enterprise architecture the ea 3 view copyright © 2013 curt hill

Enterprise Architecture

The EA3 view

Copyright © 2013 Curt Hill


Introcuction• By this time we have seen several

frameworks– Zachman– FEA

• We should be getting a handle on what an Enterprise Architecture is

• The text book provides a view that has much in common with what we have already seen

EA = S + B + T• EA – what do you think?• S – Strategy

– Long and short term goals

• B – Business– Business requirements

• T - Technology• The point is that EA integrates all

of these– Not always been done this way


Two aspects to EA• Management program

– Resource alignment– Standardized policy– Decision support– Resource oversight

• Documentation method– Modeling framework– Implementation methodology– As-is and to-be views– Managing the move from as-is

towards to-beCopyright © 2013 Curt Hill

Management Program• In todays changing world a holistic

approach is needed• Businesses have often thought of

the following as separate processes with separate oversight

• Strategic planning• Workforce planning• Capital planinng• Security• Program management

• A unified governance is a better approach


Resource Alignment• Historically Return On Investment

(ROI) was the gold standard for evaluating proposals– Nothing wrong with this approach

• What is wrong is evaluating a proposal too narrowly– Typically departments make proposals

that solve their own problems and ignore other departments

– A more global approach may yield better results


Standardized Management Policy

• The key here is integrated• Decision making needs to take into

account enterprise-wide directives as well as local departmental concerns

• All projects are reviewed by the same set of criteria– A fair playing field


Management Again• The modeling provided by EA

should support decision making at all levels– Prevent the provincial view that some

managers may have had

• Develop IT resources uniformly– Considering all departments, not just

some


Documentation Method • Six basic elements • Documentation framework• Implementation methodology• Current (as-is) view• Future (to-be) view• Transition management plan• Common threads


Cube Picture


The Cube• Three faces• Front face:

– Levels of abstraction

• Top face – Lines of business

• Right face– Components


Front• Five rows

– Goals and initiatives– Products and services– Data and information– Systems and applications– Networks and information

• These are arranged from most abstract on top to most specific on the bottom– Compare this to Zachman’s owner

through operator viewsCopyright © 2013 Curt Hill

Threads• Running vertically on this front

face are threads• Common topics that should be

considered top to bottom in each row

• Typical threads include– IT Security– IT Standards– IT Workforce


Top• Partitioned into Lines of Business

(LOB)• This could be the manufacturing of

certain related products– GM has several: vehicles, financing,

electronics

• An Architecture Segment is cutting the cube to include one or more lines of business – This documentation is usable

independent of the entire architecture


Right• This considers the components • These are goals, processes,

standards and resources• Vertical components are limited to

a particular line of business• Horizontal components are

enterprise-wide– Also known as cross-cutting


Components Again• At the high level these are

initiatives, goals• At the low level these are

equipment and programs• In general all of these are

documentation– A goal is only documentation

• Determined by a board and published enterprise-wide

– A network is the EA description of a physical item


Transition• There are typically two

architectures– The current or as-is– The future or to-be

• These are both elements of the EA3 approach– Two cubes

• The management plan to transition from one to the other is another element


The Repository• There should be a library or

repository of all of the documentation of the architecture– An online repository is preferred

• The two cubes and the path between the two are always in the process of change– Our understanding of the current

enterprise is always changing, as is the future and our path from current to future


All the frameworks• Have substantial number of

common points• Different views

– Global at the top to detailed at the bottom

• Common questions– What (product), how (process), where

(location)

• Contrast between current and future architectures


enterprise architecture the ea 3 view copyright © 2013 curt hill

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