The Enterprise Topology Patterns
9.0 ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY PATTERNSEnterprise Topology Patterns are instrumental to make it easier in composing the Enterprise topology. Although every Enterprise Topologies are different, there are certain Enterprise topology pattern base on the line of business. For example the enterprise topology patterns for banking, insurance, enforcement and benefit have the similar pattern. It is not necessary to compose the Enterprise Topology from scratch. The Enterprise Architect can establish the Enterprise topology using the pattern as the template to compose the Enterprise Topology. When Enterprise Topology become mature, there will be templates for every line of business.
The Enterprise Topology patterns serves as the topology framework to capture the Enterprise Topology information from each individual. It provide a visible model to render the logical and invisible Enterprise. To utilize the Topology pattern, the key is to decide on the Enterprise Line of Business. When the practice of Enterprise Topology become mature, the patterns will be available for many line of business.
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Abstract
This book suggest the Enterprise Topology approach to see the true enterprise big picture. Most of the work captured in this book are innovative. It describe the Enterprise Topology by explaining why the Enterprise topology, what is the Enterprise topology, set the strategy and establish a repeatable methodology.The purpose is to establish a repeatable Enterprise Topology methodology as the fundamental practice of EA
Enterprise topology is a fundamental element of Enterprise Architecture similar to geographical survey in traditional architecture and engineering. The capability to see the true Enterprise big picture is a unique EA discipline. Hopefully, the EA professionals will recognize the Enterprise Topology as the fundamental of EA discipline and become the bread and butter in EA practice.
EA community see the whole base on what they know
Enterprise Architecture is a holistic architecture approach to overcome the challenge of stovepipe systems. Holistic is the key to EA. Although we all know the story of blind men and the elephant, the EA community have not yet from the story because EA professional have no doubt on what they know is the whole. it is a human nature to think the part they have touched as the whole, the "Mr. know all" EA professionals are particular so. The EA community have not yet establish a method to see the true big picture because they think they know the enterprise big picture. The fact is that their view of the enterprise big picture is only based on what they know and they do not know what they do not know. Without a methodology to see the true holistic big picture, EA initiative subject to the risk of modeling the business on a pseudo whole. Impact analysis on a partial business model can be missleading for decision making.
Enterprise Topology is the methodological approach to see the true Enterprise big picture.
Enterprise topology is a methodological approach to see the true enterprise big picture. The only way to see the true enterprise big picture is through collaboration and reconciliation with total participation. The story of the blind men and elephant which point out the human nature of believing the part they have touched as the whole and suggest to see the true big picture with collaboration and reconciliation is a good lesson to learn.
Enterprise topology enable a human centric EA approach
Enterprise Topology is designed to close the gap between Enterprise Architecture and human interaction in a human centric approach. Architecture is human centric it is a creativity effort which is a human gift. However, for the purpose of getting buy-in from enterprise leaders by positioning EA as decision making tool, EA has become very computer oriented to conduct impact analysis and away from human touch. The reputation of “Stealth EA” said it all.
Enterprise Topology approach pave the way for architecture buy-in
The Enterprise Topology approach does not only render the true enterprise big picture but also resolve the challenge of buy-in from the stakeholders which has been the biggest hurdle of EA practice. The collaboration and reconciliation approach establish partnership and pay the way for architecture buy-in. Enterprise topology take the stakeholder buy-in into account at the onset of EA effort rather wait to the end.
Enterprise topology is pertinent for both business and technology community
Enterprise topology is not only for technical community but also pertinent to business community. Enterprise topology, which establish the true holistic enterprise big picture, represents an important addition to a senior management toolkit. A critical decision facing every business leader is how to organize in order to execute strategy.
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Why Enterprise Topology?
EA has not evolved as expected, Scott W. Ambler, chief methodologist for Agile and Lean for IBM Rational. says inEnterprise Architecture: Reality over Rhetoric
"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 in my writings and working with organizations around the world, yet after all these years it seems that the reality of enterprise architecture is nowhere close to fulfilling some of the rhetoric around it. So I decided to find out what's actually working in practice, and what's not working for that matter, in my Enterprise Architecture Survey Results from the January 2010 DDJ 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? "
Enterprise topology is not only an effort to see the enterprise big picture but also overcome the challenge of "Stealth EA". Further more, it is a tool to articulate total participation and collaboration. The collaborative EA topology approach provide a ground to culture buy-in from stakeholder.
1. To See the unseen
Enterprise topology to see the unseen. It render the logical enteprise definition into visible and tangilble presentation.
2. To see the true big picture
Enterprise topology to see the trye enterprise big picture via collabortion and reconciliation.
3. Articulate total participation, collaboration and buy-in
Enterprise topology faciliate and articulate participation, collabortion and reconciliation.
The why enterprises topology is discussed in the following paragraphes.
1. SEE A TRUE ENTERPRISE BIG PICTURE
1.1 Human limitation to see the whole
A fundamental challenge of EA is what is the true enterprise big picture? It is a human limitation that people are not able to comprehend an object when it is too large to see or it is too small too see and people have difficulty to see the unseen. For each individual, the Enterprise contains four category of enterprise konwledge.
. The area they know.
. The area they think they know.
. The area they know that they do not know.
. The area they do not know they do not know
1.2 It takes the entire village to see the whole
To overcome the human limitation, It takes the entire village to see the whole. EA commuity must establish a methodology to see the whole. The famous story of blind men and the elephant, which is known around in many different culture for many centries, teach use how to comprehend the invisible big picture via collaboration and reconciliation. In the story, the blind man want to know what an elepant looks like. But the problem is every one believe the part they have touched is the whole. But the wiseman tell them, the only way to see a holistic enterprise is the collaboration and reconciliation as the blind men do to figure out the big elepant.
1.3 EA professional have not yet establish a method to see the whole
The story of blind men and elephant is easy to know but hard to learn. The EA professional have not yet learned that it takes the entire villiage to see the whole. Most of EA professional see the whole based on what they know. It is a human nature for people to belive the part they have touched as the whole as said in the story of blind men and the elphant. In the story of EA, EA professional want to see the whole but also belive the parts the know as the whole.
The risk is of mistaking the parts as the whole
Business modeling and impact analysis on partial enterprise can be missleading. Cosequently, Enterprise Architecture on a partial Enterprise picture does not constitute an Enterprise Architecture. Impact analys on a partial business model can be missleading for decision making. The risk is at the category that the archtiects do not know that they do not know. The architects consider the part they have touched as the whole and proceed to model the business accordingly. As a result, reuse and consolidation on a partial enterprise is far from optimization. Impact analysis on a partial enterprise can be very missleading for decision support.
ENTERRISE TOPOLOGY IS THE METHOD TO SEE THE ENTERPRISE BIG PICTURE
Enterprise Topology is initiated to see the true enterprise big picture by learning from the story of blind men and the elephant to the true enterprise big picture, the following figure is an expresion on the actual level of holistic by staff members, business managers, enterprise architects. Although every one think the part they have touched as the hole, the truth is that they only see a portion of the enterprise. The only way to see the whole is collaboration and reconcilation via enterprise topology methodology.
Enterprise Topology see the whole via collaboration and reconciliation
The Enterprise Topology method is a collaborative approach to see the true enterprise big picture via reconcilation. The enterprise big picture is large, logical and invisible, it is a complicate jig saw puzzle without a picture on the cover and piecess in the box. The Enterprise Topology approach leverage on the sensation of jizsaw puzzle and learn the wisdom from the story of "stone soup" and the story of "the blind men and elephant".
2. A TANGIBLE EA ARTIFACT
Enterprise Topology to see the unseen
Enterrise Topology enable an Explicit EA approach to overcome the reputation of "Stealth EA". It render the explict enterprise big picture for human comprehension and enable creativity via critical thinking. Most importantly, it faciliate the collaboration and reconciliation. Architecture is a creativity effort which is a human gift. However, EA have become a machine centric approach and it is known as the "Steal EA" beyond human comprehension. The risk of a machine centric EA approach is to join the same fate of "Come and go" as many other business improvement initiatives. Enterprise Topology , adopt the traditional geographical topography drawing approach, is designed to communicate the Enterprise big picture in an explicit rendition for human comprehension. Enterprise is large, logical and invisible. Although Enterprise leaders has the big picture in mind, they have a lot of difficulty to communicate the big picture with staff member who can only see the part they have touched. It serve as the bridge between business leader and staff members to close the gaps in Enterprise leadership efficiency.
2.0 ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY IS EXPLICIT FOR HUMAN COMPREHENTION
Enterprise Topology , adopt the traditional geographical topography drawing approach, is designed to communicate the Enterprise big picture in an explicit rendition for human comprehension. Enterprise is large, logical and invisible. Although Enterprise leaders has the big picture in mind, they have a lot of difficulty to communicate the big picture with staff member who can only see the part they have touched. . Enterprise topology render the enterprise big picture for every one to comprehend and enable a uniform enterprise direction. It as the bridge between business leader and staff members to close the gaps in Enterprise leadership efficiency.
Adopt the wisdom of architecture drawings
An explicit graphic presentation does not only convey the picture in mind to the others, is also harden the picture in mind within the individual. Frequently, an ideal is only an ideal until you can put the ideal down explicitly. Many of us may have the experience on the gap between the picture in mind and an explicit picture. The creative architects have many ideals and picture in mind similar to many stars in the sky, but unable to grab some thing solid to an explicit picture. Even the architecture themselves get surprised on the gap between the picture in mind and an explication. A ideal is not solid until it become explicit
2.1 Mapping instead of writing about Enterprise
A picture is worth a thousand words is a popular saying to present information in picture rather than writing. It refers to the idea that complex stories can be described with just a single still image, or that an image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text. It also aptly characterizes the goals of visualization where large amounts of data must be absorbed quickly. Instead of writing volumes of document, EA map renders the Enterprise in a few pages of drawing.
In traditional city planning and architecture practice, the architects have figure out long time ago that they need to communicate with stakeholders with architecture drawings instead of writing in large volume of documents. It will be very difficult to comprehend home’s architecture design if the architects deliver the architecture design by writing large volume of large documents. However, EA community have not quite embrace the ideal of “A picture is worth “ a thousand words. EA products are frequently delivered in large volume of documents which is only good as shelfware for display purpose. EA has become a technical writing effort rather than and architecture practice. EA professional are "Profound", on one hand they think in many dimensions to be profound, yet they convey their work in the very basic form by writing about the Enterprise and the Architecture. The two sides do not match.
2.2 The one page concept
The one page concept Architecture drawing use large drawing size such as the ARCH size D (36” X 24”) to contain significant and meaningful information in one place via graphic presentation. By putting significant information in one place in a meaningful presentation can result the effect of the sum is much grater than the parts. Pieces of information many not says a lot, but putting it together, the one page drawing says more than volumes of documentation. The standard architecture drawing page is established based on human factor. It is large enough to contain signification information but not too large for human comprehension.
In A Strategy to Avoid Information Overload by Richards, C.E. (1987). Roles: Central Issues in Anthropology, 7(1), 9-12, indicate that
The information overload bibliography from Humboldt state university library
"The research makes it clear that (a) the human brain is limited in its ability to process data, (b) the limitation is not susceptible to training, and (c) it is approximately the same for all humans.
EA in large volume Architecture drawing Communication to people subject to the nature human limitation in comprehending information. It is very different to device and device communication where the communication technology evolved rapidly. In the design of EA communication to stakeholders, It is important to understand human limitation in comprehending overwhelming information. “
The Magical number of seven by Miller, G.A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97. (Full text of this article at The Magical Number Seven.)
“Human beings have severe limitations on the amount of information they are able to receive, process, and remember. Their "span of immediate memory" or "channel capacity" is limited to approximately 7--plus or minus two-- items. Through recoding items so that information to be remembered is placed in larger "chunks," it is possible to expand this channel capacity somewhat.”
2.3 The use of photo picture
Enterprise Topology use photo pictrue to relate people and the Enterprise.
3. ARTICULATE COLLABORATION AND BUY-IN FROM STAKEHOLDERS
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The Enterprise Topology Methodology
The Enterprise Topology MethodEnterprise topolgy see the big enterprise big picture, the major effort is to describe the enterprise business environment and how business take advantage of technology evolution. It serve both business and engineering community.
1. THE ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY FRAMEWORK
EA community must establish a repeatable method to stake out Enterprise topology. Composing EA map to see the true big picture is a unique discipline for Enterprise Architects. The EA professional must be able to put down the big picture in every one's mind on a large page of drwing to make it meaningful for every one. To become a disciplint, it is paramount to establish a repeatable approach for EA map to become a architecture practice rather than artistic work.
The following Enterprise Topology framework describe the approach.
It describe that enterprise topology is composed in five stages:
.Archaology
.Straw man
.Colaboration
.reconcileation
. buy-in
Enterprise Topology is composed in the following layers.
. Enterprise overview which include concept of operation, value chain, organization chart and geographical map.
. Enterprise floor plan
. Business activity
. Business Application
. Enterprise Context
The following paragraphes elaborate the stages of enterprise topology and the Enterprise topology layers.
2. ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY STAGES
Enterprise topology is a complicate puzzle without the picture on the cover and the pieces in the box. It is not possible to compose the Enterprise Topology without collaboration and reconciliation to transfor institutional knowledge and see the trure Enterprise big picture. It takes four phases to compose the Enterprise topology with total participation, collaboration and reconciliation.
2.1 Archaeology
Apply Archeology skill to dig out existing documents can save significant redundant effort. Existing architecture documents are the low hanging fruit to pick. During the practice of software engineering in the past two decades, organization have written tons of architecture documents. But it is also true that all these documents have disappeared as the time have past. However, very likely it is buried somewhere in the organization and it take archeology skill to rediscover the treasure of existing documents.
2.2. Rendering
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.
2.3 The Collaboration
The collaboration phase collecting institutional knowledge from each individual. Institutional knowledge is not explicit, most of enterprise knowledge reside deeply in each individual and the knowledge varnished with their departure, the challenge is how to retrieve the hidden knowledge for every one to share;
Print the draft copy prepared for collaboration.
Despite the technology evolution, the human specie has not evolved much in the last couple thousand years, the hard copy still the best for human interaction to compose the big picture, induce the hidden institutional knowledge and enable reconciliation over the true enterprise topology. As much as we want to get rid of paper in the information age, the Enterprise Topology approach has found that hard copy still serve as the practical instrument to compose the Enterprise topology because human is still human.
Business liaisons to communicate with business community
The collaboration meeting
Posting for public review
Post the drawing in traffic area and request to mark up on the drawing.
2.4 THE RECONCILIATION STAGE
Establish partnership and ownership
With the total participation approach, the stakeholder take the ownership to present the Enterprise Topology to their colleges.
3. ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY LAYERS
3.1 Enterprise topology overview
Enterprise topology describe the enterprise from the aspect of mission, function, processes, organization, location and demand as shown in the following business architecture model.
3.2 Enterprise floor plan
The enterprise topology describe the enterprise automation environment to show the application 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.
3.3 Enterprise activities
3.4 Enterprise activities
3.5 Technology alignment
The Alignment Architecture
The alignment architecture is the effort to align solution to business need. The summary from Enterprise Architecture Alignment Heuristics by Pedro Sousa in Microsoft Architect Journal says:
3.6 Enterprise context
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The Enterprise Topology Strategy
1.0 INTRODUCTIONThe Enterprise Topology is a complicate jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the cover and without the pieces in the box. It is an effort to see the unseen by rendering the picture-in-mind to an explicit picture.
1.1 A puzzle without the pieces
Unlike to a jigsaw puzzle which comes with all the pieces in the box, the Enterprise knowledge reside deeply in each individual. Some knowledge can be describe by words, some knowledge can only be describe by picture and some knowledge are subconscious. Knowledge transfer from each individual to Enterprise Topology is the initial challenge.
1.2 A puzzle without a picture on the cover
Enterprise is logical and invisible, each individual only touch one part of the enterprise. The only way to see the big picture is put the pieces together via reconciliation instead of insist on their righteousness.
Leverage on the truth from childrens story
Popular children storys are not just for kids, these stories carry the simple truth which is easy to know but difficult to learn.
Enterprise Topology take the strategy by learning from popular game of jigsaw puzzle and the folk story of the blind men and the elephant and the story of stone soup by leveraging on :
• The sensation of jigsaw puzzle
• The story of stone soup to orchestrate collaboration and discover the embedded institutional knowledge
• The story of blind men and the elephant to see the true enterprise big picture via collaboration and reconciliation
All these approach appears somewhat to be childish, however, the truth and philosophy behind the child story is much more for adult to learn rather than just fun for children.
3.0 LEVERAGE ON THE SENSATION OF JIGSAW PUZZLE
The Enterprise Topology approach leverage on the intriguing sensation of jigsaw puzzle. Anne D. Williams in her article on the Jigsaw puzzle – A brief history says :
Puzzles for adults emerged around 1900, and by 1908 a full-blown craze was in progress in the United States. Contemporary writers depicted the inexorable progression of the puzzle addict: from the skeptic who first ridiculed puzzles as silly and childish, to the perplexed puzzler who ignored meals while chanting "just one more piece;" to the bleary-eyed victor who finally put in the last piece in the wee hours of the morning.
Working on Enterprise Topology to render the logical and invisible enterprise big picture have the similar sensation to know what you do not know about the enterprise. The desire to find more information about the enterprise and the joy to know what you do not know and the add on value to share with the others has become very rewording for the architects. The difference is a jigsaw puzzle is only a game but the Enterprise topology is the fundamental of Enterprise Architecture.
All the jigsaw puzzle technique also applies. Most of technique in jigsaw puzzle follows the same pattern, people have created many different technique to solve jigsaw puzzle by organizing the pieces and using try and true method to put the big picture together. The puzzle of Enterprise Topology is solved in the same way by organize the enterprise information and put the pieces together with and try and true approach.
Building a jigsaw puzzle is a wonderful way to help your mind focus on a structured method of using problem solving skills. Enterprise Architecture can leverage on this method to establish the Enterprise Topology. It is a skill to be able to focus on a particular task and organize themselves so that completion of the whole is accomplished methodically and with greater ease. It allows one to develop structure and discipline in problem solving techniques. After all life itself is just a big puzzle
4.0 ENTERPRISE TOPOLOGY IS A COLLABORATION AND RECONCILIATION EFFORT
Enterprise Topology is a collaborative effort. Although many people believe their capability to see the whole, the truth is that most of people only see the part they have touched.
Enterprise topology is a puzzle without the pieces, the first step is find the parts. There are three area of institutional knowledge from the aspect of each individual :
• The area they know
• The area they know what they do not know
• The area they do not know what they do not know.
For the area, they know, It is easy to put the parts on the enterprise topology. For the area they know what they do not know, they can ask around to learn the part that they do not know and put it on the Enterprise topology. The problem is on the area that they do not know what they do not know, the area exist in the Enterprise but outside of you knowledge. The only way to find out all the part for the true Enterprise big picture is to share the part they know and learn the part they do not know from collaborative effort.
Enterprise topology is a puzzle a puzzle without a picture on the cover, no one really knows what the Enterprise big picture looks like. Having all the parts is only the first step, the real challenge is how to put the parts together in an orderly arrangement. Reconciliation from all the participant is the only to put the true enterprise big picture together. Each one can see them self in the big picture and under the right context.
6.0 LEARNS FROM THE STORY OF BLIND MAN AND ELEPHANT TO SEE THE TRUE BIG PICTURE
The Enterprise Topology approach learns from the story of blind men and elephant to see the big elephant. Enterprise is logical and invisible, the effort to see the enterprise big picture is not different from the story of blind man the elephant. we all touch one parts but consider what we have touch as the whole. The story of blind men and the elephant, in various version of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. The story conclude that collaboration and reconciliation is the only way to figure out what is a big elephant. Insisting on their righteous base on the part they have touched do not serve well to see the true big picture. In the book of Seven Blind Mice, Ed Young conclude that :
“Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the whole".
Collaboration and reconciliation is the key to see the true Enterprise big picture. Explicit expression of institutional knowledge is essential to enable collaboration and reconciliation. The Enterprise Topology approach in large drawing offer a platform with the explicit institutional knowledge in the same space. It enable the collaboration and reconciliation activity in composing the true Enterprise big picture.
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