Technology Alignment
Mapping the applciation systemsThe EA map map the applicaiton systems, the bubble icon, to business processes as shown in the following figure.
Identify the application technology
The application systems comes in different colors which indicate the technology architecture pattern used by the application which can be mainframe, two tier, three tier and n tier applciation architecture.
Each bobble in the EA map lengend represent an application architecture run time pattern. For example : the main frame system technology architecture
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Abstract
The Book of Enterprsie Architecture Map establish a method to compose EA map drawing the concept of EA to map the logical and invisible enterprise. It render the Enterprise Environment similar to a topographic map in construction projects. A topographic map do not offer architecture solution, it is a map of the environment neither the EA map can offer architecture solution. However, It is futile to design architecture without topographical survey, in the same token, it is also futile to EA without lay out a tangible definition of the Enterprise. EA community have focused on "Architecture" and have not put enough attention to the definition of Enterprise. As a result, EA has not evolved as expected. EA map is the effort to clearly render the invisible "Enterprise" big picture.EA map is an EA discipline comparable to the discipline of engineering survey. The capability to map the enterprise and see the big picture distinguish EA professional from the others. The EA map book proposed many innovative approaches and detail guidance to enable visual architecture analysis on the drawing board as traditional architects do. These include:
. Adopt architecture drawing approach to render the logical and invisible Enterprise.
. Establish the EA map specification to define the EA map.
. Define the EA map deliver in drawing set. to establish the EA map delivery in drawing set to drill down the enterprise map detail.
. The EA map methodology The EA book define a repeatable and trainable EA map method for EA map to be come an engineering discipline rather art work.
. Suggest the concept of business function floor plan. The concept come directly form the traditional the floor plan in a building where the business functions as considers as the room in the floor plan and business processes are the work flow in on the floor plan.
. Align automation solution to business function and process in a visual expression. Automation system is analogy to furniture in the house. It map the application system, the data and technology environment to business function and processes.
The Book of EA Map draft
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The EA map method
EA topology drawings enable the stakeholders to see the whole. Enterprise is large and complicate which can not be comprehend by the traditional information survey and interview with the stakeholders without a more effective instrument . This article suggest an EA topology method as the instrument to see the whole. It consist of five layers of EA information which is established with three iterations by the collaboration of many stakeholders. The collaboration effort in creating EA topology does not only enable the stakeholders to see the big picture but also the key to get buy-in from the stakeholders.EA map is a mapping effort to gether the raw enterprise definition
EA map is the information engineering survey similar to the traditional engineering survey. It is not a prety picture as many people have suggested. The challenge of EA map is how to see logical and invisible enterprise.
LEA recommend hand-drawn diagrams in addition to mechanically generate drawings. A hand-drawn sketch today can often be far more valuable then a fully documented and validated document several months from now [2]. Hand-drawings capture the architecture thinking on the paper, the hand drawings actually facilitate the thinking process in group architecture design. Hand drawing carry the human touch which is essential to the communication between the architects and stakeholders in the design process. Mechanically generate drawings which document the architecture design can not replace the hand drawing , it serve the purpose to document the architecture after the fact of the designing process.
LEA suggest to use architecture drawings to illustrate the high level big picture rather than a blueprint for design and build as it is in the traditional engineering approach. EA in architecture drawing approach is not new, some EA approach take architecture drawings as a blueprint for design and build and created many drawings only good for use as wall paper. Architecture drawings is very effective on presenting the high level holistic big picture but do not serve well in describing business logic in detail. PEA architecture drawings are particularly useful to communication architecture concept with non-technical stakeholders. The high level architecture drawings , similar to the plan view in a house blueprint, illustrate enterprise architecture concept in explicit pictures to connect the non-technical stakeholder to the enterprise big picture as shown in the following example crated by the author. A hand-drawn sketch today can often be far more valuable then a fully documented and validated document several months from now [2]. Machine produced architecture drawing is valuable to document the architecture artifact after it is designed. The machine produce drawings are complicate and difficult to comprehend with special technology background. The architecture drawings can be presented on both electronically and on traditional paper print hard copy. The electronic versions are easy to distribute to the stakeholders. However, the hard copies of architecture drawings serve better during the communication to the non-technical stakeholders during the discussion. PEA suggest high level architecture drawing sets to illustrate the business architecture, the application architecture, the technology architecture similar to the traditional architecture drawings. The author have created proto type enterprise architecture drawing sets and have been very useful to communicate enterprise architecture with stakeholder
It is essential to establish an repeatable EA map method for EA map to become part of Enterprise Architecture dicipline. Without a repeatable method, the EA maps are considered as art rather engineering work. EA map is similar to geographical map. No one would consider geographical map as art work, in the same token, EA map should not be considered as art work either.
EA map is a mapping effort
EA map is a mapping effort similar to the engineering surveyors do. The EA map information is gather piece by piece from the field as the raw input. Many people suggest to generate EA map from an EA repository.
EA map serve as a gathering mechanism to collect the enterprise description information which is logical, invisible and embeded in each individual.
EA mapping is the effort to gather the enterpise descriping information. It is an information engineering survey to collect raw enterprise description. It consist o of enterprise mission, function, processes, organization, location and demand.
EA map is a mechanism to gather enterprise information on a big picture in a piece by piece, it does does not require a complication tool. All the drawing here is created using MS Visio.
EA map describe the enterprise business
EA map describe the enterprise from the aspect of mission, function, processes, organization, location and deamand as shown in the following business architecture model.
EA map also describe the automation environment
The EA map describe the enterprise automation environment to show the applciation systems used in business processes, the data associate to the applications and the technology used by the application systems as shown in the following EA model.
EA map is composed in three phases
EA map is composed in six layers
The lay out of EA map component
The name to Enterprise Architecture (EA) map is derived from its capacity to describe does not only describe the enterprise but also the automation environment. The Enterprise Map suggested by Mr.Burton, Herbert O, and Pennotti, Michael C is a business process centric approach. However Business process alone do not serve well to map an enterprise.
The following Enterprise Map approach is suggested to establish a repeatble enterprise map method. The EA map is created in six layers and go through four phases as shown in the following model.
EA map is esblished in a layered approach, the initial effort is to describe the enterprise business.
EA map is the effort to render the invisible enterprise, it requirse serveral interation to see the invisible enterprise.
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The Utilization of EA map
The value of EA map is to enable enterprise wide consideration instead to thinking insider their own box. Without an explict EA map, the concept of "Enteprise" has been a judgement call and subject to the human nature of bias perception. The EA map render the enterprise big picture and open up the vision in business performance measurment, strategic planning, capital investment, taking advantage of information technology evolution.EA community have focused on "Architecture" and have overlooked the word of "Enterprise". All they care is architecture solutoion. It is not unusual for EA professional to question if the EA map offer the solution on architecture design, performance measurement or capital investment? The answer is no, EA map render the enterprise environment as a topographic map in a construction project. It does not offer architecture solution , However, it is essenstial for enterprise consideration as a topographic map do in a construction projects. It is futile to design buildeing architecture without topographical survey, it is also futil to EA without delinate the Enterprise.
EA MAP ENABLE ENTERPRISE WIDE CONSIDERATION
See the big picture to enable critical thinking.
"Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes form seeing the whole." See the big picture enable critial thinking which consists of mental processes of discernment, analysis and evaluation. It includes possible processes of reflecting upon a tangible or intangible item in order to form a solid judgment that reconciles scientific evidence with common sense. In contemporary usage "critical" has a certain negative connotation that does not apply in the present case.[1] Though the term "analytical thinking" may seem to convey the idea more accurately, critical thinking clearly involves synthesis, evaluation, and reconstruction of thinking, in addition to analysis.
The sum is much greater than parts
Enterprise Map is an effort to collect the enterprise parts and orderly arrange the parts to see the big picture of the enterprise. In the logical and invisiable enterprise every one only touch parts of the Enterprise and the parts of institutional knowledge only reside deeply inside each one mind. The Enterprise Map method is designed to collect the Enterprise parts and put it together in an orderly arrangement. By putting together the big picture, one can truely realize the expression of "The sum is much greater than the parts".
THE UTILIZATION OF EA MAP
. Preserve Enterprise knowldege
. Use EA maps for New staff Orienteation to enble new staff member "touch down and run".It is a tremendous cost saving value considering the significant warm up time for new staff member. This is particularly true for organization which heavyly relies on contractors.
. Enterprise Architecture Enterprise Architects use EA map for modernization and consolidation.
. System Architecture. System archtiects use EA map to prepare system requirements and identify reusable resources.
. Enterprise wide performance measurement. Business perforamnce specialist use EA map for enterprise wide business performance measurement and identify the business perforamnce gaps on the map.
. Strategic Planning Senior leaders utilize EA map in strategic planning and businss reorganization.
. Enterprise wide captital investment Capital investment manager make investment decision based on the
.Security certification Security engineers use EA map to establish security priority and certification.
.Enterprise Wide project management
. Enteprise wide QA . Quality assurance engieering use EA map to conduct IV & V.
. Enterprise wide Operation consideration Operation team use EA map to comprehend the enterprise and prepare for continuos operation Plan.
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The EA map phases
The EA map is prepared in three phase
1. DRAFT phase
The ideal is to intrigue their curiosity first by preparing the draft EA map. The Enterprise Architect most do their home work to prepare the draft EA map to show demonstrate their sincerity in knowing the Enterprise. Do not worry about making mistake in the draft. It is a human psychology that people start to dump out their hidden knowledge when people think they know better than you do.
The Enterprise map information is gathered in three pass because it is logical and invisible. To creat the Enterprise Map, It does not serve well by sending out many survey form and conduct site visit, there is a goog chance of gathering bias information or talking to the wrong one. Usually, people who knows are too busy to talk. To prepare the logical and invisible Enterprise map, the Enterprise Architect must prepare their homework to kown the preliminary enterprise information.
In the draft phase, the architects acting must have the mind set as an archiologist and stamp collector to gather the enterprise automation enviroment and put it down on the EA map to the related business processe. An architecture can achieve almost 50% EA map informaiton. Do not worry about the wrong guestmation. As a matter of fact, rendering the wrong mapping is better then leave it blank. It is a human pychology that people like to show you that they know better. As a result, they dump out all the embeded knowledge willfully to show you that they know better.
Use Enterprise Map template
Internet search
Study the exisiting document
leverage on EA map templates
2. The Collaboration
Collect the Hiden knowledge via stone soup stratgy
most of enterprse knowledge reside deeply in each individual and the knowlege varnished with their departure, the challenge is how to retrieve the hinden knowledge for every one to share;
The Stone Soup story
Once upon a time, somewhere in post-war Eastern Europe, there was a great famine in which people jealously hoarded whatever food they could find, hiding it even from their friends and neighbors. One day a wandering soldier came into a village and began asking questions as if he planned to stay for the night.
"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told. "Better keep moving on."
"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He pulled an iron cauldron from his wagon, filled it with water, and built a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a velvet bag and dropped it into the water.
By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come to the square or watched from their windows. As the soldier sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their skepticism.
"Ahh," the soldier said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat."
Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. "Capital!" cried the soldier. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king."
The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for all. The villagers offered the soldier a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell and traveled on the next day. The moral is that by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved
6.4 The partnership and buy-in from the stakeholder
The other result is the partnership and buy-in from the stakeholders. The major challenge of EA is architecture buy-in from the stakeholder. The EA topology approach is a collaboration effort based on the metaphor in the folk story of “Stone Soup”. The EA topology is prepared base on the stakeholders’ participation and collaboration from the beginning. In side the EA topology, the stakeholder see their image and find the corner in the enterprise. It become their EA topology and they take the pride to share with the others. It is probably the reason for the popularity of EA topology.
The partnership is build on continues collaboration effort through to continuous update of the EA topology. The information in the EA topology must be periodically kept up to date. It means that the architects have to communicate with stakeholders on regular base to find out the stakeholder plan and their need.
3. The Reconciliation
jigsaw puzzle approach
The most common approach to building a puzzle is to start by separating the edges from the inside pieces. Once the edges are built it can become easier to move inward. For those new to puzzles it is recommended to choose one consisting of multiple areas with contrasting designs and colors. This enables the narrowing down of potential portions of the puzzle where a particular piece will fit.
Some people like to use the picture on the box to help solve the puzzle. Once you have completed the edge, if you can find the location of a particular piece on the picture, you can place it down inside of the overall puzzle at approximately the place it belongs. If you do this enough times, you find pieces eventually will start fitting together.
Another approach is to sort the pieces by color, and work on one color at a time. When you get to large areas with the same color (such as the sky in many landscape puzzles) you can go by shape, or you can place all the pieces in a grid and approach the problem by taking a piece that already has an anchor (like an edge piece) and trying it against all the pieces laid out.
EA map via templates
Taking a break from studies []
A new study demonstrates that relational memory -- the ability to make logical "big picture" inferences from disparate pieces of information -- is dependent on taking a break from studies and learning, and even more important, getting a good night's sleep [].
ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2007) — Memorizing a series of facts is one thing, understanding the big picture is quite another. Now a new study demonstrates that relational memory -- the ability to make logical "big picture" inferences from disparate pieces of information -- is dependent on taking a break from studies and learning, and even more important, getting a good night's sleep.
Led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), the findings appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Relational memory is a bit like solving a jigsaw puzzle," explains senior author Matthew Walker, PhD, Director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at BIDMC and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School (HMS). "It's not enough to have all the puzzle pieces -- you also have to understand how they fit together."
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