An introduction to the concepts of Enterprise Architecture

Summary

In this session, Jessica and Karina introduce the fundamentals of enterprise architecture with Pat, who defines the concept and its role in strategic planning. Pat emphasizes the importance of governance in managing technology changes and the collaboration between the enterprise architecture and program management office. The presentation aims to help participants understand enterprise architecture's strategic position, governance role, and its alignment with business goals for optimal return on investment in technology.

Takeaways

• 🏢 Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a process that aligns business vision, goals, and strategy with technology planning and change management.
• 🛠️ EA must be governed to ensure that technology changes are approved by senior leadership and do not negatively impact the business.
• 📈 The role of EA is to support the company's strategic planning, maximize profitability, and reduce operating costs through well-planned technology investments.
• 💡 EA is about understanding the return on investment (ROI) from technology to ensure that the company makes the right decisions regarding technology purchases.
• 🔍 Key terms in EA include vision, strategic planning, frameworks (like TOGAF or Zachman), governance, deliverables, lifecycle, sponsor, stakeholders, standardization, and taxonomy.
• 🛑 EA governance involves managing and controlling the development and change of products, services, or projects within an organization.
• 🛣️ The EA lifecycle includes initiation, planning, execution, and monitoring and maintaining phases, with continuous improvement and updates.
• 🔄 EA works closely with the program management office (PMO) to synchronize changes with in-flight projects and ensure alignment with business goals.
• 📝 EA deliverables include policy and principles approval, governance documentation, architecture documentation, plans, and roadmaps that guide the transition from current to future IT environments.
• 🤝 Aligning EA with ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) processes requires communication and collaboration between EA leads and ITIL process heads to support successful IT implementation.
• 🗣️ Communication about EA is critical for everyone in the company to understand its role in supporting business strategy and goals, and to avoid potential negative impacts from technology changes.

Q & A

What is the primary role of enterprise architecture?

The primary role of enterprise architecture is to align technology planning with the business's vision, goals, and strategy, facilitating the transformation of the business through projects and programs.

Why is governance important in enterprise architecture?

Governance in enterprise architecture is crucial to ensure that technology changes are approved by senior leadership, minimizing negative impacts on the business and maintaining control over the evolution of the company's technological landscape.

What is the relationship between the program management office and enterprise architecture?

The program management office is a critical partner with enterprise architecture, providing project management processes that guide technology change, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic goals.

What are the objectives of the enterprise architecture session mentioned in the script?

The objectives are to understand the concept of enterprise architecture, grasp key terms, comprehend the deliverables provided by the enterprise architecture program, and recognize how enterprise architecture fits within a company.

How does enterprise architecture help in realizing a company's strategy from a technology perspective?

Enterprise architecture helps by positioning the company to achieve its strategy through technology planning, ensuring that investments in technology contribute to profitability and align with the company's strategic plan.

What is meant by 'return on investment' in the context of enterprise architecture?

In the context of enterprise architecture, 'return on investment' refers to the financial benefits derived from the initial investment in technology, which should contribute to the company's profitability over time.

What are some key terms used in enterprise architecture?

Some key terms include vision, strategic planning, frameworks like TOGAF or Zachman, governance, deliverables, lifecycle, sponsor, stakeholders, standardization, and taxonomy.

Can you provide an example of a deliverable in enterprise architecture?

An example of a deliverable in enterprise architecture is a blueprint for a redesigned storage environment, a business case for technology upgrades, or a roadmap outlining the progression from the current to the future state of IT.

What is the significance of the taxonomy in enterprise architecture?

Taxonomy in enterprise architecture is significant for classifying, organizing, and structuring the framework to ensure consistent communication and understanding among team members, vendors, partners, and other stakeholders.

How does the enterprise architecture lifecycle begin?

The enterprise architecture lifecycle begins with the initiation phase, where the CEO approves the establishment of enterprise architecture, and governance processes and policies are set up by the enterprise architecture leader and executive leadership.

Why is communication about enterprise architecture critical for everyone in the company?

Communication about enterprise architecture is critical because each change in technology can introduce impacts to the business and IT organization, and it ensures that all stakeholders are aware of and aligned with the company's strategic direction and goals.

Outlines

00:00

🏢 Introduction to Enterprise Architecture

This paragraph introduces the video script on enterprise architecture, presented by Jessica, Karina, and Pat. Pat will explain the fundamentals of enterprise architecture, including its definition, terms, and the collaborative role it plays with program management offices. The script emphasizes the importance of governance in managing technology changes and ensuring they align with the company's strategic goals. The objectives of the session are outlined, which include understanding the concept of enterprise architecture, its terminologies, deliverables, and its strategic fit within a company. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on how enterprise architecture supports a company's strategy from a technology perspective and the importance of return on investment in technology.

05:03

📚 Key Terms and Concepts in Enterprise Architecture

The second paragraph delves into key terms and concepts within the realm of enterprise architecture. It discusses the significance of the company's vision and strategic planning, referencing frameworks such as TOGAF, Zachman, and DOD's architecture framework. The paragraph explains the role of enterprise architecture governance, deliverables, life cycles, sponsors, stakeholders, standardization, and taxonomy. It highlights the importance of a shared perspective for effective communication among team members, vendors, and partners. The process of selecting a framework for documenting enterprise architecture is also described, along with the gathering of current environment information to assess the need for technology retirement, investment, or maintenance.

10:05

🛠️ Enterprise Architecture Lifecycle and Governance

This paragraph outlines the enterprise architecture lifecycle, starting with initiation, followed by planning, execution, and monitoring and maintaining phases. It details the governance process, where the CEO and senior leadership approve the establishment of enterprise architecture and set up governance procedures and policies. The paragraph explains the documentation of the current and future enterprise architecture, the development of a roadmap, and the importance of the governance committee's approval at each stage. It also touches on the execution phase, where changes are synchronized with ongoing projects and operations, and the necessity for a business case and return on investment analysis for new technologies. The paragraph concludes with the significance of communication and alignment between enterprise architecture and the business strategy and goals.

15:05

🔗 Aligning Enterprise Architecture with ITIL Processes

The final paragraph discusses the alignment of enterprise architecture with ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) processes. It suggests that leaders from both ITIL and enterprise architecture should meet to discuss collaboration and support for implementing changes in the IT environment. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of communication and understanding between the two domains to ensure a smooth implementation of changes. It invites viewers to contact the presenters with questions and provides a teaser for the next presentation, which will focus on ITIL processes.

Keywords

💡Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is defined by Gartner as a process that aligns business vision, goals, and strategy with the organization's IT strategy to support its evolution. In the video, EA is the central theme, focusing on how it plans for technology change and ensures alignment with business goals. It is mentioned as a component of the company's strategic planning, directed by senior leadership, and is crucial for making informed decisions about technology investments.

💡Governance

Governance in the context of EA refers to the process and practice that includes designated participants with assigned roles and responsibilities to manage and control the development and change of products, services, or projects. The script emphasizes the importance of EA governance to ensure that technology changes are approved by senior leadership and do not negatively impact the business, highlighting its role in controlling and directing change within an organization.

💡Program Management Office (PMO)

The PMO is depicted as a critical partner with EA in the script. It is responsible for creating project management processes that EA must follow when implementing technology changes. The PMO works alongside EA to prioritize plans and programs, ensuring that resources such as money, people, and technology are allocated effectively to complete projects and achieve business objectives.

💡Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the process of defining the direction of a company, which includes EA as one of its components. In the video, strategic planning is conducted by the CEO and their direct reports to direct change within the company. EA plays a role in this process by providing a framework for technology planning that supports the company's strategic goals and objectives.

💡Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI is a financial metric used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment. In the script, ROI is discussed in the context of technology investments made by a company. It is important for EA to ensure that the technology investments contribute to the company's profitability and align with the strategic plan, as these investments are expected to yield a positive financial return over time.

💡Deliverables

Deliverables in EA are tangible outputs that can be seen, read, or touched, such as a blueprint for a redesigned storage environment or a business case for technology replacement. The script mentions deliverables as a key outcome of the EA program, which provides measurable and concrete results to support the company's strategic direction.

💡Lifecycle

The lifecycle refers to the stages that products, applications, and services go through from inception to retirement. In the video, the EA lifecycle is discussed as a continuous process that starts with initiation and includes planning, execution, monitoring, and maintaining phases. This lifecycle is essential for understanding how EA manages the evolution of the company's technology environment.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders in the EA context are individuals or groups actively involved in or affected by the EA program. The script explains that stakeholders are responsible for reviewing and providing input on EA deliverables, such as business cases and roadmaps, ensuring their interests are considered in the strategic planning and execution of technology changes.

💡Standardization

Standardization is the process of applying consistent rules to a body of work, product, or service. In EA, this concept is important for ensuring uniformity and consistency in documentation, processes, and technology use. The script mentions standardization as a part of EA's role in applying rules to business processes, applications, and systems to maintain order and efficiency.

💡Taxonomy

Taxonomy in EA is the classification, organization, or structuring of the framework to ensure clear communication and understanding among team members, vendors, and partners. The script uses the example of drawing a circle to illustrate the importance of a shared taxonomy, emphasizing that without a common understanding, miscommunication can occur, which is crucial for effective EA communication.

💡Alignment

Alignment in the script refers to the synchronization of EA with other organizational processes and strategies, such as ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) processes. It is important for EA to align with these processes to support the successful implementation of technology changes within the IT environment, as discussed in the script when suggesting that leaders of EA and ITIL processes meet to discuss collaboration.

Highlights

Enterprise Architecture is defined as a process that aligns business vision and strategy with technology changes.

Enterprise Architecture must be governed to ensure technology changes are approved by senior leadership to prevent negative business impacts.

The Program Management Office (PMO) is a critical partner with Enterprise Architecture, providing project management processes for technology change.

Understanding Enterprise Architecture helps realize its role in achieving company strategy from a technology perspective.

Enterprise Architecture is part of the overall strategic planning in a company, directed by the CEO and senior leadership.

Investment in technology should aim for a positive return on investment, contributing to the company's profitability.

Key terms in Enterprise Architecture include vision, strategic planning, governance, deliverables, lifecycle, sponsor, stakeholders, standardization, and taxonomy.

Frameworks like TOGAF, Zachman, and DOD provide structure for Enterprise Architects to follow for effective communication.

The enterprise architecture lifecycle includes initiation, planning, execution, and monitoring and maintaining phases.

The CEO's approval is crucial for the establishment of Enterprise Architecture within an organization.

Enterprise Architecture governance involves designated participants with assigned roles and responsibilities to manage change.

Deliverables in Enterprise Architecture include blueprints, business cases, roadmaps, and governance documentation.

The execution phase of the Enterprise Architecture lifecycle is where changes are synchronized with in-flight projects and future initiatives.

Monitoring and maintaining phase ensures continuous improvement of the IT environment in alignment with future goals.

Communication about Enterprise Architecture is vital for everyone in the company to understand potential impacts of changes.

Enterprise Architecture deliverables under strategy include policy and principles alignment with business goals, governance documentation, and roadmaps.

Aligning Enterprise Architecture with ITIL processes requires heads of both organizations to meet and discuss collaborative efforts.

The importance of communication and understanding between ITIL processes and Enterprise Architecture for successful IT environment changes.

Transcripts

welcome everyone to theories and

practice I'm Jessica and I am Karina

today Pat will be covering the

fundamentals of enterprise architecture

so take it away Pat will talk about what

enterprise architecture is define some

terms discuss how and what makes

enterprise architecture work and how the

program management office and enterprise

architecture work together remember

this is a basic introduction since we

all come from different companies I will

provide how you can understand

enterprise architecture and the role it

plays or the role it could play also

enterprise architecture is about

planning for technology change

Enterprise Architecture must be governed

so that technology changes are approved

by senior leadership as changes may

negatively impact the business and

various lines of business in the company

governance puts controls in place

technology change typically means that

we must follow project management

processes created by the program

management office the program management

office is a critical partner with

enterprise architecture ok let's get

started

here's what you will walk away with at

the end of this session so our

objectives are to understand the concept

of enterprise architecture grasp some of

the terms that we use in enterprise

architecture as well as understand the

deliverables that the enterprise

architecture program provides and

finally know how and where enterprise

architecture fits in your company let's

talk about how Enterprise Architecture

can help you realize how the enterprise

architecture positions a company to

achieve its strategy from a technology

perspective as well as understand

enterprise architectures governance role

strategic planning and the role the

program management office plays so what

is Enterprise Architecture

well Gartner defines Enterprise

Architecture as a process that takes the

business's vision goals and strategy and

transforms or changes the business

through a series of projects and

programs to help it evolve this is

one of the many definitions of

enterprise architecture there are

different focuses that exist in

different industries such as

manufacturing the financial industry

retail the medical industry insurance

and others basically Enterprise

Architecture is all about technology

planning in other words Enterprise

Architecture is a component of the

overall strategic planning in a company

the company's strategic planning is done

by the chief executive officer also

known as the CEO and his direct reports

or her direct reports this is where

senior leadership directs change in the

company when you introduce change you

change employees roles and

responsibilities processes such as data

and information existing or new

applications infrastructure and possibly

technology as you know a company is

focused on making a profit so when the

company has to spend money on itself it

needs to understand that this spending

of the money or investment is worth

doing so if as part of the strategic

plan the company invests in technology

it wants to be sure that it is making

the right decision to purchase the right

technology that will continue to build

more profitability for the company this

is called return on investment the

strategic plan which includes the

enterprise architecture component is

meant to be executed to maximize profits

make more money and reduce the company's

operating costs the execution takes

place through projects and programs this

is where the program management office

works with the business and enterprise

architecture to have the businesses CEO

prioritize the plans and programs so

that the most important programs and

plans have appropriate resources and

resources are defined as money people

and technology to successfully complete

the projects and programs return on

investment is overtime based on a

one-year five-year or ten-year point

setting expectations that should map in

to business strategies the reason the

company should want to create and

document and Enterprise Architecture is

to maximize the return on the investment

it makes in technology specifically

return on investment is the amount of

money you make from an initial financial

investment let's talk about some key

terms used in the enterprise

architecture area some of the terms are

vision what does the organization and

company want to be as it ages the vision

comes from the chief executive officer

and her or his leadership team strategic

planning is all about defining the

direction of the company a framework you

may hear Enterprise architects talk

about TOGAF the open group architecture

framework or Zachman or Doda the

Department of Defense's architecture

framework it's all about the framework

or conceptual structure that the

enterprise architecture team will follow

to ensure easy communication among team

members vendors partners and others who

will help to create a useful enterprise

architecture enterprise architecture

governance is a process of practice

consisting of designated participants

with assigned roles and responsibilities

that manages and controls the

development growth and change of a

product a service project or program or

deliverable a deliverable is a

measurable tangible output that you can

see read or touch an example would be a

blueprint for a redesigned storage

environment a business case to replace

remote services a roadmap that shows

what how and when servers need to be

upgraded life cycles are exactly what it

sounds like process that occurs from

cradle to grave the stages that products

applications and services go through

before they are replaced retired or

decommission a sponsor is the person who

manages administers monitors funds and

is ultimately responsible for the

overall effort product or project and

program

stakeholders are the individuals or

groups that are actively involved in the

development change and direction of the

enterprise architecture program or whose

interests may be positively or

negatively impacted as a result of the

enterprise architecture execution for

example the stakeholders would be

responsible to read the business case

review the roadmap and the storage

replacement and provide input

standardization is the process of

applying rules to a body of work product

or service for example a business

process application a programming

language and operating system how code

will be documented taxonomy is the

process or science of classifying

organizing or structuring the framework

again taxonomies are important so that

the team is communicating from the same

perspective context or frame of

reference let's say you draw a circle on

a piece of paper meaning it is the Sun

but you don't tell the team a team

member believes your circle is the earth

another believes it represents a

baseball therefore it is imperative to

understand the taxonomy or perspective

so that the team can communicate on the

same topic let's assume that the CEO and

senior leadership approved the

initiation of an enterprise architecture

policy procedures and governance are in

place now the enterprise architecture

leader works with the team to decide on

the framework that will be used to

document the enterprise architecture its

standards guidelines and principles

earlier we discussed that there are a

variety of frameworks from which to

choose based on the industry and

familiarity with a framework such as

TOGAF the open group's architecture

framework the DOD architecture framework

the federal architecture framework or

Zachman with the chosen framework the

enterprise architecture team gathers

current environment information such as

metric current environment wire diagrams

and documentation to validate what

exists and what technologies need to be

retired invested or held due to the

business need

let me not get ahead of myself and let

me explain the Enterprise Architecture

lifecycle next the enterprise

architecture lifecycle starts with the

initiation phase however in reality the

enterprise architecture life cycle

exists today in every organization and

does not end until the company closes as

stated in the previous slide in the

initiation phase the CEO approves the

enterprise architecture establishment

the enterprise architecture leader with

the executive leadership sets up the

governance process and the policy then

the next phase the planning phase begins

the planning phase includes the

enterprise architecture leader and the

chief information officer documenting

the mission vision and scope the

enterprise architecture leader leads to

the creation of an overall program plan

and communicates the plan to the

Governance Committee also in this phase

the Enterprise Architecture team gathers

documentation of the current environment

and then documents a forward-looking

strategy after the future enterprise

architecture is documented and approved

by the Governance Committee the

enterprise architecture team begins

building the target architecture and the

roadmap that leads the company from the

current enterprise architecture to the

future enterprise architecture State at

each stage or on a monthly basis the

enterprise architecture Governance

Committee needs to agree and approve the

plan deliverables ideas and budget

implications the enterprise architecture

team develops the plan is updated

annually or as events occur such as the

introduction of newer technologies that

come into play that caused further ideas

with the business and updates are

required Enterprise Architecture cannot

operate in isolation even within itself

because dependencies exist with the

business project applications and

hardware which must be discussed at all

governance update and change advisory

board change meetings in the next days

the execution phase the enterprise

architecture leader and team collaborate

with the business and the information

technology program management office and

the information technology organization

to determine what changes need to be

executed in the priority of these

changes these changes

need to be synchronized with in-flight

projects information technology

operations and future projects and

changes introducing new technologies

requires a business case and a return on

investment that is presented to the

Governance Committee the execution phase

is where the majority of time is spent

once the planning phase is approved by

the Governance Committee the next phase

in the enterprise architecture lifecycle

is the monitoring and maintaining phase

where the enterprise architecture team

continually reviews performance and

other reports to understand where to

focus efforts to overcome an architect

out common incidents or problem

architecting out incidents and problems

must be in alignment with the future

information technology environment the

enterprise architecture lifecycle is a

continuous process that introduces

changes to improve and update the

information technology environment these

changes must be coordinated with the

business and the information technology

organization to ensure there are no

negative impacts or surprises introduced

into the information technology

environment the company needs to know

that Enterprise Architecture exists and

is working in concert with the business

strategy and goals communication about

enterprise architecture is critical for

everyone in the company because each

change could introduce a negative impact

to the business and the information

technology organization wants the

business to be successful and profitable

using the technology the information

technology organization supports

here are some of the enterprise

architecture deliverables under strategy

the CEO and senior leadership approve

the enterprise architecture as a formal

entity through policy and principles and

make sure enterprise architecture aligns

with the business strategy and goals

enterprise architecture documents the

governance process attendees roles and

responsibilities the governance

committees responsibilities are to

approve the technology direction

standards and guidelines this is

documented and shared with the entire

company to guarantee compliance across

the company other deliverables include

documenting architectures providing a

plan and producing a roadmap which

depicts the movement from the current

information technology environment to

the future information technology

environment enabling a more efficient

and effective information technology

environment that supports the business

while the capabilities of the program

management office range accompanies

enterprise architecture and the program

management office on Hana sections of

the governance process so how can you

implement enterprise architecture

without program management office to

implement Enterprise Architecture

without a program management office it

will be extremely difficult because you

have to have a program management office

that provides the means of moving from

the current to the future state using

standard project management planning

processes to use and improve over time

architects cannot project manage provide

the technical direction and be technical

leader all at the same time

that is so true Pat what are your

thoughts on aligning enterprise

architecture with Idol the best way to

align enterprise architecture with the

ITIL information technology

infrastructure library processes would

be for the heads of both organizations

of the ITIL processes and the enterprise

architecture lead to meet and discuss

how they will work together to support

the work effort needed to successfully

implement change into the information

technology environment once there is

communication and understanding then the

teams can meet to iron out any areas of

uncertainty we hope you enjoyed our

brief introduction to Enterprise

Architecture and if you have any

questions please contact us at info at

Ceres in practice biz also be sure to

let us know how we can improve these

sessions for you my next presentation

will be about the ITIL information

technology infrastructure library

processes

you

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