Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Enterprise architecture frameworks

IT architecture takes a prominant role when you integrate technology from more than one vendor. Sven Feurer from SAP has an intertesting article on the evolving role of the enterprise architect part 1 and part 2. He quotes McKinsey’s Investors Opinion Survey, June 2000, which asks 138 CIOs pertinent questions about enterprise architecture.

The three most relevant frameworks identified by the survey are:

• The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) (chosen by 54%)
• The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture (chosen by 35%)
• The Gartner Enterprise Architecture Framework (chosen by 29%)

We are currently skilling up on TOGAF 8, which offers a widely supported, open framework that can scale to accommodate diverse customer specific requirements.

Enterprise architecture must be defined by the customer. Solution vendors can't do it. The definition should be pragmatic and aspirational rather than legalistic.

Let's say you find a proven, packaged solution that meets your needs. The only alternatives are custom development or a much worse fit. Don't let a great architectural vision stand in your way. Make sure the governance component allows exemptions for compelling business reasons.

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