Enterprise Architecture: why, how and who for? - A new focus from Solucom

Enterprise Architecture seeks to adapt and change the information system to ensure it is always fully aligned with the enterprise's strategic and business objectives while at the same time accommodating internal and external constraints and allowing scope for technological opportunities. What is the best way to implement an Enterprise Architecture programme? Who is it directed at? This first Focus in a series of three on the theme of EA puts forward some answers.

Four objectives that Enterprise Architecture can help achieve

1. Rationalise

Cost rationalisation is a recurrent leitmotiv in all IT departments. Enterprise Architecture can make a major contribution to this objective by delivering a comprehensive response (covering infrastructures, applications and governance processes) but requires a high degree of maturity from the enterprise in terms of business and development.

2. Assess current situation: a prerequisite for any upgrade

The overall perspective that Enterprise Architecture provides on the enterprise and its information system will improve IT department responsiveness. A better understanding of the information system will cut down the time required to analyse the “as-is” situation prior to planning any business or technological development.

3. Define target information system: a crucial forward-planning exercise

Even if the target seems theoretical and difficult to achieve, defining it will nevertheless help set in place the first milestones for achieving it, and these will subsequently serve for progressively validating the course of the various projects.

4. Become a creative force for Business Lines

The IT department must learn how to move forward and cease to be regarded as merely a collection of technicians. It must establish a durable dialogue with Business Lines with a view to achieving an understanding of their strategy and identifying their constraints while also acting as an innovation incubator.

Enterprise Architecture in practice or first steps to implementation

1. Define outline of initial version

An enterprise and its information system are often depicted as a series of layers (strategy, business, functional, application and technical) with Enterprise Architecture focusing on the last three. Attacking all layers point blank is impracticable, and so care must be taken to choose the right target and to concentrate on the enterprise's weaknesses in order to make some early quick wins.

2. Put organisation and processes in place

• Create an Enterprise Architect role. The Enterprise Architect is not only a technical expert but combines an understanding of both information system and business and is thus able to dialogue with all stakeholders in the enterprise (business project management support teams and business analysts for data processes, application domain managers and IT project managers for the application view, backoffice technicians and architects for the technical and business views, etc.).
• Define information system architecture. Operating as a control tower, information system architecture scrutinises the projects in the IT department's portfolio and then prioritises and defines the most suitable solutions while controlling the build and run.
• Establish and update a frame of reference. As a key element in any Enterprise Architecture programme, the frame of reference should include a set of maps of the information system (information system functions, applications, application services, technical essentials, business material, and so on) together with a catalogue of referenced application and technical solutions. It should also include different patterns of architecture to cover all requirements.
• Put intelligence and innovation process in place. This process will help the IT department pick up on new uses and explain their inherent challenges and constraints to the Business Lines.
• Institute cross-functional governance. Only cross-functional governance bodies will be capable of supporting the various processes involved. Regular dialogue must be established to address the sharing of constraints, Business Line ambitions, technical innovation issues raised by IT departments, etc.

3. Sell project in-house

This will involve winning over the Business Lines by presenting the IT department's initiative as non-intrusive and highlighting its improved knowledge of their strategy, imperatives and mode of operation. It will also mean getting all members of the IT department on board by selling the Enterprise Architecture concept as an opportunity to build a common, standardised vision of operating practices with no element of restraint or control over the teams.

Benefits of Enterprise Architecture

The major changes currently affecting all enterprises make the transition to Enterprise Architecture unavoidable. Although the Enterprise Architecture barycentre is now clearly positioned in the IT department, in reality the benefits procured accrue to the whole enterprise. It would be as well to begin preparations as far upstream as possible and try out implementation on a limited scale. Early initial successes will then provide validation for extension of the measures. In this way a substantial improvement can be made to the IT department's relations with Business Lines.

Read the Focus in full on our website.

 

About Solucom

Solucom is a management and IT consulting firm.

Solucom's clients are among the top 200 large companies and public bodies. Solucom is able to mobilise and combine the competences of close on 1000 employees on its clients' behalf.

Our mission statement? To place innovation at the heart of business lines, target and steer value-added-generating transformations, and make the information system a true asset serving corporate strategies.

Solucom is quoted on NYSE Euronext and has been awarded the OSEO Innovation seal of approval as an innovative enterprise.

To find out more, take a look at SolucomINSIGHT, Solucom's online magazine.

 

KaBeCom Katia BROZEK Press Contact Tel.: + 33 (0) 1 44 92 02 26 katia.brozek@kabecom.com

Solucom Mélodie LAUQUE Communications Executive Tel: + 33 (0) 1 49 03 20 00 presse@solucom.fr