Enterprise Architecture Matters

The Enterprise Architecture is not the sum of the parts but the whole

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on January 26, 2012 12:17 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
In time it became rather clear to me that most EA architects usually labour at describing simple capabilities, design solution architectures, police the development of solutions, establish architecture principles - but not the full EA framework -, specify IT... Read More..

"Enterprise Architecture as Strategy" book review (2)

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 9, 2011 4:49 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
cnt'd The OM is  rather implicitly created  at the creation of the company or at its extension, rather than deliberately by an EA effort. It is also rather hard to believe that an EA architect, working in IT, would impose or even propose an operating model... Read More..
Categories: , ,

"Enterprise Architecture as Strategy" book review (1)

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 9, 2011 4:17 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
I browsed the book "Enterprise Architecture as Strategy" by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill and David C. Robertson quite a few times, never quite making my mind about it. It is widely recommended though. But since it landed on the next desk, I decided... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

The Mobile Broadband Growth Law

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 2, 2011 10:01 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Put together some time ago while working in mobile telecoms. I called it Adrian's Mobile Broadband Law. Lack of imagination perhaps. At the time, I produced it in the desire to forecast the rates to come in the mobile arena, so that I could... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The Enterprise outsourcing and EA layers

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 30, 2011 10:14 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
I just want to expose in one picture the various types of IT outsourcing a Enterprise can employ today. Here is a self-explanatory picture:     You can notice a mixture of good old traditional outsourcing such as Data Centre and Managed Services that... Read More..
Categories:

Enterprise Architecture in higher education

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 21, 2011 2:29 PM 1 Vote 0 Votes
The EA concept should be taught in any business study. Unfortunately the body of knowledge is too fragmented and incomplete right now to arm the student with a method that delivers results. What one can teach today is the EA state... Read More..
Categories: ,

Enterprise Architecture principles, let's talk about them

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 15, 2011 2:52 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
EA professionals often specify architecture principles but rarely use them, if at all. In fact, are you using architecture principles in practice? And how, as an after thought tick list or actively during the decision process? We all have principles that guide... Read More..
Categories: , ,

What if we start from ground up defining what is an Enterprise capability?

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 29, 2011 9:35 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Given the fact that we can hardly get an agreement on what the Enterprise capability is, that is from an Enterprise Architecture point of view.The term Capability seems to come from the EA field rather than from the business process... Read More..
Categories: ,

Enterprise Architecture myths

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 1, 2011 8:18 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
True, most if not all myths contain a bit of truth, but the key word is "bit".Myths you heard about:That you need to "sell" Enterprise Architecture. Do you? For one, the concept is straightforward. Anyone understands a plan or... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

The silent competition between the Enterprise Architecture frameworks

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 30, 2011 8:24 AM 1 Vote 0 Votes
There you are. The silent competition. And it is silent because the proponents of a framework are tacitly saying that the other frameworks are no fit for purpose; that's why they came with a new one. Let's recap. TOGAF... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Applications Suites or Best of Breed in the Cloud?

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 24, 2011 9:50 AM 1 Vote 0 Votes
Lauren Carlson asked a question in the Application Strategy 2.0 that most IT departments had to, are or will be confronted with. Do you chose an Integrated Suite or Best of Breed (BoB) solutions?  The answer looks more complicated... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Training in TOGAF, my unorthodox findings

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on June 12, 2011 10:42 AM 5 Vote 0 Votes
I studied TOGAF at my own pace, along the years. The lush 800+ page were always a challenge. I also listened to and participated in many discussions. Still, last week I decided to go onto a formal training course. The trainer... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Enterprise Architecture is the science of anatomy and physiology of an Enterprise

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on May 21, 2011 9:25 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
How do we describe a system, any system? Let me give an well known example, the human body and illustrate the way it is described, by comparison.  The description of the structure and operation of the Enterprise is done... Read More..
Categories:

Enterprise Architecture goes through the trough of disillusionment

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on May 2, 2011 8:56 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Enterprise Architecture goes through the trough of disillusionment. There is confusion about its definition, scope, frameworks and deliverables.In the main, EA is an IT discipline aiming to document the Enterprise, reduce duplication in process and platforms, integrate, standardise and roadmap them.Still... Read More..

Enterprise Architecture, how does it look like?

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on March 12, 2011 12:44 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Why do we do EA, the ever lasting questionCompanies have lived without an EA for a long time now and they would continue to do so. Is there an EA business case after all? Yes, but touted benefits can be... Read More..
Categories: ,

Enterprise Architecture, what do we do about it?

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on February 12, 2011 12:10 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Candid questions like " what is EA" or "how do I become an EA architect?" still asked nowadays prove that something is wrong with the EA profession.  The classical answer given today is stating EA purpose (strategy, reduce complexity...). There... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The organization and social aspects of an Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on February 2, 2011 11:58 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Nick Gall's post speaks about organization and motivating people as part of an EA workday. The organization architecture, the 3rd architecture tier of an EA as I call it, is invaluable, since it brings all enterprise stakeholders around the table.... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

About a reference Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on January 25, 2011 10:04 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
An architecture becomes reference if it's generic enough, available and used by many in the community. The level of abstraction of an architecture should be high enough to serve its scope, like for instance, a business domain, an industry or any... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The state of EA at the debut of 2011

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on January 19, 2011 11:57 AM 2 Vote 0 Votes
  At the beginning of the new year, let me recap again the situation of EA. Anything to be merry about?  Overall, EA looks like it always did. Little really happened in the field. No substance was added since Zachman... Read More..
Categories: , ,

What happens when the EA function does not produce an EA?

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 31, 2010 8:53 AM 1 Vote 0 Votes
What happens when the EA function does not produce an EA  and it runs without an EA, without a blueprint...? In the absence of the EA blueprint, the EA function can only run arbitrarily. And that's happening so often today.... Read More..
Categories: ,

Business Models versus business modelling

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 20, 2010 10:36 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
A business model is neither a business architecture nor the result of "business modeling", even though they sound related. The result of business modeling is not a business model but a business architecture. A business model describes the elements to consider... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The Enterprise Architecture role to coordinate Enterprise developments

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on December 12, 2010 11:02 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
The concept of EA is self selling but the current results turn its appeal down. In any case, it would be a benefit for business to have a set of Enterprise blueprints they can all refer to, debate upon and... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Budgeting Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 18, 2010 11:08 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
EA budgeting depends how the EA activity is conducted at a point in time: is it a project or a Business As Usual activity (BAU)? Companies sometimes rely on short burst of activities (projects) to establish the EA foundations. And then... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Architectural Views must be representative of Business Architecture and EA framework

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 17, 2010 11:20 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
An EA architect does not have to provide business views. This is the business of business professionals. The architect should supply though the EA framework, the component repository, guidelines... for all stakeholders to use in producing their own views so... Read More..
Categories: , ,

What architects can do with a single page Business Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 15, 2010 11:17 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
The question was raised in a LinkedIn discussion. Do Enterprise stakeholders need a simple business architecture like the one proposed in previous posts?True, most Enterprise Architects are not asked to do Business Architecture. A reason is that, it is not... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The scope of Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 8, 2010 12:29 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
EA, extended to or over its limits, maybe about strategy, transformation and in general about all things related to an Enterprise, depending on whom you are talking to. In practice though, an architecture is a set of integrated blueprints.Let's take... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Business Architecture in support of organization re-design

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on November 4, 2010 12:00 PM 3 Vote 0 Votes
Let's say you have the task to improve the sales department workings in the context of the Enterprise. Use business architecture. This has nothing to do with IT or technology though. To align Sales and Services operation with the organization one... Read More..
Categories: ,

A generic One Page Business Architecture, cnt'd

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 27, 2010 1:05 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
The essential generic business architecture (gBA) shows the main Enterprise Functions and Processes that describe, in one page, both the Enterprise structure and behaviour. gBA illustrates a full product cycle from forecasting and planning, to demand creation, product delivery,... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

The Essential Business Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 25, 2010 11:33 AM 6 Vote 0 Votes
Business Architecture (BA) is the most important layer or component of an Enterprise Architecture (EA). This is because it shapes all other layers. For instance,  Business functions and processes described in the BA dictate the type of technology and... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Discussion on the Enterprise Architecture framework definition and ISO/IEC42010

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 15, 2010 4:39 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
Since the post on the EA framework definition has raised discussions (please read comments to previous blog) I'll post this article separately to respond to concerns expressed, since it is worth clarifying the points of view with wider participation. Please... Read More..
Categories: , ,

An Enterprise Architecture framework definition

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 14, 2010 1:59 PM 11 Vote 0 Votes
Continuing one of my own recent posts: "the question is for us if we do need an EA framework... We do because the framework embodies, in a structured manner, the long experience of the many of us and our companies...... Read More..
Categories: ,

How EA doesn't do the work of strategy and planning functions

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 8, 2010 9:02 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Most, if not all, organizations already have strategy and planning functions. So why do enterprise architecture pundits and reputable firms stress that EA architects do strategy? What is the relationship between these functions--that is, strategy, planning and EA? I would like... Read More..
Categories: ,

The critique of illuminated opinions on Enterprise Architecture and frameworks

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on October 1, 2010 12:01 PM 1 Vote 0 Votes
Deloitte initiated, some time ago, a debate on "Does Cloud Computing Make Enterprise Architecture Irrelevant?" asserting that "The world of business technology is shifting to "almost enterprise" applications - a network of smaller, more agile applications that are often... Read More..
Categories: , , , ,

Enterprise Architecture and Strategy

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on September 30, 2010 12:38 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
EA as the architecture of the Enterprise, i.e. integrated blueprint and associated information, offers a solid base for roadmapping, planning and strategy specification and execution because EA describes the components of the Enterprise and their relationships.Strategic Planning is based... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Future or Current state EA, which one is first, cnt'd

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 31, 2010 11:07 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
I am elevating this at the blog level since it is an important debate for many of us and well, the posts are too long for a reply. Philip replied to my latest opinion in this debate. We agree to disagree;... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

The Enterprise Architect name and EA profession

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 31, 2010 9:05 AM 1 Vote 0 Votes
Jeff Scott of Forrester blogged about the Enterprise Architect in "What's in a name". I replied but I would further like to expand on this. Were we to look at the name alone, we would conclude that Enterprise Architect is... Read More..
Categories: ,

On current and future Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 29, 2010 7:51 AM 5 Vote 0 Votes
Philip Allega of Gartner replied on my blog with "Future state first current state last" to the position stood last week on the debate on current and future EA. Thanks Philip, I'll take the challenge since this is an old... Read More..
Categories: ,

Enterprise Architecture, how does it relate to strategy

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 26, 2010 11:31 AM 2 Vote 0 Votes
The Enterprise Architecture relationship to strategy, ontology, design (thinking)... is debated yet again in the EA communities of LinkedIn. Perhaps, that will still happen till we get that EA definition hammered down and agreed, somehow. Still, EA looks like a... Read More..
Categories: , ,

About Gartner's Philip Allega "Applying EA to your life"

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 22, 2010 9:32 AM 5 Vote 0 Votes
It is often said that "life imitates art".  According to Philip Allega of Gartner in "Applying EA to your life" we should apply  Enterprise Architecture techniques to plan our acts of life or achievements.  I sincerely hope we don't come to that,... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Enterprise Architecture relation to Strategy, Innovation, Risk, Investment and Transformation

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 20, 2010 9:25 AM 2 Vote 0 Votes
 This is an answer to a question to the previous post:Tom: "Please talk to us regarding the business value of these five enterprise architecture capabilities".1.     Strategy Formation, Planning and Alignment2. Emerging Technologies and New Technology Innovation3. Technology Risk... Read More..
Categories: , ,

The future of Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 18, 2010 1:29 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
I just thought that it is not a bad time to attempt to forecast myself the future of EA given the high interest still attracted by the topic. After all, Gartner does it with profusion of detail.Is Enterprise Architecture going... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Gartner's EA hypecycle critique

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 10, 2010 12:19 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
Gartner's news on Enterprise Architecture leaves me a bit baffled as usual. This seems to become a quarterly forecast aimed to direct the community on the right EA track. Let's dissect a bit the news. The message is centred around the EA hypecycle... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Survey proves that Enterprise Architecture does only IT strategy, solution architecture and project reviews

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on August 4, 2010 10:31 AM 1 Vote 0 Votes
Here is a Forrester survey from 2009 on what IT professionals part of an EA group, typically do.  I add my source and the picture for convenience. ."Addressing near-term needs of applications... " (21%) and Addressing near-term needs of infrastructure" (15%) suggest, at first sight,... Read More..
Categories: ,

Enterprise Architecture in times of economic downturn

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 27, 2010 10:37 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
In times of economic crisis and after, but not only, to survive, a company needs to* increase effectiveness (i.e. produce more with less) by discovering, documenting, improving and streamlining its processes; that requires alignment of BPM, Lean/Six-Sigma, CMM efforts...* enhance organization efficiency by... Read More..
Categories: ,

Benefits are enabled by the Enterprise Architecture but realised by stakeholders

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 20, 2010 1:56 PM 0 Vote 0 Votes
It's worth pointing out again that EA is not in itself about business improvement, technology alignment, strategic planning and portfolio management; EA enables them all though, if properly modelled. As such, to measure Enterprise Architecture value as an EA architect, one... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

EA benefits evaluation

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 15, 2010 11:53 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Every Enterprise improvement ultimately translates into profit or cost saving for the business. For top management and external stakeholders that is what principally matters, after all. Nonetheless, to assess the effect of an EA action directly at these financial indicators... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

All you want to know about Enterprise Architecture

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 8, 2010 3:55 PM 1 Vote 0 Votes
Here are my answers to a few frequently asked questions that get wrong answers.What is Enterprise Architecture (EA)? EA is the Architecture i.e. the blueprint of the Enterprise. It describes its structure and the human and technology resources operating it. The EA... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

What Enterprise Architecture does and what should be measured for

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on July 2, 2010 11:03 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Presently, the EA term is conveniently defined by each and everyone to do whatever an (s)he does or prefers to do. Still EA lives in the IT space, even though some people would prefer otherwise.In any case, the EA value... Read More..
Categories: ,

An Enterprise Architecture Development Framewor GODS-FFLV

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on June 25, 2010 10:41 AM 0 Vote 0 Votes
Any Enterprise consists, at its basics, of business processes delivering the products and the Technology and People resource layers implementing the business processes. As such Business, Technology and People become the key layers of an Enterprise Architecture (EA). Each layer... Read More..
Categories: , ,

Enterprise Architecture should consider People and Organization

user-pic
By Adrian Grigoriu on June 24, 2010 12:10 PM 2 Vote 0 Votes
Not long ago I felt that Enterprise Architecture (EA) had not been growing at the pace I, at least, thought it should. I asked myself why and came up with a couple of issues. I never thought though the list... Read More..
Categories: , , ,

Archives

Adrian Grigoriu blogs about everything relating to enterprise and business architecture, SOA, frameworks, design, planning, execution, organization and related issues.

Adrian Grigoriu

Adrian is head of enterprise architecture at Ofcom, the spectrum and broadcasting U.K. regulatory agency. He is former chief architect of the TM Forum, an organization providing a reference integrated business architecture framework, best practices and standards for the telecommunications and digital media industries. Previously, he was an executive consultant in enterprise strategy and architecture. He has also been a high technology, enterprise architecture and strategy senior manager at Accenture and Vodafone, and a principal consultant and lead architect at Qantas, Logica, Lucent Bell Labs and Nokia. He is the author of a book on enterprise architecture development, speaks at industry conferences and has published articles with BPTrends, the Microsoft Architecture Journal and the EI magazine.

Recently Commented On

Monthly Archives

Blogs

ADVERTISEMENT