does enterprise architecture matter v1.0

© Copyright 2011

Does Enterprise Architecture matter?A Lean Enterprise Architecture Foundation (LEAF) for the Cloud Computing era

Ahmed FattahClient Technical Adviser/

Executive IT ArchitectIBM Financial Sector

Sydney, Australia

Feb 2011 - v1.0 Does EA matter? 1

© Copyright 2011

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss an approach for revitalising the role ofEnterprise Architecture in the Cloud Computing era.

• Talk outline:

– Current EA challenges, root causes and ways to address them

– Impact of Cloud Computing (CC) on IT in general and EA in particular

– A new approach for revitalising EA using CC as a catalyst

– Conclusions, next steps and call for action


Purpose , content and motivations

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Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a valuable tool that aligns business and IT service implementation withbusiness strategy. However, it suffers from perceptions of being complex, needing a large up-fronteffort, and having limited business value.


Current challenges of EA

Enterprise Architect (as a whole) is in the ‘trough of disillusionment’according to Gartner (2010)

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Root causes of some the negative perceptions of EA include complexity, inconsistency, measurement,and disconnects.

• Key causes behind some of EA’s negative perceptions include:

– The complexity in applying EA in its entirety on large enterprises as a whole

– Inconsistencies in its practices and the wide variations in organisations EA maturity

– Lack of metrics thus measurements to demonstrate business value

– Disconnects between EA practitioners and business executives on one hand and between EA and SolutionArchitects on another

• The EA community has been trying to address these but more is needed

• Some suggestions to address these:

– A leaner, more agile, incremental and iterative EA

– Measurements to validate the impact of EA

• The approach discussed here adopts some of these


Root causes of some of EA challenges

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Cloud Computing (CC) is set to revolutionise IT – from how enterprises consume IT to how ITvendors offer their services.

• CC, simplistically speaking, refers to the ability to access computing resources over the Internet.

• However it now has subsumed other concepts such as SaaS, utility-based pricing, and GRID.

• Aspects of CC that are now impacting EA include standardisation, commoditisation andconsumerisation of IT technology.

• As organisations move up the cloud stack, from IaaS to PaaS to SaaS and ultimately to anintegrated set of services in the form of BPaaS, we can expect many further impacts.


Cloud Computing and its impact

Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Security-a

s-a-Service

Storage-as-a-Service

Integration-as-a-Service Database-as-a-Service

Information-as-a-Service

Process-as-a-Service Platform-as-a-Service

Application-as-a-Service

Management/Governance-as-a-Service

Testing-as-a-Service

Information

Technology Infrastructure

Application

Process

Cloud Computing

All layers of EA can potentially move to the cloud but they are likely to move in a sequence that willstart at the bottom layer and move upward

Likely order of migrating tothe cloud

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CC seems to have exacerbated the poor perception of EA – some suggest CC may make EA irrelevant. Ibelieve that EA will thrive with the advent of CC but it is likely to be different than current practices.

• See: “Does Cloud Computing MakeEnterprise Architecture Irrelevant?” on,ebizQ on Sep 21, 2010 among others.

• Even in the distant future where anenterprise can satisfy all of its IT by cloudproviders, EA will still be needed to:

– Identify required business services

• Determine which are differentiating

– Decide how they are sourced and integrated

– Govern of these services.

• CC also provides us with an opportunity torevitalise EA and enhance its practices.Most importantly we should note howconcepts like CC can catch on very quicklyshould they demonstrate a positiveeconomic value.


CC and EA

Organisation with asimple set of

business processesimplemented by

single vendor

Organisation with acomplex set of businessprocesses implemented

by a combinationmultiple cloud vendors

and private cloud

It appears that some people based their views of theirrelevance of EA on an extreme hypothetical case where anorganisation fulfils all its business process implementationusing a single cloud vendor.In reality a non trivial situation will require multiple businessservices that need to be integrated.Even in a simple case, there is still a role for EA to plan, assessand govern services.

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CC will have major impacts on EA, e.g. enhancing the role of Business Architecture, reducingthe role of Technology Architecture, but the full range will take time to become clear.


AspectCh

ange

Impact of Cloud Computing

Business Architecture

Strategic aspects of EA (Business andstrategic aspects of EA (Business Strategy,Architecture and Transformation)) will bemore important

TechnologyArchitecture

As more functions are sourced from thecloud, this will be less important in thefuture.CC is likely to strengthen thestandardisation of IT which will reduce theneed for definition and control within theenterprise

Integration

When services are sourced from differentcloud vendors some integration will beneeded. Some see this as the last/ only EAfunction. Others see this provided byvendors as “Integration as a Service”.

CC impact on EA

Some impacts of CC on EA

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An approach based on my experience in implementing large programs of work can help in refining EAto suit the CC era. Benefits include: being lean, grounded in economics and better linkage of EA toBusiness and Solution Architecture

• An approach that I have used many times isto apply the discipline of EA to specificbusiness problems to implement programsof work that, although large, are wellbounded to enable verification of businessvalue.


An approach for using CC to revitalise EA

Enterprise Architecture

Project-level

ArchitectureBusiness Solution Architecture

In

Enterprise widepolicies,standards,principles andguidelines.


Project-level

ArchitectureBusiness Solution Architecture

Each solutionproject mustdeliver adistinctivebusiness valuewhile advancingthe enterprisecapabilitieswheneverpossible.

The missing linkbetween EA andproject-levelArchitecture.

Enterprise ReferenceArchitecture

(Program-level Architecture)

Interpretationandconformancepolicing isdifficult, timeconsuming anderror prone.

One Program-level Architecturecovers a numberof project-levelArchitecture

See Ahmed Fattah: Enterprise Reference Architecture --Addressing key challenges facing EA and enterprise-wideadoption of SOA for details and case studies in implementinglarge program of works using this approach.Tactical Strategic

Timeframe

Scop

e

Individual

Group

Department

Organisaton

Industry

Ecosystem

BusinessTransformation

Program

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These programs should be planned, managed, governed and executed at various levels within theorganisation: Strategy, Architecture, Program and Project levels and should address all the followingdimensions: People, Process and Technology. They should also demonstrate positive ROI.


External Environment

The Enterprise

TechnologyPeople

Information Applications Infrastructure

BusinessProcesses


Strategy

Business Solution Projects

Business Transformation Programs

Business Operating Environment

Business Solution Project

Business Transformation Program (includes EA prerequisites)

Enterprise Business Architecture (subset) Enterprise IT Architecture (subset)

Business Strategy Technology Strategy

Monitor, manage, control, provide feedback

An approach for using CC to revitalise EA

A framework forstructuring large(businesstransformation)programs.

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Benefits of such approach include an EA that is leaner, more grounded in economics and better linkagewith business and Solution Architects. It also balances achieving business value with buildingorganisational capabilities.

• Benefits of such an approach:

– Leaner – applies a tailored method that resembles EA but is applied to project-like activity on specificbusiness issues

– More grounded in economics – demonstrates positive ROI but also builds organisational capabilities

– Better linkage between EA to Business stakeholders and between EA and Solution Architecture

– Balances achieving business value with building organisational capabilities


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I refer to this approach as Lean Enterprise Architecture Foundation (LEAF). It separates EA into a lean,minimal foundation that is applied at whole enterprise level plus a set of programs with positive ROIthat are selectively applied to enterprise subunits.


An approach to revitalising EA

Lean EA Foundation (LEAF)

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Minimal foundationapplied at enterprise level

Positive ROI programsapplied at subunit level

BAU EA program to analyse future state,current state and roadmap with positive ROI

BAU Business Solution Project

EA charter and communication plan

Business Architecture in the form ofpartitioned Enterprise Service Model

A framework for initiating positive ROIprograms of work

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The LEAF approach outlined here, while compatible with TOGAF and IBM EA method, will neverthelessrequire some adjustments: only Business Architecture activities are conducted at the whole enterpriselevel while other activities are conducted at a subunit level as needed.


How this approach fits with TOGAF?

Only a subsetof the ADM isapplied at thewholeenterprise.

Lean EA Foundation (LEAF)

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Aspects ofTOGAF aresplit betweenthe wholeenterprise andits subunits

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LEAF responds to current EA challenges, anticipates the impact of CC and incorporatesproven ideas from implementation of large business programs of work.


Summary

Current EApractices

Current challenges facing EA andtheir root causes

• Perceptions of being complex, needing alarge up-front effort, and having limitedbusiness value.• Inconsistencies in its practices and thewide variations in organisations EAmaturity•Lack of metrics and measurements todemonstrate business value•Disconnect between EA practitioners andbusiness executives on one hand andbetween EA and Solution Architects onanother•The complexity of applying EA in itsentirety on large enterprises as a whole

LEAF

Ideas on how EA can evolve• A leaner, more agile, incremental and iterative EA• Measurements to validate the impact of EA• Applying the discipline of EA to specific business problems to implement programs ofwork that, although large, are well bounded to enable verification of business value.

Projecting impacts of CC on EA• Distilling it to its core value: business value• Facilitating service usage using metering• Grounding it in a financial proposition (monetising it)• Highlighting the role of Business Architecture• Advancing the role of Service Orientation• Reducing the role of Technology Architecture

CloudComputing

Benefits of such anapproach

• Leaner – applies a tailoredmethod that resembles EA butis applied to project-like activity• More grounded in economics– demonstrates positive ROI butalso builds organisationalcapabilities• Better linkage between EA toBusiness stakeholders andbetween EA and SolutionArchitecture• Balances achieving businessvalue with buildingorganisational capabilities

© Copyright 2011

The presentation introduces LEAF approach that separates EA into a minimal foundation that isapplied at whole enterprise level plus a set of programs with positive ROI that are selectively appliedto enterprise subunits

• Conclusions:

– EA is successful but must evolve to cope with current business expectations

– CC will impact IT and EA in a profound way and presents an opportunity to revitalise EA

– An approach (LEAF) that separates EA into positive-ROI programs is outlined.

• This presentation has only outlined the approach. Most of its elements are parts of typical EAwork applied selectively to manage complexity and demonstrate positive ROI

• Next steps

– This approach will be refined based on inputs from my customers and stakeholders

– Cloud Computing offers new opportunities and new challenges for EA practices that should be identified,studied and addressed/exploited

• Call for action

– Please consider the applicability of this approach for your organisation and share your experience

– Please contact me for more details, case studies and questions


Conclusion, next steps and call for action

does enterprise architecture matter v1.0

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