enterprise architecture

Finding Balance and Adding Value to Projects with Enterprise Architecture

We are often asked what an architecture plan is and why it is important. As with most things, there isn’t a simple answer to what an architecture plan is. There is no standard template for an architecture plan. Every organization is different, and the nature of the architecture plan changes depending on an organization’s specific needs.

Nobody enters the EA profession thinking it is easy. Management expectations set a high bar, while cultural and historical obstacles create a constant challenge. The work includes building new and improved processes, navigating changing politics, engaging brand new stakeholder communities, creating EA content, supporting projects, and demonstrating multiple value propositions. It is easy to see that EA is not for the faint of heart. Contrary to conventional wisdom, success doesn’t necessarily mean doing everything at once to perfection.

Which Is Harder: Blueprinting Manhattan or Building an Enterprise Architecture? Well, It Depends.   To reinvent themselves, support their missions, and improve upon day-to-day operations, government organizations are actively pursuing business transformation. This is no trivial undertaking for government agencies with complex enterprises, hundreds of business processes, and thousands of systems. To ensure compliance with regulations, save money by avoiding redundant systems, and simplify business processes, agencies are codifying their enterprise architecture.

For centuries, engineers from many different disciplines have had to deal with the topic of risk. No architect, for example, can design any building without taking into consideration various risks arising from a multitude of sources, ranging from the possibility of material fatigue to fire or other natural hazards.

Doug Rousso, Vice President of IT Architecture and Planning, Warner Bros. Entertainment

Knowing the finer details of every piece of technology, every process in an organization, and the dependencies these have on one another is no easy task for any business. But when your business is one of the world’s largest producers of film and entertainment, this is a job for a superhero.

Enterprise architecture is uniquely positioned to be a significant driver of an enterprise’s outsourcing decisions. However, two things are required: a service-oriented focus for the EA team and an understanding of the sourcing decision life cycle.