Lessons learned from EA in the Belgian Commercial and Government Sectors

1. Lessons learned from EA in the Belgian Commercial and Government Sectors Architecture, Architecting, Architectural DescriptionA practitioners perspective Bart Van Passel Jan Wilmaers bart.vanpassel@inno.com jan.wilmaers@inno.com +32 477 685006 +32 486 098112

2. Making sense of IEEE 1471 for Enterprise Architecture • architecture: The fundamental organization of a system embodied in its components, their relationships to each other, and to the environment, and the principles guiding its design and evolution. • system: A collection of components organized to accomplish a specific function or set of functions. • architect: The person, team, or organization responsible for systems architecture. • architecting: The activities of defining, documenting, maintaining, improving, and certifying proper implementation of an architecture. • architectural description (AD): A collection of products to document an architecture. Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

3. In organisations we did Enterprise Architecture related work for • European HQ of a Global Freight Forwarder • European Transport Routing Center • Local Operation of a Global Telecom Provider • Parcel and Postal Services Provider • Social Security Services Provider • Regional Adminstration • Automotive Distribution Chain • Medium Sized Financial Institution Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

4. The system to be Architected ? The infrastructure, applications The system that designs, develops, evolves and maintains the IT Assets Enterprise System Source: Soh and Markus: How IT creates business value: a process theory synthesis Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

5. Plenty (and increasing numbers) of architects within the system Architect Owner Planner Builder Subcontractor The system that designs, develops, evolves and maintains the IT Assets Enterprise System Source: Soh and Markus: How IT creates business value: a process theory synthesis Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

6. Functional Areas Functional Areas Processes Projects Applications Applications Architecting became organisationally entangled To: Process (and its performance) as frame for organisational problem solving Coordindation : complex From: Function as frame for organisational problem solving Coordination : straightforward => EA is about sorting out the organisational problem solving structure Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

7. Architecting just happens • Often, mostly implicit • On the wrong organisational level, with the wrong people (or each of the levels independently and not coordinated) • With a questionable problem scope (too wide, too narrow) • With a questionable time frame (too long, too short) • With a questionable solution space • With a questionable effort (not enough, too much), on a questionable moment (too early, too late (or too fast, not fast enough)) • With a questionable business outcome as a result • => A more explicit rational integrated process ?!? Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

8. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Right question = half of the solution • Make them specific, apply them to the situation • Identify key questions, key drivers, key contraints • Define a path through the questions to be answered Identify the players Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

9. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Decouple problem-solutions: Conceptualising needs and means Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

10. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Case 1: ICT Strategy local Telecom player To Be ? Tech As Is ? To Be ? ? Plan Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

11. How, Why ? Planner Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

12. What ? Owner Information Model Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

13. What, How ? Architect, Builder Applications – As IS Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

14. What, How ? Architect, Builder Applications - To Be Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

15. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Case 2: ICT Strategy for a European distribution chain To Be To be To be As Is To Be As Is To Be Plan IT org, IS Gov Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

16. How ? Planner Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

17. How ? Planner Offering services through functional capabilities Awareness Product Management, Marketing Background for organisational changes, improvent projects, ... Network Partner Management Consideration Design Engineering Manufacturing Selling & Buying Acquisition Sales Management Delivery Management Manage Vehicle Logistics Manage Customer Financial Settlement Management Liability Settlement Management Ownership Added Value Servicing Added Value Provisioning Legal entities Reconsideration Performance Management (Quality, Risk, Cost) Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

18. Awareness Product Management, Marketing Network Partner Management Lead/Request management Consideration Design Engineering Sales Planning What, How ? Manufacturing Order Management Selling & Buying Architect Acquisition Sales Management BO Gateway FO Gateway Delivery Management Delivery Management Manage Vehicle Logistics Manage Customer Financial Settlement Management Liability Settlement Management Liability Management Ownership Added Value Servicing Added Value Provisioning Pricing, Invoicing Legal entities Collection, Payment, Accounting Reconsideration Performance Management (Quality, Risk, Cost) Consumer Back Office Middle Office Front Office Business & Information architecture components to support functional capabilities DATA components Management Components Gateway is the interface to the external world and can be realised through portal (access the system through the Web), EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), call centre, human, paper, … Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

19. What, How ? Architect Business & Information architecture Components - Details Data components Core Business Process Components Management Process Components Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

20. DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components DATA components Lead/Request management Lead/Request management Lead/Request management Lead/Request management Lead/Request management Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning Sales Planning What, How ? DATA components Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Order Management Distributor Systems Builder BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway BO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway FO Gateway Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management Delivery Management DATA components Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management Liability Management BO Gateway FO Gateway Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing Pricing, Invoicing BO Gateway FO Gateway Retailer Systems Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Collection, Payment, Accounting Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Management Components Application Architecture - As IS HQ National Distributor Retailer 1 2 3 4 5 Vehicles distribution 6 7 9 8 10 11 12 Consumer Parts Distribution 14 13 Supplier 16 15 Warranty 19 17 18 10 21 F&A 22 DATA components HR 23 BO Gateway FO Gateway Management Components Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

21. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Case 3 : EAI Selection Process – version 1 ? ? Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

22. Front-Office OCR Derived Channel 1 Channel 2 Statistics Costing Data Warehouse Processes Broker 2 Broker 1 Op App 1 Op App 2 How ? Op App 3 Broker 3 Op App 4 Architect Op App 5 ERP Op App 6 Marketing & Sales Generieke Interface Op App 0 Op App 7 CustomerDB Service Interface Reference Data Contract Product Customer Address Address Info Provider Integration Patterns Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

23. Where ? Architect EAI building blocks Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

24. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Case 4 : EAI Selection Process – version 2 ? ? Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

25. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Case 5: Re-vitalising a strategic project Business Objectives Requirments Business Case Matching ? Techn ICT Objectives DB Code Deploy Infra Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

26. What Data How Function Who People Where Location When Time Why Planner (CxO, Corporate Planning) Owner (Middle mgnt) Architect (EA, Business, Information, Solution, …) Builder (Analysts, Designers) Realisation (Developers, System Engineers) Tools, Techniques IT Organisation Roadmap Business Vision Information Model • Process Hierachie • Function Hierachie Conceptual Technology Model Objectives Componentisation Evaluation Existing Code Evaluation Technology Choice Techn. Objectives Scenarios Metrics Plan Templates Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

27. Customer What, How, Where ? Architect Where ? Vision for system support Scanning, OCR Contact Center Portal Interfaces to the Environment (Document) Workflow Processes Agenda (dispatching) Sys Automatische Processen Tasks Parameterisatie Reporting MIS Electronic Filing Sys Sales Provisioning/Servicing Activities Comp Entities Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

28. Architectural Description = model • Model = abstraction of reality built in the context of a specific problem solving exercise • Includes the aspects that are relevant to understand the problem • Excludes the non-relevant aspects (= majority) In order to be able to draw relevant conclusions in the context problem • Needs to be understood by all participants involved in the exercise (communication goes before formalism, you can add formalism once you decide to make the step to MDA) • Be pragmatic: • => stop analysing when the you have the relevant information, decission making is the issue, not analysis • => having models up-to-date in case you need them can have an added value to improve the process, having the capability to model certainly has • => be pragmatic in the decission what model data to keep up to date, and what part to re-generate when you need it. Model data only becomes model information in case it’s questioned from the perspective of a specific problem. Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

29. Architecting – strategy making schools and patterns (Mintzberg) Idealized architecting process • Design School : process of conception • Planning School : a formal process • Positioning School : an analytical process • Entrepreneurial School: a visionary process • Cognitive School : a mental process • Learning School : an emergent process • Power School : a process of negotiation • Cultural School : a collective process • Environmental School: a reactive process • Configuration School: a process of transformation Prescriptive The actual process as observed Descriptive Source: Mintzberg – Ahlstrand – Lampel : Strategy Safari Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

30. Centralised versus distributed Enterprise architecting process • Architect centralises the architecture • Does the analysis • Conceives the architecture vision • Communicates the architecture vision • Controls the implementation • Preset, fixed schedule • Architect facilitates the architecting process: • Frame problems • Ask the right questions • Choose frameworks – models (relevant to the problem but also the problem stakeholders) • Guides the problem solving exercise • Translates the shared vision into architecting policy • In an ongoing process • Easiest to sell • Easiest to get an architectural vision • Most Difficult to get it implemented • Most Added Value Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

31. Theory Of Software Evolution Applies(MM Lehman) Outcome of the process is difficult (impossible) to predict ! E-type systems: systems actively used and embedded in a real world domain Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

32. Motivation , Why a more explicit rational integrated process ? 3E’s !!! • Improved Effectiveness (doing the right things): a larger part of investments should be made in areas that matter and result in systems that perform. • Improved Efficiency (doing the things right): results should be achieved with less resources. • Improved Economy: the organisation should get more opportunities for investments that have a possitive net effect = economic engine for ICT related activities, basis for ICT capability based competition Relatively easy to demonstrate To demonstrate: Requires to make some processes explicit, baseline and measure them. Still feasible Criteria, Measurement, direction ? Real Options Analysis ? Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

33. Conclusions • System: the enterprise system • Architects: plenty of them, organisational structure not always clear or adapted to the problem at hand • Architecting: need an explicit rational integrated process • Key = Conceptualisation of needs and means • Architectural Description = model (and should be treated as such) • Centralised versus distributed process, the more people involved the easier to get the vision implemented. • Motivation for a more explicit rational integrated process : Improved Effectiveness, Efficiency, Economy Improved Economy = economic engine for ICT Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description

34. Questions, Feedback ? ? Architecture, Architect, Architecting, Architectural Description