applicable, industry- agnostic and can benefit all organizations employing at least 30-50 IT specialists âȘ Modern EA best practices emerged some time ago, evolved over the years, matured to their current state in industry and are not related to EA frameworks âȘ An EA practice should not be confused with enterprise modeling, enterprise engineering, purely technical and automated planning as well as one-shot planning efforts Lecture Summary
- 24. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #24SK âȘ The next lecture will descend to the next level of detail and explain the core mechanisms of an EA practice, including its documents, actors and processes, based on the close analogy between enterprise architecture and city planning practices In the Next Lecture
- 25. Copyright © 2019 by Svyatoslav Kotusev. All rights reserved. QUESTIONS? Svyatoslav Kotusev, PhD
- 26. The course of lectures on enterprise architecture by Svyatoslav Kotusev (kotusev@kotusev.com) Based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment #26SK The Full Teaching Pack on Request The full teaching pack with 19 lectures, tests and other materials based on the book The Practice of Enterprise Architecture: A Modern Approach to Business and IT Alignment, which can be freely used for teaching purposes, adapted or translated with references to the original, is available on request to the author (visit http://kotusev.com)