Enterprise Architecture Team

title

Enterprise Architecture Team

author

Bernard Szlachta (bs@NobleProg.co.uk)

Enterprise Architecture Team Members⌘

• EA Architect
• Chief Architect
• Technical Architect
• Solution Architect
• SME (Subject Matter Expert)

Technical Architect⌘

• Research and present current and emerging technologies
• Discussing the best products and systems with the rest of the theme
• Technology forecasting
• Plan for technology upgrades
• Dealing with technology problems as they arise

Solution Architect ⌘

• Predict how bunch of technologies will work together
• Contains Information System aspects as well as Application System aspects
• Document the structure and behaviour of a solution to a problem
• Creates plan and processes for solution implementation

Subject Matter Expert (SME)⌘

• AKA domain expert (the domain usually refers to non-IT domain, like finance, production ,etc...)
• An expert in a particular area

Enterprise Architect⌘

• Describe the current state of the architecture
• Plans for future changes in the architecture
• Deal with the IT-business alignment
• Talk to the management, project managers, SMEs and other architects
• Deals with finances and "selling" changes in the architecture to other people within the organization

Enterprise Architecture changes and Project Managers ⌘

• If the changes in the architecture not only restrict or recommend solutions but require substantial work on its own (e.g. analysis of current architecture requires 12 people) there might be a need in a Project Manager within the Enterprise Architecture team
• Those Project Managers should not be involved in any "fire fighting" or day to day activity as it would distract them from long term strategic importance of the architecture

Chief Architect⌘

• Establish and communicate the technology roadmap for IT-Business alignment
• Still technical role
• Usually reports to CIO or CEO
• In the past they reported to CFO

Quiz⌘

EA should not report to any operation related entities (Project Management, Product Management, etc...). Why?

Answer >>

Because they are rewarded for fire-fighting, not long term goals

Other possible roles ⌘

• Business Liaison
  • PR or marketing person for EA department
  • communicates the importance of the architecture to the management
  • Passes the management feedback to the EA team
• Chief Innovation Officers
  • Makes decision about introduction of new way of doing things