Enterprise Architecture as a DecisionMaking Framework

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Enterprise Architecture as a Decision-Making
Framework

• SEARCH Symposium SOA Workshop
• Washington, DC
• March 12, 2006
• Scott Came
• Chief Enterprise Architect
• Washington Department of Information Services

scottca_at_dis.wa.gov [phone]
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What is Enterprise Architecture?

• Tool that informs and guides technology
  decision-making
• Planning decisions
• Investment decisions
• Solution Design decisions
• Tool consists of principles, policies, standards,
  guidelines, processes, reference
  models/architecturesanything that can help us
  make better decisions!

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Why the focus on decisions?

• Decisions move us from the as-is to the
  to-be, one frequent step at a time
• We want to make our decision-making as effective
  as possible
• Focus on decisions makes EA action-oriented,
  real, and practicalrather than theoretical

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Value of Enterprise Architecture

• EA promotes decisions that
• Align plans and investments with business
  priorities and needs
• Result in more citizen-friendly, integrated
  services
• Promote a more efficient IT infrastructure
• Facilitate cross-organizational sharing of
  enterprise information
• Recognize innovations and best practices from
  across the enterprise
• Are more consistent and predictable
• Trace back to principles and rules

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EA Frameworks

• Help organize the elements we build to support
  decisions (the principles, policies, standards,
  reference models, etc.)
• Easier to include new elements
• Easier to find existing elements
• Promote reuse of architectural best practices
• Examples NASCIO, TOGAF, Zachman, Federal EA

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NASCIO Framework (simplified)
Over-arching Principles, Drivers, Trends
Business Architecture
Information Architecture
Technology Architecture
Add Reference Architectures
Solution Architecture

• Roles
• Approver
• Reviewer
• Documenter
• Champion
• Manager
• etc.

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EA, SOA, and Information Sharing
Reference SOA
Integration
Principles
Information Sharing
Defines Approach
Define Requirements
Environmental Trends
Business Drivers
Business Architecture
Information Architecture
Technology Architecture
Solution Architecture