Читать книгу IT Architecture from A to Z: Theoretical basis. First Edition - Vadim Aldzhanov - Страница 8

Since the methodologies vary a lot, one should set criteria to compare them.

The completeness of the taxonomy defines the suitability degree of the methodology for the classification of various architectural artifacts or whether fully focused on the Zachman framework.

The completeness of the process defines how detailed the process of creating the enterprise architecture is.

The guide to reference models defines the usefulness of the methodology in creating an adequate set of reference models. The FEA methodology is almost entirely focused on this.

The practical guide defines the degree of implementation of the speculative idea of the enterprise architecture by the methodology and shaping the culture in which this architecture will be used. The Gartner methodology is almost entirely focused on this.

The readiness model defines the degree of assessment of the efficiency of using the enterprise architecture in various departments by the methodology.

A business orientation defines whether a methodology focused on using technology to increase business value, where business value defined as cost reduction or revenue increase.

The management guide defines the degree of methodology usefulness in understanding and creating an effective management model for an enterprise architecture.

The partitioning guide defines the usefulness of the methodology in effective partitioning the enterprise into departments, which is very important in managing complexity.

The availability of the catalog defines the efficiency of the methodology to create a catalog of architectural assets to be used in the future.

Neutrality towards service providers defines the likelihood of being tied to a specific consulting organization when implementing a methodology. A high rating means a low degree of attachment to a particular organization.

The availability of information defines the quantity and quality of free or relatively inexpensive materials on this methodology.

The time of recouping investments defines the duration of your using this methodology before you can build high business value solutions on its basis.

Enterprise Architecture can be built using various methods and practices. This book briefly discusses some of them and focus on one of them:

•“Zahman Framework” is the earliest and most well-known methodology. It is ideal to “classify” architectural elements.

•“TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework)”, designed for “building processes” is widely known and spread, largely due to its openness.

•“Gartner” is a methodology for expert analysis by using “best practices”.

•“FEAF” is an architecture building methodology using the “service oriented” approach.

When building an IT Enterprise Architecture, one should highlight the following states of the organization’s architecture:

• “As-is” or “Baseline Architecture”;

• “Transition Architecture”;

• “To-be” or “Target Architecture”;

• “Enterprise Architecture Management Plan & Roadmap”.

In general, the Enterprise Architecture represents a transition plan from the “Ongoing” to the “Future” state of the organization. The architectural project lasts for several years and initiates many IT projects. These projects will have different duration, different start and end dates. They need to be grouped so that changes in business and IT would take place at the right time, with minimal risk and no compatibility issues. Therefore, architecture can transit from one operational state to another several times as an architectural project lasts. The intermediate state is called the Transition Architecture.