Architecture guiding principles

Introduction

Architecture guiding principles define the underlying general rules and guidelines across the enterprise for defining Enterprise Architecture.They enforce discipline and standardization of business processes, and enable process consolidation, reuse and integration of assets across enterprise.

They are the foundation of blueprint capturing the integration, and structure of organization to achieve its desired state. Architecture principles guide how enterprise will use and deploy IT resources and assets. In a way they also exert strong influence on the selection of products or product architectures in Enterprise.

Following are few sample architecture guiding principles:

• Reusability of applications across organization is preferred over duplication
• Data should be available across organization units and functions
• Data is defined consistently throughout the organization without ambiguity
• Underlying technology should be transparent to users so they can concentrate on business fulfillment
• Software and hardware should confirm to defined standards to promote interoperability
• lot more….

A poor set of principles will quickly become disused, confusing, and redundant. The Enterprise architectures derived from such principles can appear arbitrary ,confusing, and lack credibility and loss of purpose.

Guidelines for guiding principles!

Following are few guidelines or tips to formulate very effective and useful architecture guiding principles before your organization embarks journey of enterprise architecture to fulfill its mission:

"For every minute spent organizing , an hour is earned"- Benjamin Franklin

Organize the principles.Instead of creating a long laundry list of architecture principle and mixing the themes it is recommended to group them based on different views/perspectives or streams.

Even though some of the popular Enterprise Architecture Frameworks like like DOD, FEAF, TAFIM, POSIX, Zachman , FEA and TOGAF segment enterprise using different perspectives, following are the 4 categories which repeatedly emerge as common underlying categorization:

1. Business Architecture: Defines the architecture and business processes used by enterprise to meet its goals
2. Application Architecture: Defines the architecture of designing applications along with their interactions.
3. Data Architecture: Defines architecture around storage and usage of data for enterprise
4. Technology/Infrastructure Architecture: Defines architecture around hardware & software that supports applications & integrations

The list of enterprise architecture guiding principles can be grouped into one of the 4 categories above.

"Less is more" - Mies Van der Rohe

Resist the temptation to come up with huge laundry list of architecture principles.Too many principles can reduce the flexibility of the architecture and dilute the focus.

Principles should be few in number and endorsed and championed by senior management. As the thumb rule it is recommended to have not more than 6 principles in each different categories of Business architecture, Data architecture , application architecture and technology architecture respectively.

"Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication" -Leonardo da Vinci

Each guiding principle should be very simple to understand and clearly articulated. When in doubt follow the KISS ( Keep It Simple and Stupid ) principle. The underlying purpose and meaning has to be quickly grasped and understood by individuals across the organization. The intention of the principle should be clear and unambiguous, so that violations, whether intentional or not, are minimized. Too wordy and too numerous can be hard to understand. The representation of a principle also has simple and consistent. Any template to capture/define principle should have following components:

• Name: Name should represent the essence of the princicplewith no mention of any technology.
• Statement: The statement can be one liner which clearly articulates and unambiguously define the principle
• Rationale: This section can be more verbose and highlight the importance and need of this principle and how it adheres to the enterprise objectives and goals.
• Implications: This section can throw more light in terms of what it takes to implement this principle in terms of resource, cost and activities/tasks

"Solid as a rock" - Jean Grae (The time is now)

Architecture principles should be enduring and solid as rock. Each principle should be sufficiently definitive and precise to support consistent decision-making in complex, potentially controversial situations. It should withstand the ever changing landscape of technology.

Principle will holds its meaning in enterprise context irrespective of introduction of new product/technology if they are future oriented.

Just like a lighthouse guides sailors to the shore Enterprise architecture principles guide the journey and make sure the enterprise architecture journey is inching towards realization of goals and objectives of the enterprise. During the process of creating such principles an amendment process should be established for adding, removing, or altering principles after they are ratified.

"Dont get sidetracked by people who are not on track" - anonymous

Architecture principle should be clearly related back to the business objectives and key architecture drivers. If the principle is not meeting goals of your enterprise than they do not hold much value to you and should not be included ( even if they hod value in theory and general scenario )

Principles should provide firm foundation for making architecture and planning decisions, framing policies, procedures, and standards, and supporting resolution of contradictory situations.

Make sure that they are chosen so as to ensure alignment of IT strategies with business strategies and visions.Architecture principles are defined to propel enterprise architecture to achieve the agreed goals and objectives

As you embark on your journey for enterprise architecture hope these guidelines help to define architecture guiding principles for defining enterprise architecture, to promote IT agility to align with ever changing business needs.