Building An Enterprise Architecture Practice

This book provides practical advice on how to develop an enterprise architecture practice. The authors developed different tools and models to support organizations in implementing and professionalizing an enterprise architecture function. Coverage applies these tools and models to a number of different organizations and, as a result, will help readers avoid potential pitfalls and achieve success with enterprise architecture.

This book provides practical advice on how to develop an enterprise architecture practice. The authors developed different tools and models to support organizations in implementing and professionalizing an enterprise architecture function. Coverage applies these tools and models to a number of different organizations and, as a result, will help readers avoid potential pitfalls and achieve success with enterprise architecture.

Organizations today exist in an environment of unprecedented change. They do so against a backdrop of a global, competitive marketplace, the fast-paced enablement of technology, amplified regulation and accelerating organizational complexity. Many organizations are addressing change in a sub-optimal way and they are operating without a clear view of where their operational risks lie. It is these dynamics that are leading organizations to recognise and embrace Business Architecture. Despite this environment, Business Architecture can be a difficult ’sell’ - it is often perceived to be abstract and lacking in tangible delivery. To succeed, Business Architecture must be pragmatic and, to be sustainable, it must focus on achieving long-term value and, at the same time, recognise the shorter-term tactical needs of the organisation. With these challenges in mind, this book provides a practical guide on how to employ Business Architecture and how to build a balanced proposition that delivers value to a broad range of stakeholders. As the book states, Business Architecture should not be practised in isolation, nor should it be thought of as a one-off process; it needs to be woven into the fabric of the organization. And so the authors illustrate the opportunities for weaving the Business Architecture Practice into this fabric through the various stakeholders and life cycles that exist, both formally and informally, within an organization. Whilst recognizing best practice, this book explores a new, inspirational level of Business Architecture whilst acknowledging that the best way to realize the vision is one step at a time.

Bridge the gap between theory and reality by implementing real-world examples using the Sparx EA tool and ArchiMate® 3.1 specification to develop sophisticated enterprise architecture models serving every unit in your organization Key Features • Discover the various artifacts that enterprise architects need to develop for stakeholders to make sound decisions • Build a functional enterprise architecture repository that is rich in information, references, and metamodels • Learn how to use Sparx Enterprise Architect from scratch Book Description Most organizations face challenges in defining and achieving evolved enterprise architecture practices, which can be a very lengthy process even if implemented correctly. Developers, for example, can build better solutions only if they receive the necessary design information from architects, and decision-makers can make appropriate changes within the organization only if they know the implications of doing so. The book starts by addressing the problems faced by enterprise architecture practitioners and provides solutions based on an agile approach to enterprise architecture, using ArchiMate® 3.1 as an industry standard and Sparx EA as the modeling tool. You'll learn with the help of a fictional organization that has three business units, each expecting something different from you as the enterprise architect. You'll build the practice, satisfy the different requirements of each business unit, and share the knowledge with others so they can follow your steps. Toward the end, you'll learn how to put the diagrams and the content that you have developed into documents, presentations, and web pages that can be published and shared with any stakeholder. By the end of this book, you'll be able to build a functional enterprise architecture practice that supports every part of your organization. You'll also have developed the necessary skills to populate your enterprise architecture repository with references and artifacts. What you will learn • Discover how enterprise architects can contribute to projects and departments within organizations • Use Sparx Enterprise Architect to build a rich architecture repository • Learn about the ArchiMate® 3.1 specification as you apply it in real-world projects • Use the focused metamodel technique to build the information necessary for maintaining your repository's consistency and accuracy • Understand the importance of keeping architectural artifacts simple yet eye-catching • Define an operational model that fits your initial needs and expands as required Who this book is for This book is for enterprise architects at all architectural layers and practices of any maturity level. Many of the artifacts suggested in this book are inspired by The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF®); however, familiarity with TOGAF® is not required. Whether you work within the business, applications, data, or technology layers, this book covers examples that apply to your work. Although not mandatory, experience modeling in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect using any modeling language will be helpful. No prior knowledge of ArchiMate® is required to get started with this book.

The book attempts to answer a few of the common questions related to Enterprise Architecture (EA) and SOA. What are the issues? What is EA? Why should an organization consider EA? How to build the Enterprise Architecture and document it. What are the roadblocks, politics, governance, process and design method? How to measure the value deliverd by EA and its maturity and and how to select an Enterprise Architect? An innovative EA Framework, the associated metamodel and generic Enterprise Reference Maps (templates) for the business process, applications and infrastructure layers are proposed. The framework looks like a content page showing the chapters of a book or, in this case, the components of the Enterprise Architecture without actually describing them but showing how they fit into the whole. The book then identifies and summarises Best Practices in the Enterprise Architecture and SOA development, EA patterns, the integration to the mundane solution architecture, delivery checklistsÉ The book is intended to be a document summarising why and how to build an Enterprise Architecture.

Based on an extensive study of the actual industry best practices, this book provides a systematic conceptual description of an EA practice and offers practically actionable answers to the key questions related to enterprise architecture.