IT-architecture

What Are Architecture Documents For?

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I recently had a discussion with a colleague about what the real purpose of architecture documentation is. The simple answer of “documenting the architecture” seems unsatisfactory to me – “what is the point in that?” I think. My response to him was that architecture documents are for recording (and communicating) architectural decisions.  This is part […]

What Has Governance Ever Done for Me?

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This is basically the question that many project managers ask me when we have a discussion about adhering to governance. They want to know what value their project gets from adhering to governance processes, from generating artefacts for governance gates. The short answer is “none – governance is not something we do for you!” If […]

Ban the Word “Alignment” From Your Architecture

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Something about the typical language of enterprise architecture is starting to bug me. The overuse of the word “alignment”. When people are asked to describe what enterprise architecture is all about, they often answer with the phrase “it’s about the alignment of IT with business strategy”. But is that enough? Should it be something more? […]

Some BYOD Technology Recommendations

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This is the sixteenth post in my series on BYOD. In my last post on the subject I discussed a range of technologies that can be used to solve issues raised by BYOD. Here I’d like to give my broad recommendations around which of those technologies are most likely to solve the kinds of problems […]

Does Your Architecture Pass the “So What” Test?

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Does your architecture pass the “So What” test? Can you demonstrate the specific value that a particular architectural deliverable or activity will add? If not, why are you even bothering? In this case, as with justice, your activity must not just add value, it must be seen to add value. A number of recent discussions […]

Flexibility, Agility and Open Standards

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Flexibility and agility are terms used almost interchangeably these days as attributes of IT architectures designed to cope with rapidly changing business requirements. Did you ever wonder if they are actually the same? Don’t you have the feeling that these terms remain abstract and without a concrete link to the design of an IT architecture? … Continue reading →

An Overview of Mobility and BYOD Technology

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This is the fifteenth post in my series on BYOD. I have mostly avoided talking about technology, as in many ways that is the least important, and the most straightforward aspect of dealing with BYOD. Most people automatically think of Mobile Device Management (MDM) when they think of mobile or BYOD technology, but that is far from […]

Privacy Matters for BYOD

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This is my fourteenth post in my series on BYOD. This recent article on Infoworld about how the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs has put its BYOD plans on hold illustrates the point that you need to consider and cover off employee privacy when implementing BYOD. As I understand the article, they are putting their […]