Abstract
The first generation EA architect the enterprise blueprint as if it is the mechanical design of an aircraft carrier. It requires significant resources and time, only large organization can afford it. However, they also discover that the expensive architecture blueprint become obsolete before the ink dry because Enterprise is organic. It does not serve well to describe an organic enterprise with an mechanical architecture design concept.
Instead of architect a full blown enterprise blueprint, The Light EA, suggest a light approach with the concept of Notional target architecture, Reference architecture, Service Orin ted Architecture and Segment Architecture to enable a practical EA approach. It is light for both large and small organizations. The light EA approach enable large and small organization not only to overcome the challenge of stovepipe system but also the capability to adapt change in time of need.
By saying the world change constantly does not mean it is futile to plan ahead. In the changing world, not every thing change rapidly, there are some thing with mild change such as the primitives or every some thing do not change such as the principle. The strategy to adapt change is to enable agility by leveraging on the common primitives that relatively static. LEA distinguish the agility architecture in the horizontal direction.
LEA serves as a bridge between business and engineering community to overcome the challenge of buy-in from the stake holders. It adopt a human centric EA approach to deliver tangible EA architecture drawing and use communication professional as the EA liaison in the business community. As the bridge, LEA can further integrate the power of left/right brain for business community to achieve business excellence.
The significant of EA is more more than IT or business, it steps into the domain of holism which is very different from the traditional ontological world. Modern physic recognize the limitation of classic mechanic and the holistic physics come to fill the gaps. In the twentieth century, under the evolution of quantum mechanic, the classic physic has undergone major supplementation and transformation. In the same token, architects have encountered the limitation of traditional architecture principle to architect an organic system. EA is a modern architecture concept to architecture organic system from holistic aspect. It is an to see the whole and find the parts rather than work on the parts to assemble the whole.
Light EA put different architecture effort into perspective. To overcome the redundant effort of silo system phenomenon and adapt the constant changing enterprise, the industry have come up with the concept of enterprise architecture, reference architecture, services oriented architecture, segment architecture and solution architecture. In the industry, every one only touch a part of the architecture approach and tend to insist on their righteousness from the parts they have touched as we have experienced in many architecture discussion as noted in the collection of EA definition. The only way to overcome the challenge of silo system, is to understand the value of each architecture effort and put them into perspective.
enterprise architecture
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EA based IT Goverance
Back Ground5.THE INTERNATIONAL Governance and compliance framework
COBIT's success as an increasingly internationally accepted set of guidance materials for IT governance has resulted in the creation of a growing family of publications and products designed to assist in the implementation of effective IT governance throughout an enterprise.
The Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT) is a set of best practices (framework) for information technology (IT) management created by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), and the IT Governance Institute (ITGI) in 1996. COBIT provides managers, auditors, and IT users with a set of generally accepted measures, indicators, processes and best practices to assist them in maximizing the benefits derived through the use of information technology and developing appropriate IT governance and control in a company.
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Light EA Terminalogy
Adaptive Enterprise Architecture Enterprise Architecture with the capability to adapt change. It recognize the world change constantly rather than static.Alignment Architecture: Alignment Architecture is the effort to align technology to business need, it is a matter of how to use the technology rather than how to develop the application.
Agility Architecture : Agility architecture is the effort to keep architecture solution agile and simple via reuse the common building blocks and leverage on common infrastructure.
Architecture : The effort to orderly arrange the parts. It is not only for technology but also for business management.
Ba-GuaIn ancient Chinese wisdom, Ba-Gua, evolved form Yin-Yang is considered as the code of change. The trigrams have correspondences in astronomy, astrology, geography, geomancy, anatomy, the family, and elsewhere in the Chinese culture.
Architecture drawing
Book of change : A 3000 thousand year old ancient Chinese wisdom book dedicate to study the law of change based on the concept of Yin-Yan and Ba-Gua.
Baseline Standards Diagram (BSD) : The Baseline standard diagram is the agility architecture artifact. It is composed based on the agility attributes of pattern, standards and consolidation. The purpose is to convey EA standards in a explicit and comprehensive approach. It is difficult to comply with standards without knowing what it is.
Coherent : marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts; "a coherent argument". HACEA align technology to business in a coherent approach.
Cloud Computing : Cloud computing is a holistic architecture concept to integrate the technology evolution in Virtualization, Service Oriented Architecture, Software Application as a Service, and Data resource as a service. Technology along such as Virtualization, SOA, and SaaS without holistic integration do not constitute cloud computing.
Enterprise Architecture : Enterprise Architecture is a holistic architecture approach to overcome the challenge of stovepipe system. It is an architecture plan rather than a blueprint.
Enterprise Topology : Enterprise Topology render the logical Enterprise into tangible map to see the true big picture of the enterprise.
EA Framework : A tool to keep holistic analysis simple
Game Theory : is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences, most notably in economics, as well as in biology, engineering, political science, international relations, computer science, and philosophy. Game theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, in which an individual's success in making choices depends on the choices of others.
Left Brain/Right Brain
Notional Target Architecture: A holistic and high level technology alignment architecture serve as the mater plan on how business leverage on technology evolution.
High level Business Architecture: The holistic and high level business architecture for the enterprise instead of the detail business process modelling.
Holistic : emphasizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole. HACEA is the effort to see the whole and empahsizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole.
Human Centric
IT service: The IT support to the customer
IT service management : The management of IT operation.
Jigsaw puzzle
Nash Equilibrium
Organic EA EA to recognize enterprise is organic.
Reference Model : Reference model enable enterprise to learn the right experience of the other by referencing to the right architecture parts.
Segment Architecture: The detail architecture effort to close business performance gaps, planning the transition and deliver modernization.
Story of Stone Soup
Static EA : Enterprise Architecture to design the enterprise blueprint as a enterprise wide solution architecture.
Story of blind man and the elephant
Transition planning:
Tao: The concept of Tao differs from Western ontology, however; it is an active and holistic conception of the world, rather than one that focuses on a hierarchy of being.
Wu-Xing : The system of five phases was used for describing interactions and relationships between phenomena. It was employed as a device in many fields of early Chinese thought, including seemingly disparate fields such as geomancy or Feng shui, astrology, traditional Chinese medicine, music, military strategy and martial arts.
Whole : Seven blind mice conclude that "Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole". The challenge is what is the true whole.
Yin-Yang : In Chinese phylosophy, Yin-Yang is considered as the law of change.
Zero Sum
The Enterprise Architecture is a high level architecture effort for holistic analysis. It include the high level business architecture and Notional target architecture. The notional architecture is not detail to support Enterprise transition plan. It change gradually as the master plan.
Segment architecture is initiated to closed business performance gap based on performance measurement for the purpose of balancing all enterprise function and technologies. The segment architecture is the detail architecture design to support transition plan.
Solution architecture is the system architecture based on the transition plan in the segment architecture. It is the mechanism to modernize the Enterprise. The solution architecture address the rapid change.
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Why Light EA?
The Bottleneck of EA evolutionEnterprise Architecture has not evolved as expected. Scott Ambler, the chief methodologist for Agile and Lean for IBM Rational, in Enterprise Architecture: Reality over Rhetoric, says:
"For several decades we've heard that effective enterprise architecture programs are a critical success factor for medium-to-large size IT organizations. I have been a promoter of enterprise architecture, both after all these years it seems that the reality of enterprise architecture is nowhere close to fulfilling some of the rhetoric around it. "
The January 2010 State of the IT Union Survey.
In 2008, Ian Rowland says in Why Isn’t Enterprise Architecture In The Big Time?
"Let’s confess, then, what we really know in our heart of hearts … Enterprise Architecture is a discipline that hasn’t really made it to the big time. If that’s the case, what are the causes? Is EA a rocket that hasn’t got off the launch pad, or a firework that has fizzled? "
The bottleneck of EA evolution is due to the confusing of EA and Enterprise wide solution architecture. The first generation EA, under the shadow of solution architecture, is an effort to architect the enterprise blueprint similar to which is design an aircraft carrier or a jumble jet in a command and control approach.
EA under the shadow of solution architecture
The first generation EA has evolved on the shadow of solution architecture, it runs within the EA model, EA methods and EA disciplines. Many EA professional are solution architects wearing a EA skin. The only way to overcome the bottle neck of EA is to come out the shadow of solution architecture to consider EA as an emerging paradigm rather than an enterprise scale solution architecture design.
EA model under the shadow of solution architecture. The popular NIST EA model looks like a solution architecture and sounds like an solution architecture therefore it is nothing new but an enterprise wide solution architecture.
Figure 1. NIST EA Model
The EA experts under the shadow of solution architecture. EA was initiated to overcome the challenge of stovepipe, most of EA proponents are technology oriented with limited participation from business community. Many EA professional are solution architecture oriented with the ambition to design an enterprise wide solution architecture. Instead of considering EA as an emerging paradigm, they suggest to practice EA as an enterprise wide solution architecture to design the enterprise blueprint for construction.
EA method, tools and training under the shadow of solution architecture Established EA method, training and certification such as the Enterprise Architecture Planning approach (EAP) and the open group architecture framework (TOGAF) are heavy influenced under the shadow of solution architecture. The training and certificate under these approach further lead to EA as an enterprise wide solution architecture. Some EA tool and repository simple rename their solution architecture tool to wear an EA skin.
The enterprise wide solution architecture approach has resulted The bottleneck :
• Requires significant investment on resource and time.
• Create a larger stovepipe
• It have no value until the delivery.
• EA only for large organization
• The risk of "paralysis by analysis"
• EA blueprint become obsolete before the ink dry due to the constant changing world.
• Lack of Buy-in from the stakeholder
• For the engineering community.
• Fail to lea industry trend in SOA, virtualization and cloud computing.
The Light Enterprise Architecture suggest a Light and Right Enterprise Architecture approach. It suggest a wide and thin Enterprise architecture to serve as the master plan for the propose to distinguish EA from an enterprise wide solution and overcome the challenge of buy-in from stakeholders. The purpose of LEA is to :
. LEA to enable simple, agile servie management.
. Distinguish EA from enterprise wide solution architecture.
. Overcome the significant investment on resource and time.
. Eliminate "paralysis by analysis"
. Buy-in from the stakeholder
. Adapt change
. EA as an emerging paradigm.
5. THE VALUE
. Light EA is manageble Light EA is manageble to avoid the paralisys by analysis. Instead of an enterprise wide solution architecture to boil the ocean, It sugest high level business architure, alignment architecture and look for the commonaly.
. Light EA to adapt constant changing world. Adapting change is not an option, it is the reality that world chage constantly with the ticking time. However, it is also a human nature that people resist change. The Orgnic EA approach eable a simple and agile approach to adapt chante. The first generation EA is static to design the enterprise blueprint similar to a buidling architecture. Under the static EA approach, the architecture effort is the architecture blueprint inside the ivory tower and segment architecture is a divide and conquer engineering practice.
. Light EA is Human centric The EA community have the expectation to perform Enterprise Architectrue in a mechanica and automation approch. However, Architecrue is a inovative process, it must be human centric. It is a tangible EA practice for human touch by adopt the traditional architecture drawing approach to render the logical EA architecture on a tangible drawing.
. Light EA approach articulate collaboration and reconciliation and total participation Collation and reconciliation is easy to say but difficult to do. Light EA learns from the falk story of stone sout to articulate collaboration and reconciliation.
. Light EA serve as the bridge between business and engineering to integrate the power of left/right brain. The right brain businass community tend to see the whole without knowing the parts. The right brain community tend to see the part without knowing the whole. EA serve as the bridge to enable the business community to see the parts and engineering communite to see the whole.
. Light EA suggest to achieve business excellence via architecture method The Oragnic architecture approach does not only applies to information technology but also many other business managment practice such as human resources, financing, business process reengineering and risk managment.
. Light EA for small and large organization The Lignt EA approach is not only or large organication but also very important for small organization. Small organization do not have the resources and time to reinvent wheel. The best way is to learn experiences of the others via the light Enterprsie Architecure approach.
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What is Light EA?
The Light Enterprise Architecture is light compare to the first generation EA which design the enterprise architecture blueprint. The initial EA concept has not being practical to Enterprise need, It requires significant investment of resources and time to design the enterprise blueprint. Essentially, it is an enterprise wide solution architecture to design the enterprise as if it is a jumbo jet or large building complex. This approach overlook the fact that enterprise is organic and the enterprise blueprint become obsolete before the ink dry due the organic nature of constant change. Instead of designing a static enterprise blueprint. Light EA take a light approach to establish a notional Target architecture; establish agility via horizontal architecture and adapt change via Segment Architecture. In addition to the lightness, LEA also address the concern of "Stealth EA". it offer a human centric approach to deliver tangible and visible EA products. LEA recognize that enterprise is organic, It take a holistic approach adapt change and support business strategic planning.Light EA put different architecture into perspective. For the purpose to facilitate business in taking advantage of technology evolution, the industry have developed many different architecture approach which range from solution architecture, enterprise architecture, reference architecture, service oriented architecture and segment architecture. Although, all the different architecture approach tend to address the same goal for the business community to take advantage of technology evolution in an agile and simple manner. However, each architecture approach have embraced their own approach. Not to mention the difference between different architecture approach, Even under the name of EA, there are many different EA definition as show in the collection of Enterprise Architecture Definition. . The cloud of different architecture approach have also contributed significant architecture myth such as: enterprise architecture as a large scale solution approach; SOA to replace EA; Segment Architecture without Enterprise master plan.
Holistic Inspiration for Organic System
Enterprise is organic and the are significant limitation to architecture an organic Enterprise under the classical ontological approach. enterprise is a complex adaptive system that encompasses more than one theoretical framework and is highly interdisciplinary. In the twentieth century, under the evolution of quantum mechanic, the classic physic has undergone major supplementation and transformation. Field were added to particle model, and particle and fields have become aspects of an perplexing physical reality. The straightforward mechanical causality that was part of the earlier atomic model was replaced by indeterminacy and statistical causality in quantum theory. Modern physic is evolving toward or rediscovering a holistic physic as described in the flowing research;
. Val Dusek, "The Holistic Inspiration of Physics: The Underground History of Electromagnetic Theory" The work is largely on the research of specializes scholars in Chinese, Renaissance and German studies, and the history of early modern science. The reader can get a struck by fact that the Chinese, hermetic, and Romantic alternative sciences all made important contribution to the prehistory of field theory, and the common features of these approaches contributed to an important part of contemporary physics.
. Nick Herbert, "Holistic Physics or an introduction to quantum tantra" Will the bizarre quantum world forever exist as the private preserve of mathematicians and experimental physicists, or might ordinary people someday gain access to its fabled realms? Recent research into quantum theory's philosophical dimensions suggests that fundamental quantum research may someday return to a human scale and allow every human being, no matter what their academic credentials, to take part in the quantum adventure, joining with physicists and mathematicians in an egalitarian adventure I call holistic physics. Holistic physics could open up a third front of quantum research on the scale of ordinary experience with inexpensive equipment, which would complement conventional quantum research on the cosmological and elementary particle scales, a third front made possible by the very reality problem that so distressed Einstein and other early quantum physicists.
. William day, "The New Physic". The author shows that there is another physics that is more appropriate than dynamics for describing the nature of matter and the composition of the universe. He contends that there is a three-stage hierarchy: particles, atoms, gravitational systems, all patterned on motion. A model is given for particles based on the principles of the new physics that is considerably simpler and more plausible than the quarks model.
Definition
Light Enterprise Architecture enable business community to take advantage of technology evolution. It serve both business and engineering community with human centric, light and holistic approach to overcome the challenge of silos system, adapt change and support business strategic direction. LEA see the enterprise big picture with enterprise topology; Decomposition the enterprise with business architecture; Align technology to business need with notional target architecture; Enable agility with horizontal architecture; Close business performance gap to adapt change with segment architecture.
It include the enterprise architecture to see the whole; Top down Alignment architecture to facilitate business community in taking advantage to modern solution; Cross cutting Agility architecture to enable agility; Iterative Coherent Architecture to deliver the right architecture for the right people on the right place at the right time.
1. The Light EA Model
On top of the model, LEA propose the Coherent Architecture to deliver the right architecture to the right people on the right place at the right time. It is a continuous effort to adapt change via initiate segment architecture to close business performance gaps. The Coherent EA is based on the foundation of a holistic business architecture with the support of the vertical alignment architecture and the horizontal agility architecture.
The horizontal architecture approach enable agility via learning experience of others and keeping it simple via encapsulate complexity. Reference model to learn the right experience of others, The horizontal architecture is not only the engineering of reuse and consolidation but also the political process to establish and enforce standards.
Enterprise Architecture is not all about information technology.The same horizontal architecture approach also applicable to business process, human resources, and security. An organization ride on business processes, human resources, information technology and security to reach their business mission. LEA suggest to establish Enterprise agility not only on information technology but also business process, human resources and security.
LEA adapt change via holistic alignment architecture, agility architecture and Coherent architecture as shown in the following figure. It adopt the Yin-Yang symbol from the The book of changes to represent the constant changing world.
2. To see the Enterprise
In Enterprise Architecture, one must be able to see the enterprise so that they can improve on how to take advantage of technology evolution. It is an effort to see the unseen big picture because Enterprise is logical and invisible. In the metaphor of blind man and elephant, collaboration and reconciliation is the only way to see the unseen elephant.
. Stovepipe systems are created become of enterprise is invisible.
. The architecture community can not measure the invisible parts not mention to improve the parts.
. It is difficult for business community to plan the future without enterprise visibility.
2.1 Business Architecture to analyz the enterprise structure
3. Address the complex system with vertical, horizontal and circular approach
Enterprsie is organic, It is a complex adaptive system as defined in the cynefin framework. The Examples of complex adaptive systems include the stock market, the ecosystem, manufacturing businesses and any group-based cultural/social endeavors, such as political parties or communities. A complex adaptive system encompasses more than one theoretical framework and is highly interdisciplinary. Light Enterprise Architecture helps organizations formulate educated business strategies, make sound investments, and deliver the right solutions -- to the right people, at the right times, and to the right places. Light EA adress the complex system with the vertical Alignment architecture, the horizontal Agility architecture and the circular Coherent Architecture as shown in the following figure.
Alignment Architecture:, which is better known as The notional target architecture, align information solution to business need in a top down approach. It is the vertical Alignment Architecture.
Agility Architecture , which beater known as the The services oriented architecture looks for the commonality, establish standards and established common services in a cross cutting (horizontal) approach, It is the horizontal Agility architecture.
The Coherent Architecture, which is better know as segment architecture , is initiated to closed business performance gaps in time of need. It is coherence architecture to enable business prosperity coherently. It is the circular coherent architecture.
LEA Framework put different architecture approach into perspective
Instead of embrace a specific architecture approach to facilitate the business on taking advantage of technology evolution, LEA value the variety of architecture approach and establish a framework to put all the different architecture approach in perspective.
Light Enterprise Architecture attempts to elevate EA out of the shadow of solution architecture by treating the enterprise as a complex adaptive system. It embraces change via Enterprise business architecture, enables the business community to take advantage of technology advancements via vertical alignment architecture, and establishes enterprise primitives via horizontal agility architecture.
on the based that
. All the different architecture approach have the same goal to take advantage of technology evolution.
.All the architecture methods are the only the means to achieve the goal.
. the truth is none of the individual approach can achieve the goal alone.
The following holistic framework describe the subject area of Light Enterprise Architecture.
On the based of holistic framework, the following figure put the different architecture parts into perspective and illustrate how different architecture approach can work together holistically.
LEA put different architecture approach into perspective
6. Measure business performance gap via Coherence analysis
In the mechanic paradigm, performance gap is measured with a static metric. However, in a organic paradigm, the performance measurement is not only against a metric but also about equilibrium. LEA adopt the Wu Xing model to measure the performance via equilibrium. For example:
7. Adapt change with Agile Segment Architecture
It suggest the initial EA for the purpose of holistic and operate EA via Operational EA to adapt the constant changing Enterprise.
After the initial EA, the major effort of EA is shift to Segment Architecture which is a sub-set of EA to address the dynamic change of business. For EA to be practical, the notional enterprise architecture is only elaborated in the area of business rather than design the entire enterprise in a big-bang approach base on the architects ideology. Segment Architecture is incremental and continuous. On contrary to the holistic and notional target enterprise architecture , segment architecture is executable which support gap analysis, transition plan and modernization.
8.The Light EA Method
Following the definition, the structure, the model, one more thing to explain "what is Organic EA?" is the Road map to show the flow of Organic EA components. The bottom line is the methodology rather than theory and models. The following figure illustrate the Organic EA method by showing that Organic EA methodology include the planning phase, the holistic phase, the agility phase and coherent phase.
The planing phase include the activities of planning, organization, funding and governance structure and processes.
The holistic business architecture phase is an holistic phase to see the true whole via Enterprise topology, analyze business architecture and align the application, data, technologies and security under the umbrella of the whole.
The Alignment architecture phase is a vertical alignment for business to take advantage of technology evolution.
The agility phase is a horizontal architecture phase to look for commonality among the vertical architecture. It learn the right experiences of the others via reference models and reference architecture from the same line of business. Planing for reuse and consolidation via standardization and compliance to standards.
The Coherent phase is the organic part of EA. It is the effort to deliver the right architecture for stakeholder need in adapting change. It identify the business performance gaps, prepare strategic planning, identify the scope segment architecture to close the gaps, lay out transition plan and initiate projects to develop the solution.
Planning phase :
1. Buy-in from senior management
2. Obtain EA management resources
3. Establish Management Structure
4. Establish EA infrastructure to leverage on automation.
5. Initiate EA management processes
Initial EA
1. Prepare the EA map to see the big picture and know the enterprise.
2. Facilitate EA collaboration.
3. Apply architecture principle to analyze Business Architecture.
4. Adopt basic EA standards, building blocks and common resources.
5. High level target solution architecture
6. Continue to evolve governance and compliance processes.
7. Deliver EA value to initiate EA culture.
EA operation is incremental and continuous
1. Continue to maintain EA standards
2. Annual IT strategic planning close performance gap.
3. Identify segment architecture to ellaborate enterprise target architecture and consolidate common resources.
4. Capital investment review
5. Initiate projects.
6. Project compliance review
7. Conduct EA self assessment
8. Continue to Improve governance and compliance processes
9. Make transition from stovepipe culture to EA culture.
4. Notional Time line
Organic EA is a continuous effort to adapt the constant changing world. The time line describe holistic enterprise business architecture and notional alignment architecture.
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