Strategic IT Architecture

Enterprise Architecture Governance – Part 2

Posted on 24. Dec, 2010 by vbrown in Enterprise Architecture, Governance

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is continuing to mature as a crucial contributor to the business and in its ability to demonstrate that its scope and contribution goes beyond technology. When leveraged properly EA is a strategic enabler of business growth and success. To ensure that EA is leveraged effectively, EA’s governance must be an integrated component of corporate governance. Its policies, procedures, and guidelines must support and work in synergy with corporate governance.

In part one of this two-part series I talked about some foundational aspects of EA Governance – Capability Assessment, Architecture Principles, and Architecture Vision.  In this second installment, I talk about some key deliverables that guide and sustain a robust EA Governance program.

At this level, we begin to move closer to implementation issues. Governance (management) practices, while guided by proven best practices, are to some degree context-specific. They will only be accepted, provide real value, and be sustained if they “fit” with the corporate culture. It’s essential that they compliment and support corporate management style and practices.

Governance Principle 2: Governance processes must be robust and pragmatic. They must support and enhance the enterprise mission.

Architecture Contracts

Architecture Contracts are joint agreements between development partners and sponsors about the deliverables, quality, and fitness-for-purpose of an architecture or solution. At a minimum, contracts are composed of business requirements (functional and non-functional), cost and resource estimates, teaming (collaboration) agreements, RACI agreements, and project timelines and milestones.

Contracts are a key aspect of a robust IT governance framework, but they depend on other aspects of the governance framework to ensure consistent compliance.

• Continuous monitoring of progress, changes, decision points, and audit of all architecture-related activities
• Adherence to architecture principles, standards, and requirements
• Identification of risks in all aspects of the development and implementation of the architecture(s) or solution
• A set of processes and practices that ensure accountability, responsibility, and discipline

Architecture Definition Document

The Architecture Definition Document is the container for the core architectural artifacts created during a project. The document spans all architecture domains (business, data, application, and technology) and all relevant states of the architecture (baseline, interim state(s), and target).  It provides a qualitative view of the solution and communicates the architectural intent.

Typical contents include:

• Scope
• Goals, objectives, and constraints
• Architecture principles
• Rationale and justification for architectural approach
• Logical Architecture
• Architecture models (for each state to be modeled):
  • Business Architecture models
  • Data Architecture models
  • Application Architecture models
  • Technology Architecture models
• Mapping to Architecture Repository:
  • Mapping to Architecture Landscape
  • Mapping to reference models
  • Mapping to standards
  • Re-use assessment
• Gap analysis
• Impact assessment

Architecture Requirements Specification

The Architecture Requirements Specification provides a set of qualitative and quantitative criteria that outline what an implementation project must do in order to comply with the architecture. These criteria form a major component of an implementation contract.  Examples include:

• Success measures
• Architecture requirements
• Business service contracts
• Application service contracts
• Implementation guidelines
• Implementation specifications
• Implementation standards
• Interoperability requirements
• Constraints
• Assumptions

Architecture Roadmap

The Architecture Roadmap provides the high-level plan for achieving the Architecture Vision. It defines incremental steps and milestones and maps them to a timeline to show progression from the Baseline Architecture to the Target Architecture. A well-crafted Roadmap creates a continuous, incremental return on the investment in EA.

An Architecture Roadmap consists of the following:

• Reference to foundational documents:
  • Architecture Principles
  • Architecture Vision (target state)
  • Reference Architecture(s)
• Project list:
  • Name, description, and objectives of each impacted project
  • Prioritized list of projects to implement the proposed architecture
• Time-sequenced Migration Plan:
  • Benefits of migration (including map to business requirements)
  • Estimated costs and tradeoffs of migration options
• Implementation recommendations:
  • Criteria measures of effectiveness of projects
  • Risks and issues
  • Solution Building Blocks (SBBs) – description and model

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