Cutter Consortium: Business & Enterprise Architecture

Sustainable EA: Is It Possible?

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:53:38 -0400

Evernden, Roger | Executive Updates |
Natural resources are precious and in limited supply. Business environments are inherently complex and unpredictable. As we face these and other constraints on our ability to manage change, is it possible to produce sustainable enterprise architectures? In this Executive Update, we examine the relevance of sustainability for enterprise architecture.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1309.html

Architecture Isn't About Fashion

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:52:21 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
I had an interesting discussion last week that started by talking about Big Data and ended in reflecting on the goals and skills of architecture. It finally boiled down to the statement: "enterprise architecture isn't about fashion."
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130515.html

Benchmarking Considerations for Cloud Performance Metrics

Wed, 8 May 2013 10:51:15 -0400

Markande, Krishna | E-Mail Advisors |
For all independent service providers (ISVs) and IT service providers, developing cloud-based services is becoming an essential business model in order to be at par with competitors and to keep infrastructure and operational cost optimal.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130508.html

Any Chance for Green IT?

Fri, 3 May 2013 15:23:08 -0400

Konkol, Sebastian | Executive Updates |
During the past decade we have seen a great deal of pressure placed on environmental issues. There have been more restrictive emission norms, a somewhat sense of being forced to use renewable sources of energy, the emergence of passive buildings, and even green IT.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1308.html

Looking at Model Refinement

Wed, 1 May 2013 15:21:34 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
One of my tenets of modeling is "Good enough is good enough," meaning that when a model is good enough for its intended purpose, it's time to stop messing with it. For example, if I'm trying to create a descriptive business process model, it will probably take two or three iterations through the model to get it good enough to convey the high-level process correctly.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130501.html

Cloud Performance Metrics and Benchmarking

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:20:05 -0400

Markande, Krishna | Executive Updates |
This Executive Update focuses on an approach for cloud performance benchmarking by examining various considerations as well as the tools available for benchmarking public cloud infrastructures and NoSQL databases. This benchmarking approach improves the short-listing process for cloud infrastructure components while building cloud services.
http://www.cutter.com/content/bia/fulltext/updates/2013/biau1306.html

What Is Complexity? An EA Perspective

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:18:49 -0400

Evernden, Roger | E-Mail Advisors |
Many explanations and descriptions of complexity refer to, and even depend on, the notion of a system or systems. As EA also uses the notion of systems extensively, referring to systems makes it much easier to relate complexity to an EA perspective.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130424.html

Peer-to-Peer: Structuring Your Architecture Team to Deliver Value

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:39 -0400

Rosen, Michael | Events |
Join Mike Rosen in a facilitated peer-to-peer discussion on how your architecture program can make it possible for your enterprise to be both flexible and agile; that is, to be truly competitive. Mike's goal for this Cutter Members-only online Peer-to-Peer session is to help you envision the best way to organize your architecture so that it can deliver maximum value.
http://www.cutter.com/events/multimedia/architecture-team-value.html

Time for Game-Changing Mobile Enterprise Apps

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:19:40 -0400

Hall, Curt | E-Mail Advisors |
A recent article in the New York Times describes a New York Police Department (NYPD) pilot program in which approximately 400 officers have been given smartphones to help them fight crime. You can read the full article here, but here's the gist of the NYPD's mobile application.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130417.html

Business Process Management: Cutter Glossary, Second Edition

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:18:10 -0400

Baudoin, Claude R. | Executive Reports |
Every discipline goes through phases when the terminology is ambiguous or requires frequent explanations, or when novices join the club and need to learn its lingo. Business process management (BPM) is passing through these phases. Existing glossaries are often incomplete (or spill over to cover adjacent concepts), obsolete, biased toward a specific approach, or of limited quality. Therefore, Cutter Consortium developed in 2010 a comprehensive, high-quality BPM glossary from a tool- and method-agnostic viewpoint to help clients with their BPM adoption and education efforts. Since a young discipline often adds new concepts and terms, we present in this Executive Report an updated second edition of the glossary.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/reports/2013/02/index.html

Understanding Organizational Interactions

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:17:02 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
Every company has some form of organizational chart. We're all used to seeing the hierarchy of boxes and lines and names that are characteristic of traditional reporting structures. And, of course, everyone has a boss, and gets paid from some budget, so these charts make a lot of sense for certain purposes.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130410.html

Peer-to-Peer: Structuring Your Architecture Team to Deliver Value

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:00:32 -0400

Business Architecture Is Coming of Age

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:59:15 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
For the past few years, we've argued that business architecture is important, its use is growing, and it is being used to deliver value to organizations. Last month's Business Architecture Innovation Summit in Reston, Virginia, USA, offered more proof.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130403.html

Systems of Engagement: Part II -- Enterprise Solution Architecture and Responsibilities

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 14:56:59 -0400

Rosen, Michael | Executive Updates |
In Part I of this three-part Executive Update series, we discussed the differences between systems of engagement (SOEs) and systems of record (SORs).
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1307.html

10 Key Architecture Skills for IT Professionals

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 14:53:13 -0400

Rosen, Michael | Consulting |
Many organizations have adopted enterprise or IT architecture, created architecture organizations, and given people the job title of "architect." Unfortunately, just having the title architect doesn't mean that you have the proper skills or know the industry best practices associated with the job.
http://www.cutter.com/workshops/10-key-architecture-skills.html

Taming the Video Bandwidth Hog

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:51:52 -0400

Hall, Curt | E-Mail Advisors |
Back in September of 2012, I discussed business video and issues associated with implementation and usage (see "Catch the Wave of Business Video"). Basically, I said that video is one of the most important "disruptive" technologies that organizations can employ today.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130327.html

How Does Business Architecture Govern?

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:03:06 -0400

Guitarte, Andrew | E-Mail Advisors |
Architecture without governance is futile. How, then, does business architecture govern? One area where I have seen business architecture make an impact is in IT project portfolio management.
http://www.cutter.com/content/itjournal/fulltext/advisor/2013/itj130320.html

Pursuing Process Ownership

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:59:18 -0400

Spanyi, Andrew | E-Mail Advisors |
An organizational capability, much like an end-to-end process, requires that different departments work together to create value for customers. In traditional organizations, where the predominant focus is on managing individual departments, it is rare to observe that any one individual has overall accountability for these large sets of value-creating activities.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130320.html

Mastering Complexity to Drive EA Productivity

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:57:52 -0400

Evernden, Roger | Executive Reports |
Architectures and associated change programs are increasing in complexity. As such, today’s enterprise architects and EA teams need to know the best ways to handle or deal with complexity. How can we apply the latest ideas in complexity theory and systems thinking to the management and evolution of architectures, and how does this help with the planning and running of programs and projects? This Executive Report examines complexity from an EA perspective, explains why architecture has become more complex, and shows how EA as a discipline already has a wealth of techniques that address complexity. Getting to grips with complexity is not easy, but the alternative is to become less effective in our work since each increase in complexity reduces EA productivity.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/reports/2013/01/index.html

Tailoring TOGAF for Business Architecture

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:51:15 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
With the continued adoption of TOGAF as the industry standard EA framework, many organizations are struggling with how to get started and how to adapt TOGAF to fit them. As I have written regarding other topics (such as the design of architecture artifacts), it's critical to align the architecture approach with your organization's goals, culture, structure, process, skills, and maturity.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130313.html

The Promises and Challenges of the New IT: Part III -- The Real-Time Enterprise and the Web

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 14:49:16 -0400

Greco, Frank D. | Executive Updates |
In this last installment of our 3 part series, we discuss the Web roadblocks ahead for anything as a service (XaaS).
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1306.html

An Integrated EA Approach for Effective ERM

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 14:46:37 -0400

Chapala, Nethaji | Executive Updates |
Organizations need to develop strategies to make ERM more effective. One such strategy is bringing enterprise architecture (EA) into the mix. In this Executive Update, we'll explore the challenges of operational risk management and how integrating ERM practices with EA will alleviate the failures organizations face today.
http://www.cutter.com/content/alignment/fulltext/updates/2013/bitu1304.html

Cloud Computing: Misunderstandings and Fallacies

Wed, 6 Mar 2013 14:45:36 -0400

Greco, Frank D. | E-Mail Advisors |
To enhance customer satisfaction and improve user responsiveness, a common ingredient of choice in today's modern, pan-enterprise, services-oriented enterprise is cloud computing. So what really is cloud computing?
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130306.html

Marketecture: Selling Your Cause

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:40:08 -0400

Evernden, Roger | Executive Updates |
Good architects also need to be good "marketects": they must be able to sell and promote their cause as well as publicize their achievements, outcomes, and results. But how do they do this? What tips and guidelines from the world of marketing can architects adopt to their advantage?
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1305.html

The Role of Chief Data Officer in the 21st Century

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:38:23 -0400

Moss, Larissa T.; Adelman, Sid | Executive Reports |
Fifteen years after enterprise resource planning and over two decades into data warehousing, many business executives are still frustrated over their inability to trust their company's data. They have spent millions on new technologies, only to find that the state of their data assets has deteriorated. This significantly reduces the business value of their investments. One big reason for this continuing data chaos is that companies do not manage their data as a business asset, and there is no one watching the store. In this Executive Report, we look at the role of chief data officer and why this role is so important.
http://www.cutter.com/content/bia/fulltext/reports/2013/02/index.html

Is Your Architecture Successful?

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:36:58 -0400

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
I think the fundamental purpose of architecture is to create a context that influences decisions. Those might be technology selection decisions, solution design decisions, project selections/portfolio management decisions, or business transformation execution decisions, just to name a few.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130227.html

Q&A: The Path Out of Business-IT Architecture Misalignment

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:57:25 -0500

Ulrich, William | Events |
In the Executive Update "Business-IT Architecture Misalignment: A Transformation Framework," Cutter Senior Consultant William Ulrich lays down the path out of misalignment through the use of a coordinated business-IT transformation roadmap. Now, Bill will lead a special online Question and Answer session for Cutter members and invited guests. Don't miss your chance to ask Bill all your questions!
http://www.cutter.com/events/multimedia/business-architecture-misalignment.html

Develop Architecture Talent from Within

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:55:58 -0500

Cutter Consortium |
Clarify your approach to enterprise architecture. With training by Cutter's experts, your architects, technologists, and developers will get the knowledge and skills they need.
http://www.cutter.com/content-and-analysis/resource-centers/enterprise-architecture/ea-program.html

Looming Security Threats: Big Data to the Rescue

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:53:52 -0500

Hall, Curt | E-Mail Advisors |
It seems that hardly a day goes by when the poor state of systems security isn't driven home with another report of some stunning new attack. What's even more distressing to security experts is that the frequency of such attacks and their sophistication are increasing.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130220.html

Business-IT Architecture Misalignment: Part III — Building Executive Sponsorship

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:51:29 -0500

Ulrich, William M. | Executive Updates |
Part I of this Executive Update series introduced systemic challenges facing organizations with a high degree of business-IT misalignment, along with a summary of how to address these challenges. In Part II, we examined a business-IT architecture transformation framework. The framework provided a comprehensive approach to addressing business-IT misalignment. Part III of this series provides practical advice for launching a business-IT architecture misalignment initiative in practice.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1304.html

Is It Architecture? Part III: The Zachman Framework and Architecture

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:49:51 -0500

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
In my last couple Advisors, I have looked at what constitutes architecture and an architectural description ("Is It Architecture? Part I" and "Is It Architecture? Part II: Ontologies and Metamodels"). In particular, I applied the definition from IEEE 42010 to the concepts of business architecture, and looked at how an architecture can be formalized using a metamodel. In my final Advisor on this topic, I want to examine the Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture using the same criteria (see Part I to review the criteria).
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130213.html

Eight Factors in All Enterprise Architectures

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 14:44:58 -0500

Evernden, Roger | E-Mail Advisors |
In Reframing Frameworks: Part I -- Making EA Frameworks Your Ally, I identified eight key factors common to all predefined frameworks. Some of these factors are visible in popular architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or Zachman, while others that are just as important are less evident.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130206.html

Is It Architecture? Part II: Ontologies and Metamodels

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:42:23 -0500

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
In my last Advisor, I talked about some defining characteristics of architecture and looked at the criteria that IEEE 42010 specifies ("Is It Architecture? Part I").
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130130.html

The Promises and Challenges of the New IT: Part II -- Cloud Strategies for the Enterprise

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:40:49 -0500

Greco, Frank | Executive Updates |
In Part I of this three-part Executive Update series, we highlighted the importance of understanding and evaluating the value and impact of the many new technologies, techniques, and tools that are part of the state of IT today. This Update explores the enterprise's need to go beyond the firewall to enhance customer satisfaction, increase revenue, and maintain a competitive edge.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1303.html

Business-IT Architecture Misalignment: Part II -- A Transformation Framework

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:39:20 -0500

Ulrich, William M. | Executive Updates |
Part I of this Executive Update series introduced systemic challenges facing organizations with a high degree of business-IT misalignment, along with a summary of how to address these challenges. Here in Part II, we introduce a business-IT architecture transformation framework. The framework provides a comprehensive approach to addressing business-IT misalignment.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1302.html

A Model-Based Management Dashboard: Harmonizing Management Efforts to Optimize the Enterprise

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 10:36:48 -0500

Cummins, Fred A. | Executive Reports |
This Executive Report proposes personalized dashboards for all managers in an enterprise as well as an active business model based on the Value Delivery Modeling Language (VDML). The report describes the VDML concepts and facilities that model the operation of the enterprise, the mechanisms for integrating the model with operational business systems, and, finally, the implications of the shared VDML model and modeling facilities to the future evolution of the enterprise.
http://www.cutter.com/content/bia/fulltext/reports/2013/01/index.html

Enterprise Tablet Standardization Trends

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:02:09 -0500

Hall, Curt | E-Mail Advisors |
According to our research, approximately 24% of organizations have standardized on tablet platforms for enterprise use. Another 27% say they plan to do so within the next 12 months or so. How these organizations' plans will actually pan out is uncertain, due to the hyperactive nature of the tablet market, in general.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130123.html

Systems of Engagement: Part I -- Understanding the Big Picture

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:00:49 -0500

Rosen, Mike | Executive Updates |
There has been a lot of noise in the application development area around what are being called "systems of engagement." In this Executive Update series, we will explore this newfound principle and what architects must contemplate in order to foster improved enterprise efficiency and innovation.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2013/eau1301.html

Conducting Business Process Reviews

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:59:28 -0500

Spanyi, Andrew | E-Mail Advisors |
While conducting business process reviews has become a core activity for many business analysts, I have observed that there is still room for improvement on how these reviews are done in some organizations.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130116.html

The Environmental Context for EA: The Imperative to Deal with Uncertainty

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:58:15 -0500

Evernden, Roger | Executive Reports |
The role of the architect and the scope of architecture have steadily evolved from a focus purely on IT to one that also includes business and the enterprise as a complete organization. But enterprise architecture (EA) can't operate in isolation from the environment -- political, economic, social, and technology factors exert tremendous pressures on an enterprise. The nature of these pressures is increasingly unpredictable and uncertain. Enterprises are expected to respond to change that enterprise architectures were not designed for. Within the EA team, what can we do to anticipate trends and changes? And how do we structure and organize architectures to be able to respond to the unexpected? We explore these questions in this Executive Report.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/reports/2012/07/index.html

Business Architect vs. Business Analyst: What's the Difference?

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 11:51:51 -0500

Evernden, Roger | Executive Updates |
In this Executive Update, I look at the characteristic techniques used by the two roles to highlight where there are differences between the two and how these differences complement each other. I then describe some of the practical ways to encourage greater cooperation and collaboration between these two areas.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/updates/2012/eau1213.html

Is It Architecture?: Part I

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 15:49:02 -0500

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
There has been a lot of discussion on some business architecture forums lately about the relationship between capabilities and processes and their role in business architecture. I wrote about this last September in my Advisor "Processes, Value Streams, and Capabilities," but the consensus seems to be that capabilities are a description of "what" the business does.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130109.html

EA New Year's Resolutions, Eighth Edition

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 15:47:54 -0500

Rosen, Mike | E-Mail Advisors |
Welcome to the eighth-anniversary edition of my enterprise architect's New Year's resolutions. I hope it will give you food for thought and some inspiration for architectural growth in 2013.
http://www.cutter.com/content/architecture/fulltext/advisor/2013/ea130102.html