Goverance and Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps

Many organizations struggle to establish and mature their Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps. The challenges they face are numerous: organizational change, cultural change, skills development, process change, technology adoption, etc. Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps improve alignment between business objectives and IT investment, and enhance communication between business and IT stakeholders.

Some organizations are finding support from the “10-Step Roadmapping Process” from the Enterprise Architecture Executive Council (EAEC; https://www.eaec.executiveboard.com/Public/Default.aspx). This process provides a customizable set of frameworks that embody the ‘Best Practices’ for building and maintaining sound roadmaps.

EAEC’s “10-Step Roadmapping Process” integrates Governance. Two aspects are emphasized: 1) Determine Ownership; and, 2) Establish Metrics.

Roles and responsibilities, especially around decision rights, are incorporated within the Determine Ownership aspect. To achieve Business-IT alignment the organizational structure and the group and individual performance objectives must also be considered and brought into alignment. The Determine Ownership aspect also sets the cadence for activities. This is critical to ensuring that progress meets key business deadlines while avoiding ‘quick shortcuts’ that jeopardize long-term business objectives.

Metrics are essential for establishing an objective and quantitative measure of success. EAEC’s “10-Step Roadmapping Process” emphasizes the success of Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps. However, metrics are also essential to measuring Business-IT Alignment, Financial-Execution Alignment, and Governance Alignment.

Just as Business-IT Alignment is architected ‘Top-Down’ from Business to IT, so to must Ownership and Metrics be architected ‘Top-Down’. This facilitates arriving at the minimum number of well-aligned roles and metrics necessary to achieve success.

__ Joseph Starwood (www.JosephStarwood.com)

The Times They Are a-Changin' __ Bob Dylan

Are you an ‘IT professional’? Are you sure about that?

In We’re Not in IT Anymore, an executive survey results analysis, the Corporate Executive Board “…predicts that three out of every four IT roles will either migrate to business services, evolve into business roles, or will be externalized by 2015.” (http://www.executiveboard.com/it/pdf/The_Future_of_Corporate_IT.pdf)

Those who have followed my postings know my position: professionals in the IT department are business professionals who know and apply information technology for the benefit of the business! So the results from this survey come as no surprise.

However, the implications are profound. The pace of change will be rapid and far-reaching. According to the Corporate Executive Board “…we are embarking on one of the most significant changes to corporate IT in years.” Some challenges are predictable. Organizational change will place great stress on change management functions and maturity, on Human Resource services, and on individual professionals in existing IT departments.

The Enterprise Architectures within these changing organizations will also be under great stress; testing the robustness, flexibility, and maturity. As Enterprise Architects, we must aid our executives in preparing for this significant change. Our efforts to achieve Business-IT Alignment, between the Business Operating Model and the IT Operating Model (IT Vision), will support a smoother transition.

At “Integrate 2010: Uniting the World of IT”, a two-day conference in Cleveland, Benku Thomas, Nour Laaroubi, and I will present a model for establishing Business-IT Alignment through Enterprise Architecture. (http://gcle.itsmfusa.org/?q=content/integrate-2010) We also show how to bridge the chasm between strategic and tactical; that is between the Enterprise Architecture and the IT initiatives (Portfolio projects and Asset enhancements).

__ Joseph Starwood (www.JosephStarwood.com)