March 3, 2013
re: http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.mx/2013/03/the-open-group-panel-explains-how.html
re: http://www.opengroup.org/newportbeach2013
An interesting discussion re: “the ArchiMate Modeling Language and The Open Group Architecture Framework Impact Such Trends as Big Data and Cloud.” Some notable quotes and my comments are below.
Quote: “…role of enterprise and business architecture in helping enterprises exploit and manage technology and business transformation.”
Comment: Enterprise architecture includes business architecture. Hence, there’s no need to point out both in this snippet. I prefer“enable” to “exploit.” Architecture is about “architecting” the enterprise. “Managing”change or “transformation” is an entirely different domain and requires a different skill set. Enterprise Architect can architect the optimal solution, but managing the change from the current to future state is significantly dependent on an organization’s ability to change and include factors such as: culture, change management processes, financial resources, human resources, etc…
Quote: “…There is less of a focus on the traditional things we come to think of EA such as standards, governance and policies, but ather into emerging areas such as the soft skills, business architecture, and srategy…”
Comment: Business architecture isn’t an emerging aea. It’s been a domain of enterprise architecture for 20 years. If “strategy” refers to corporate and/or business strategy then this is an even older domain having been first formulated at the Harvard economics department in the 1960s.
Quote: “…big data, cloud…technology is available to enhance or provide new capabilities to our business.”
Comment: This is key – how to leverage technology to improve existing business capabilities and/or create (innovate) new business capabilities.
Quote: “…for making decisions and clear ways of visualizing the different choices in front of us.”
Comment: Enterprise blueprints are great ways in which to visualize the choices.
Quote: “…how these tools can grapple better with these multiple levels of complexity and then also bridge some of these communication gaps among different constituencies in these large organizations…”
Comment: Enterprise blueprints organized as ‘heat-maps’(e.g. business process vs. application) significantly aid in presenting complexity.
Quote: “…capability-based planning, a technique in EA to get their arms around this thing from a business-driver perspective…”
Comment: Capability is the buzz-word du annum. I define it as the people, process, information technology and non-IT assets (e.g., real estate, commodities, production equipment)
Quote: “…What we’re working on right now is a significant new release, the next release of the TOGAF standard, which is dividing the TOGAF documentation to make it more consumable, more consistent and more useful for someone.”
Comment: I’d like to see TOGAF include contemporary blueprint examples – e.g., let’s see a property and casualty insurance business architecture; a P&C business/application heat map. This would make TOGAF much more usable and relevant.
Quote: “…Does that follow in your thinking that the data is actually more prominent as a resource perhaps on par with applications.”
Comment: Data has always been at the forefront of the IT industry – i.e., the field is called INFORMATION technology. Both “process” and “data” are significant in that they combine to create applications.