Enterprise Architecture An overview PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information. PDF generated at: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:29:57 UTC Contents Articles Introduction 1 Enterprise architecture 1 Enterprise Architect 6 Enterprise architect 6 Enterprise Architecture 8 Enterprise Architecture Assessment Framework 8 Enterprise architecture planning 11 Enterprise Architecture Management 13 Enterprise Architecture framework 14 Architecture Patterns ( EA Reference Architecture) 21 Frameworks 24 Enterprise Architecture framework 24 Open Source or Consortia-developed frameworks 31 Enterprise Architecture Body of Knowledge 31 Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology 33 IDEAS Group 41 RM-ODP 43 The Open Group Architecture Framework 47 Commercial frameworks 51 Integrated Architecture Framework 51 CLEAR Framework for Enterprise Architecture 52 OBASHI 53 Information Framework 59 Zachman Framework 60 Defense industry frameworks 72 Department of Defense Architecture Framework 72 MODAF 87 NATO Architecture Framework 91 AGATE Architecture Framework 92 Government frameworks 94 Government Enterprise Architecture 94 FDIC Enterprise Architecture Framework 95 Federal Enterprise Architecture 98 NIST Enterprise Architecture Model 105 Treasury Enterprise Architecture Framework 108 Lifecycles 114 Enterprise life cycle 114 ISO 12207 117 Systems Development Life Cycle 121 Technology Life Cycle 130 Whole-life cost 133 Modelling 137 Enterprise modelling 137 Collaboration 146 Business analyst 146 Systems analysis 150 Information architecture 152 Solutions Architect 154 Software architect 156 Systems architect 159 Project manager 163 Project management office 167 Chief information officer 168 References Article Sources and Contributors 170 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 173 Article Licenses License 176 1 Introduction Enterprise architecture Enterprise architecture (EA) is the process of translating business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating and improving the key requirements, principles and models that describe the enterprise's future state and enable its evolution.[1] Practitioners of EA call themselves enterprise architects. An enterprise architect is a person responsible for performing this complex analysis of business structure and processes and is often called upon to draw conclusions from the information collected. By producing this understanding, architects are attempting to address the goals of Enterprise Architecture: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Agility, and Durability.[2] Definition Enterprise architecture is an ongoing business function that helps an 'enterprise' figure out how to execute best the strategies that drive its development. The MIT Center for Information Systems Research (MIT CISR) defines enterprise architecture as the specific aspects of a business that are under examination: Enterprise architecture is the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure reflecting the integration and standardization requirements of the company's operating model. The operating model is the desired state of business process integration and business process standardization for delivering goods and services to customers.[3] The United States Government classifies enterprise architecture as an Information Technology function, and defines the term not as the process of examining the enterprise, but rather the documented results of that examination. Specifically, US Code Title 44, Chapter 36, defines it as a 'strategic information base' that defines the mission of an agency and describes the technology and information needed to perform that mission, along with descriptions of how the architecture of the organization should be changed in order to respond to changes in the mission.[4] Scope The term enterprise is used because it is generally applicable in many circumstances, including • Public or private sector organizations • An entire business or corporation • A part of a larger enterprise (such as a business unit) • A conglomerate of several organizations, such as a joint venture or partnership • A multiply outsourced business operation • Many collaborating public and/or private organizations in multiple countries The term enterprise includes the whole complex, socio-technical system,[5] including: • people • information • technology • business (e.g. operations) Defining the boundary or scope of the enterprise to be described is an important first step in creating the enterprise architecture. Enterprise as used in enterprise architecture generally means more than the information systems employed by an organization.[6] A pragmatic enterprise architecture provides a context and a scope. The context Enterprise architecture 2 encompasses the (people), organizations, systems and technology out of scope that have relationships with the organisation(s), systems and technology in the scope. In practice, the architect is responsible for the articulation of the scope in the context, engineers are responsible for the details of the scope (just as in the building practice). The architect remains responsible for the work of the engineers, and the implementing contractors thereafter. Developing an Enterprise Level Architectural Description Paramount to the enterprise architecture is the identification of the sponsor, his/her mission, vision and strategy and the governance framework to define all roles, responsibilities and relationships involved in the anticipated transition. As the purpose of architecture is: "INSIGHT, TO DECIDE, FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS", enterprise architects work very closely with the enterprise sponsor and key stakeholders, internal and external to the enterprise. The architect understands the enterprise mission, vision and strategy and the sponsor's ideas about the approach. The architect articulates the existing enterprise infrastructure value-chain: market, business, systems and technology. Architects present and discuss the technology, systems, business and market options to fulfill the enterprise mission. Insight is improved by using the 'solution architecture' which is, relative to the decisions ahead, a specific blend of technology, systems, business and market options. Together with the sponsor and the main stakeholders, they make informed choices about the options. For large transitions, architectural decisions are supported by proofs-of-concept and/or business pilots. Enterprise architects use various methods and tools to capture the structure and dynamics of an enterprise. In doing so, they produce taxonomies, diagrams, documents and models, together called artifacts. These artifacts describe the logical organization of business functions, business capabilities, business processes, people, information resources, business systems, software applications, computing capabilities, information exchange and communications infrastructure within the enterprise. A collection of these artifacts, sufficiently complete to describe the enterprise in useful ways, is considered by EA practitioners an 'enterprise' level architectural description, or enterprise architecture, for short. The UK National Computing Centre EA best practice guidance[7] states Normally an EA takes the form of a comprehensive set of cohesive models that describe the structure and functions of an enterprise. and continues The individual models in an EA are arranged in a logical manner that provides an ever-increasing level of detail about the enterprise: its objectives and goals; its processes and organization; its systems and data; the technology used and any other relevant spheres of interest. This is the definition of enterprise architecture implicit in several EA frameworks including the popular TOGAF architectural framework. An enterprise architecture framework bundles tools, techniques, artifact descriptions, process models, reference models and guidance used by architects in the production of enterprise-specific architectural description. Several enterprise architecture frameworks break down the practice of enterprise architecture into a number of practice areas or domains. See the related articles on enterprise architecture frameworks and domains for further information. In 1992, Steven Spewak described a process for creating an enterprise architecture that is widely used in educational courses.[8] Enterprise architecture 3 Using an enterprise architecture Describing the architecture of an enterprise aims primarily to improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the business itself. This includes innovations in the structure of an organization, the centralization or federation of business processes, the quality and timeliness of business information, or ensuring that money spent on information technology (IT) can be justified.[2] One method of using this information to improve the functioning of a business, as described in the TOGAF architectural framework, involves developing an "architectural vision": a description of the business that represents a "target" or "future state" goal. Once this vision is well understood, a set of intermediate steps are created that illustrate the process of changing from the present situation to the target. These intermediate steps are called "transitional architectures" by TOGAF.[9] Similar methods have been described in other enterprise architecture frameworks. Benefits of enterprise architecture As new technologies arise and are implemented, the benefits of enterprise architecture continue to grow.