What is Enterprise Architecture?

I get asked this question a lot. We probably used to be an IT engineer a developer or a DBA. Some EA’s come from a more business oriented background as that is definitely one of the domains that we operate in. We absolutely are a subject matter expert in one of the domains but have taken the time to expand our knowledge to at least one of the other domains. Early on in my Enterprise Architect career I was told by a practitioner that we are a jack of all trades and an expert in one. I think it’s more like needing to be an expert in two and in the following I think you will understand why I say that.

So you want to know what we do in an organization. It’s more like where we should be in an organization. As much of Enterprise Architecture is based in IT there is the Business Domain to consider and that is the one that really makes us unique. This is the second one that we need to be at least well versed and is where I will be focusing on this article though I will only be scratching the surface as this is a very complicated subject. My goal is to get people thinking about Enterprise Architecture and how it can be used in your organization.

I have always thought that the Enterprise Architecture function sits in a layer between IT and the business.?A good architect needs to be able to work with the business to determine what the business needs to automate in order to become more efficient.?Part of that may include working with the business partner to streamline the department’s processes/workflows. This is the tricky part of being an Enterprise Architect as the business may very well be resentful of that. Change is not always easy.

Streamlining processes is where some training in Six Sigma/Lean or any other program that helps in workflow efficiency can come in helpful.?Those programs help to remove redundant processes and unnecessary steps with a process or workflow.?Helping to streamline these workflows allows the automation to be more efficient. I have said for years, becoming a Six Sigma Green Belt has made me a more effective Enterprise Architect within the business domain.

One of the other areas that a good Enterprise Architect can be effective in the business domain is in cost control.?A knowledgable architect will be able to take CapEx and OpEx into consideration while they are designing the systems with solution architecture. An Enterprise Architect will know when there are already existing systems that have the capability to have minor modifications done to them to meet the business requirements rather than designing, developing, testing and deploying an entirely new system. This in addition gives the business an advantage as they can get the new functionality to market faster. This aspect is why I am an IT person with a MBA.

As I mentioned I would only be scratching the surface but you can now see how enterprise architecture can to be leveraged. I will hit on other areas in future articles.