Читать книгу IT Architecture from A to Z: Theoretical basis. First Edition - Vadim Aldzhanov - Страница 21

What tools should be chosen and how to develop Enterprise Architecture? Today’s market offers dozens of tools, from free to expensive ones. Implementing some of them can cost hundreds of thousands dollar. I recommend using free or cheap tools whenever possible (if not available) for the following reasons:

• At the very start of architectural practice it should prove its effectiveness, therefore, significant investment and lost time will be a serious obstacle to create it.

• At the initial stage, it is better to use simple and familiar tools that do not require additional implementation and training. Success is determined by the implementation speed.

• One needs to gain experience and get his/her first results in order to shape adequate requirements for an expensive system.

• Only after the practice has been launched, and experience and first results have been obtained, is it time to switch to specialized products.

What are the minimum requirements for tools? How are they supposed to help you?

• Write and edit texts, make charts and tables, presentations, etc.

• Publish them on a shared resource, regulate the access rights to information, and discuss these materials.

Below is the set of tools:

• For example you can use a standard MS Office suite to compile documents, charts, spreadsheets and presentations. MS Office offers documents templates to use. There are Visio extensions to draw all the required flowcharts.

• You can use a corporate portal, a document management system, a corporate mail system, a corporate messaging system, or a dedicated file share in an organization’s corporate network for collaboration. The choice of solution will depend on what your company already has.