Link: http://theknowledgeeconomy.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/missing-the-mark/
Having decided to engage in the development of an Enterprise Architecture within a business it is extremely important to adopt an approach to capturing and recording information that supports the decision making process.
Without an approach or methodology directing the building of the architecture it is extremely easy to expend much effort and expense building ‘beautiful models’ that contribute little to realising the overall business strategy. With the plethora of models available to be built in the many different Architectural Frameworks it is often the easier or better understood that are undertaken first rather than the most urgent.
However, with forethought and by first gaining some understanding of where the business may have issues, a series of questions that need answering should be developed. These questions, whatever they may turn out to be, can assist in focusing the architectural development in those areas that would ultimately lead, with analysis, to providing valuable answers.
By targeting the development of the architecture to support the solving of problems that the business might have, earlier rather than later, the architect can develop a life of its own and become a valuable asset. With the subsequent maturing of the architecture through asking additional questions the decision making processes becomes more reliable and wide ranging.
Without selecting an appropriate focus the architecture will more than likely miss the mark and become the ‘white elephant’ that provides no ongoing business benefit.
