Architecture method template work products / artefacts March 24, 2009
Posted by chriseaton in IT Architecture, architecture, architecture method, artitecture, methodology, methods, total lifecycle thinking.Tags: building IT solutions, architecture, solution architecture, technology, IT Architecture, application architecture, integration architecture, infrastructure architecture, architecture method, solution architecture method, non functional requirements, architecture risk, architecture decisions, systems lifecycle, technical architecture, architecture framework, data architecture, component architecture, nfrs, solution scope, architectural risk, IT Architect, solution design, architecture diagram, architecture methods, software architecture design methods
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Following on from previous posts below are links to all the work products in the artITecture architecture method. The work products contain suggested formats and advice for completing them. The templates are intended to be just that; templates, customiseable to your own use.
| Work Product Name | Download Link |
| Architecture Decisions | Link |
| Architecture Overview Diagrams | Link |
| Architecture Risk and Mitigation Plan | Link |
| Architecture Scope and Context | Link |
| Change Cases | Link |
| Component Architecture | Link |
| Data Architecture | Link |
| Decision Model | Link |
| Functional Requirements | Link |
| Infrastructure Architecture | Link |
| Integration Architecture | Link |
| Non Functional Requirements | Link |
| Technology Assessment | Link |
Architecting for the complete systems lifecycle March 5, 2009
Posted by chriseaton in IT Architecture, architecture, architecture method, artitecture, methodology, methods, total lifecycle thinking.Tags: architecture, architecture framework, architecture method, architecture methodology, artitecture, IT Architecture, it-it gap, method, service delivery, systems lifecycle, technical architecture, technology, total liifecycle thinking, waterfall
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Architecture is often focused on the implementation of a successful solution and it is easy to understand that the immediate concern of an architect and the project itself is to successfully go live.
I suspect that few (perhaps even zero!) architects or indeed project managers are incented on the long term success of the implementation and success of a solution over a number of years. The following diagram is my own version of the waterfall model.
The model looks pretty close to any other version of the waterfall model, but includes linkage to IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture, and at the tail end to Service Delivery, Service Management and the eventual decommission of the system. The architectural thinking should included all these phases. The later end is often forgotten with little consideration to how Service Delivery/Service Management will run, diagnose, recover and ensure the solution meets the required service levels. This is often referred to the IT-IT Gap, where the implementation project does not talk to the service delivery/service management world, and at handover from project to run… there are issues which could have been avoided by total life cycle thinking.
The artITechiture solution architecture method makes explicit reference to each phase in the recommended documentation, the documentation should be considered both a formal document but also a prompt for thinking about all aspects of the systems life-cycle.
looking for mentees July 18, 2008
Posted by chriseaton in IT Architecture, communications, mentoring, people.Tags: career coaching, careers, Certification, coaching, CV, IT Architect Certification, IT Architecture, ITAC, mentee, mentoring, PMP, SCEA, technology, TOGAF, writing CVs
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I am looking to mentor people in IT architecture. Part of the Open Group IT Architect Certification (ITAC) requirements is ‘giveback’ to the profession and mentoring is one of the most important. I have experience as an application, integration and enterprise architect with particular technology experience in SOA and most IBM software
Mentoring is not just about technology, it is also about careers, coaching and soft skills…
I also have quite a few certifications which i can help with too, including TOGAF, ITAC, Sun Enterprise Architect and Project Management Professional
I am also a dab hand at reworking CVs and Resumes…
If you are interested in discussing mentoring please contact me at gruffoot@gmail.com
IBM EA method and IT Inventories June 27, 2008
Posted by chriseaton in EA, IT Architecture, methodology, methods.Tags: application inventory, enterprise architecture, IBM Enterprise Architecture method, IT Architecture, IT inventory, technology
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I have been thinking some more on the difference between the IBM Enterprise Architecture method and TOGAF. In the IBM EA method there is an strong emphasis on maintaining an IT Inventory. This seems oddly absent from TOGAF altogether. An IT inventory maintains a record of what applications you have, what technology they run on, the functions they perform and often financial data is attached to them too.
Understanding what applications and IT you have today in some form is crucial to making decisions for many reasons – to understand total costs, to enable you to identify and sunset applications which perform duplicate function, to have a total picture of what applications you have in the first place, to identify other IT rationalisations like server consolidation.
In IBM internally the company wide application inventory is also used to track all IT projects both in flight to deliver something an upgrade to an existing application and projects which will deliver something entirely new. This is really the centerpiece to tracking projects and the current application inventory and scheduled upgrades it takes a more holistic view than just what is live now, you can also extrapolate what the application looked like in the past, and because it tracks in flight projects you can see what the inventory will look like in the future if all the project deliver on time.
I wonder why TOGAF has a gap here it is such a powerful tool for analysis and communications. The IBM solution is custom built, are there any software applications out there to maintain an IT inventory?
