Lack of Enterprise View a Hindrance? Good Solution Architecture is Not Enough

We are consistently being exposed to ENTERPRISE architecture teams without an enterprise perspective in the deliverables and activities in which they are engaged.  Sometimes this is due to a cyclical shift in the priorities between defining enterprise architecture and applying enterprise architecture via solution architecture.  This is a normal, healthy shift that we see happening in maturing EA … Read more

EA Tips: Anchor Models

Anchor models are context diagrams that capture the essence of the enterprise as a simple graphic. They should be equally meaningful to both business and IT personnel and should be so intuitive that they don’t require a multi-page text narrative to understand. While we see many models created by EA teams, most are lower level … Read more

Too Much Tactical Focus with Business Architecture?

As more and more organizations embrace Enterprise Architecture with a concerted effort in Business Architecture (BA),. we are beginning to see one of the common pitfalls of IT Architecture (ITA) spill over — too much focus on the tactical, project level.  Apparently, getting business representatives involved in applying EA discipline to the business architecture does … Read more

Federated EA in Larger vs. Smaller Enterprises

George and I are often asked “How is EA different between smaller and larger organizations?” There are a number of differences (amount of available resources, degree of complexity, flatness of the organization structure, number of elements in the application portfolio, etc.) that affect the approach, effectiveness, readiness and deliverables of EA.  But one that I think … Read more

Why No Business with EA?

So there I am sitting on a panel at the Troux Worldwide Conference a couple of weeks ago, answering interesting questions with some interesting co-panelists, when a thought struck me.  “After decades of positioning EA as a discipline for business-IT alignment, why aren’t EA programs more in tune with(driven by, owned by, participation from) the … Read more

Mobility and Social Networking: Do You Have a Need for a Strategy?

Two of the biggest trends that many companies are addressing right now are mobility and Social Networking.  Maybe second only to cloud computing in hype right now, these two areas  represent significant opportunities for many companies.  However, one thing that I have noticed is that sometimes the trends with a lot of hype get a … Read more

Top 10 Things an EA Should Be Thinking About (Part 2)

A couple of months ago, we published part 1 of Top 10 Things an EA Should Be Thinking About. Now we add a few more, with considerations for the New Year. To get started, I will repeat what we said in part 1 as the means of introduction… …Our list represents the Top Ten (or so) … Read more

Top 10 Things an EA Should Be Thinking About (Part 1)

So it seems like that time of the year again where different analysts, experts and bloggers are coming out with Top 10 trends lists.  While some might view the yearly generic crop of “Top 10” lists as trite, superficial, or simply  repeating things everyone already knows; we thought we would take a stab at a … Read more