Business Architecture Anyone?
It seems Business Architecture is the new hot topic?
I would like to survey the blogosphere for people who are in or work with organizations that have either Business Architects as a role or a published Business Architecture discipline.
Please post a response and help me gauge the interest corporations have with this domain.
The future of IT or just Hype? What do you think?
(Props to Lucasfilms for the image)
posted by JT at 9:56 AM
15 Comments:
I can't say I have seen any significant movement in this space. However, I firmly believe Business Architecture is key to fully successful Enterprise Architecture. I see business operations and IT moving closer together, and that close interaction will drive further adoption rates of the technical aspects of Enterprise Architecture into business operations. I'm starting to see IT come under the COO's direction, and that is positive improvement on obtaining the "elusive" IT/business alignment....but that is another topic. So I hope we continue to see movement to adopting Business Architecture initiatives.
- Tom
Interesting... so by moving IT under the COO does that suggest a move to make TCO second prioirity to time to market and operational efficiencies?
Thanks for the comment Tom!
-JT
I don't think having IT under the COO necessarily changes the priorities of TCO or time to market in every case. However, it's at least hopeful that with that organizational structure, communication between IT and business units will be enhanced. Perhaps now enabling a meaningful discussion about the choices that are being made when we sacrafice one for the other. Taking a "real" look at what the total impact to the business is in either case.
Tom
I absolutely agree with Tom. We don't have a formal Business Architect, but I see it as both critical and inevitable.
I was wondering what happened to you! Feel free to jump in on the end of this post. Do you have trackback enabled? I couldn't find it. -brenda
Thanks to Tom, Todd and Brenda for your thoughts and taking the time to post.
Brenda re: TrackBack ...it is not supported on Blogger but I do have Backlinks enabled so I saw your reference...always appreciate the referrals and amplification!
Nice thoughts, but I'm getting confused between the definitions of 'enterprise' and 'business' architects. They appear to me to be the same thing: developing IT capabilities at some level for the enterprise/business. If you go with business only, they already have those - they're called strategists. If one goes the other way toward the technical side, you have systems architects or development team leads. Where is the line drawn?
Sorry - forgot something...sign up and use Haloscan.com to enable and manage trackbacks on Blogger sites. I didn't remember that until now, but I've been on Typepad since March...:)
Robert,
Your point is compelling but consider the following:
(1) SMB's may require either or
(2) Large corporations are those that staff multiple enterprise architects
(3) Where as an Enterprise Architect must have acumen in both business and technical architecture, the Business Architects are not those concerned with IT Portfolio Management or Tooling...but deeper in the "business" in process modeling, decomposition of orthogonal functions, and driving the business strategy into large automation efforts.
(4) Ever organization is different but as the numbers of people increase so doesn't the number of domains
Thanks for posting!
As we say, Enterprise Architect align Business strategy with IT strategy. But I feel Application and Technology architecture gets more priority than Information or Business Architecture. Both Information and Business Architecture needs more effort to come out with some value. Enterprise architecture group needs to define and understand Business processes and Data models with help of Business Managers and Data Stewards. This collaboration is must but missing most of time. Hope in future this ingredient will take more prominent role in EA.
Just found your blog and would like to comment.
I just took a new CTO position and of course inherited a failing project. I need Business Architecture in order to complete the EAP endeavours, and so I have resurrected their SDLC, dusted it off, and added the components that will enable me to mine the Business Architecture.
Of course - it's not really easy, but the project aligns with almost 60% of the business processes in the company, and it's a start.
I have made commentary over and over again in my own blogs and newsletters for several years now that we have to start somewhere. I see that the Business Analyst is making a come back, and if shrouded under today's popular terminology and mined properly by those who need, want and drive architecture, we'll get there.
I work as a Senior Business Architect in an Enterprise Architecture Group of my company. The Business Architect role is vital in any EA initiative - it is the glue between business and technology. Among others, Business Architects contribute towards value chain analysis, business process modeling, organization design, solution design, change management and enterprise governance. Let me know if you need further clarifications.
I am working as a Business Architect. In this environment, someone is required to look at all projects, applications and business processes together so that priorities can be set and an IT roadmap from the business perspective can be established. This allows leveraging activity from different business units that may not have realized their common needs or solutions. E.G. How many people in your organizatin maintain their own budget spreadsheet outside of the primary accounting system?
Hello from New Zealand & Australia I am an APEC Certified Business Counsellor and I have embraced Business Architecture. A BA's role is to implement systems, structure and measurement and very often this is allongside the IT support that exists in an enterprise. Positive improvemnt and change can only be achieved if all parts of an enterprise are integrated and co-operating, and the overall initiatives for this change are part of Business Architecture. Topsy
I am a Business Architect. I think it is critical to understand the business problem space and the applicable IT solutions.
I think the business architect model applies to other highly technical field ...such as telecom, or chemical engineering...
The commonality would be a person that understand the business problem in the businesses terms and to be able to communicate with, and even design solutions in conjunction with, the technical staff.
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