Introduction

Knowledge is power. However, Acquiring a knowledge management tool is only the beginning.

EA is a holistic approach to manage the enterprise knowledge. It is a type of knowledge management practice tailor to manage the knowledge under the scope of an organization rather than a general knowledge management.


According to Inside Knowledge, Snowden's early work in the field of decision support systems informed his principles of organic knowledge management, using "the natural contours of [an] organisation to allow knowledge to self-organise and self-manage." [4] He describes his three basic rules or principles of knowledge exchange: [9][10]

"Knowledge can only be volunteered; it can't be conscripted."
"People always know more than they can tell, and can tell more than they can write."

"People only know what they need to know when they need to know it."





1. PRESERVE ENTERPRISE KNOWLEDGE

Enterprise Architecture preserve the institutional knowledge for business continuity. It is inevitable of personnel transition in a enterprise. Instead let the institutional knowledge walk away with the transition, EA is effort to preserve the institutional knowledge and maintain enterprise continuity.

Documenting the existing environment is the fundamental of EA. A managed chaos is better than an out of control chaos. Why the effort of documenting existing environment? Starting from a clean sheets for optimization is not a realistic option for most of exiting enterprise, there are many reasons for an enterprise to become the way it is. EA can not bring the business and technology together without knowing the reasons behind the way it is.

Many people have thought that documenting existing environment is trivial because it is exiting and it is all there. It is easy to see a tree but it is not trivial to see the forest. Documenting the existing environment to map out the enterprise is a major effort in EA. It required systematic engineering approach to document the existing environment for the enterprise similar to the national geographical survey to the country.

Documenting existing environment offer a solution to architecture buy-in. It establish a sense of community to the stakeholders toward architecture compliance. The best architecture compliance enforcement is among the stakeholders rather than totally relies on the government. In urban planning, the sense of community and culture have been a major driver for architecture compliance. For example, neighbors in a subdivision keep up with each other to follow the standards and regulation. Existing environment support

Pattern recognition from documenting existing environment offer a solution to the EA “paralysis by analysis”. The effort of Enterprise Resources Planning approach with the concept of generic model have encountered different bottle because of every enterprise has it own culture and one size does not fit all. Documenting the existing environment tells the most of what the stakeholders need. Pattern recognition from the existing environment establish building blocks to best suit the agency’s particular organization, culture, and internal management practices.

The Preserving Institutional Knowledge section elaborate the approach to preserve institutional knowledge.

To adapt the knowledge management approach in managing the Enterprise institutional knowledge. Knowledge management (KM) comprises a range of practices used in an organization to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organizational processes or practice.

The type of Enterprise Knowledge

According to Inside Knowledge, Snowden's early work in the field of decision support systems informed his principles of organic knowledge management, using "the natural contours of [an] organisation to allow knowledge to self-organise and self-manage." [4] He describes his three basic rules or principles of knowledge exchange: [9][10]

"Knowledge can only be volunteered; it can't be conscripted."
"People always know more than they can tell, and can tell more than they can write."

"People only know what they need to know when they need to know it."


Enterprise Topology to preserve Intitutional knowledge

Enterprise Topology is the effort to preserve institutional knowledge. The challenge is how to transfer the institutional knowledge from each individual. Not all institutional knowledge can be transfer by words like telling a story. Institutional knowledge reside in each individual in the following forms.. .

• . The knowledge can be described in words.
• . The knowledge can be described in picture.
• . The knowledge unable to describe.
. The subconcius knowledge that the individual does not know they know.


In everyday speech and popular writing, however, the term is very commonly encountered. There it will be employed to refer to a supposed 'layer' or 'level' of mentation (or/and perception) located in some sense 'beneath' conscious awareness -- though, again, the notion's dependence upon informal 'folk-psychological' models that remain vague means that the precise nature and properties of this 'underlying' layer are either never made explicit or possess an ad hoc quality. At different times, references to the 'subconscious' as an agency may credit it with various abilities and powers that exceed those possessed by consciousness: the 'subconscious' may apparently remember, perceive and determine things beyond the reach or control of the conscious mind. The idea of the 'subconscious' as a powerful or potent agency has allowed the term to become prominent in the New Age and self-help literatures, in which investigating or controlling its supposed knowledge or power is seen as advantageous. The 'subconscious' may also be supposed to contain (thanks to the influence of the psychoanalytic tradition) any number of primitive or otherwise disavowed instincts, urges, desires and thoughts.



It take some psychological skill to transfer the institutional knowledge from each individual . In the stone soup story, food is very short right after the war. the hungry solders knows very well that they will get starved by asking food directly from the villagers. But they really knows how to get the hidden food out the villagers and make the best soup that villagers can never forget. Enterprise architecture must also know how to excavate institutional knowledge from each individual, it is more than not just a matter of sent out data call and expect people to tell every thing they know. The skill to excavate embedded institutional knowledge from people requires substantial understanding of human nature.

3.1 The limitation of direct inquiry

Most EA approach gather the enterprise knowledge in a direct approach by sending out data call, survey form and conduct site interview in a very direct approach. In the story of stone soup, the solders knows better that they will get starved if they ask food directly from the villagers, people will not even open the door. It is also a common EA experience that people want Enterprise Architecture to go away because of redundant and overwhelm data call and interview from EA initiatives. Frequently, for the people who have the institutional knowledge, answer the survey is not their priority. The data call an inquiry may comes people with limited institutional knowledge.

3.2 Knowledge transfer by knowing human nature

In the Stone Soup story, the solders knows well to use human nature on getting the hidden food from the villagers. They raise the villagers curiosity by setting up as pot of water and declare to make soup with magic stone. With the curious villagers around, they orchestrate the voluntary contribution of their hidden food. The solders knows the human nature of showing off when a person feels that they know better. Enterprise topology take the same approach to transfer the embedded institutional knowledge from each individual.


3.2.1 Knowledge transfer via the human nature of curiosity

Curiosity is a human gift. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. The initial Enterprise Topology raise the stakeholder curiosity with a very high level Enterprise Topology template similar to the pot of water in the stone soup story.

3.2.2 Knowledge transfer via the sensation of solving a puzzle.

Not only the architects want to put together the Enterprise big picture, the Enterprise Topology has also become a sensation to the stakeholders too. The Enterprise Topology become a big puzzle challenge to every one and trigger the knowledge transfer to complete the enterprise and see the true big picture.

3.2.3 Knowledge transfer via the nature of show off

It is a human nature that people want to show that they know better than you. Do not worry making mistake in preparing the initial enterprise topology. Making honest mistake on the enterprise topology give the opportunity for the stakeholder to show off that they knows better. From there on, they begin to to dumping out their hidden institutional knowledge. The caveats is the architects must do their home work so that they do not appears to ignorant.




Enterprise Architecture document management

Enterprise Architecture record keeping

Organic EA suggest to use EA repository and document library to manage the enterprise knowledge.

Knowledge transfer


Enterprise Architecture preserves the institutional knowledge for business continuity. It is inevitable of personnel transition in a enterprise. Instead of letting the institutional knowledge walk away with the transition, EA is the effort to preserve the institutional knowledge and maintain enterprise continuity. This is a large problem in corporations where folks are entrenched for many years (20+) and little effort has been made with documentation.

While many industry pundits emphasize future state EA plans, there is merit with documenting the current state. A managed chaos is better than one that is uncontrolled. The value of current state architecture comes from two areas. First, when corporations face large efforts that perhaps have been mandated often they must review and change every system in their portfolio. The industry I represent, health insurance, is riddled with mandates of this nature. Understanding where things are is essential. Next, when system retirements/replacements are scheduled it is very useful to have current state blueprints, preferably in a repository, that can be queried to determine the impact of such a change. For example, if one is replacing system A, one can query the repository to see what other systems are tied to system A. Finally, current state architectural information is useful for disaster recovery efforts. While the information would need to be stored off-site it is still useful to have the data to answer questions like "if site Q is down what servers, systems, and business units are impacted?".

Many people have thought that documenting existing environment is trivial because it is exiting and it is all there. It is easy to see a tree but it is not trivial to see the forest. Documenting the existing environment to map out the enterprise is a major effort in EA. It required systematic engineering approach to document the existing environment for the enterprise similar to the national geographical survey to the country.

Documenting existing environment offer a solution to architecture buy-in. It establish a sense of community to the stakeholders toward architecture compliance. The best architecture compliance enforcement is among the stakeholders rather than totally relies on the government. In urban planning, the sense of community and culture have been a major driver for architecture compliance. For example, neighbors in a subdivision keep up with each other to follow the standards and regulation. Existing environment support

Pattern recognition from documenting existing environment offer a solution to the EA “paralysis by analysis”. The effort of Enterprise Resources Planning approach with the concept of generic model have encountered different bottle because of every enterprise has it own culture and one size does not fit all. Documenting the existing environment tells the most of what the stakeholders need. Pattern recognition from the existing environment establish building blocks to best suit the agency’s particular organization, culture, and internal management practices.



EA enable every one to known the parts of Enterprise. In an organization, business managers see the big picture to lead the business directions without knowing the parts. Staff members knows the parts but only the parts they have touched.



Enterprise Knowledge Management ^ TOP

Posted on 11:30:44 by LEA -

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