Enterprise Architecture is a methodology that you can use to empower organizations in achieving:
- Alignment.
- Innovation.
- Competitive advantages.
To keep things simple
This blog approaches enterprise architecture as a top-down discipline. This means that the concept of an enterprise architecture programme is to support the implementation of a business strategy.
This also means that if your organisation’s business strategy is not based upon reality or developed with sound principles, then this will cascade and impact the IT-strategy and the enterprise architecture of the organisation. In other words, it starts from the top.
“It starts from the top.”
Business strategy
Enterprise Architecture will utilize the same methodologies as you will find in business strategies e.g.:
- PESTEL.
- SWOT/TOWS.
- Scenario Planning.
- Roadmap.
In addition to the above methodologies you will also have to make use of the vision statement and mission statement of the organisation. Thereto operating models and organisation hierarchies will prove useful for you, since you will have to identify the organisation structures of the organisation to identify what stakeholders to include to capture the information you need to begin architecting.
When you work your way through the strategy from the business side of the organisation you will find the content, structure and dependencies needed for you to begin moving towards IT.
“Start with the business strategy and work your way towards IT.”
Making use of a framework
There are currently many good frameworks that can used to capture the data needed to produce the information on how the organisation works and how IT can empower it.
This blog will be making use of ArchiMate language since it is the physical implementation of The Open Group Architecture Framework and it is highly graphical, which makes it easier to communicate.
Combining the framework, TOGAF and ArchiMate, with the chosen route means that the examples in the following blog posts will start from the strategy perspective from “the business”.
Applying a paradigm
This blog will through out the upcoming blog posts apply the systems thinking paradigm. You as an enterprise architect soon realise you will also be making use of system thinking or cybernetics depending on your organisation.