Aggregated enterprise architecture wisdom
This post is part of a larger series to provide a detailed set of steps you can take to unlock breakthrough results in Big Data Analytics. This step addresses identifying the type and nature of the operating models used within the analytic community along with the most important capability each demands.
This week’s episode of Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast, number 369, features Tom’s essay on stand-up meetings, Kim Pries on mastery, and a Form Follows Function installment on #NoEstimates. Tom and I discuss my post “#NoEstimates – Questions, Answers, and Credibility” and take on whether it’s realistic to eliminate estimates given their […]
Ignaz Semmelweis was a doctor who was instrumental to combat the childbed fever as well as many other illnesses by introducing hand washing with a chlorine solution between patients, most particular after autopsy that was performed during the day. However as an administrator and a doctor he was rejected as he clearly showed all signs … Continue reading Semmelweis →
I am honoured to be a member of the advisory board of Europe’s Foremost Independent Enterprise Architecture Conference, IRMUK EAC/BPM 2016 Conference, which will be held in London on 13-16 June 2016. The Call for Speakers has been announced – to submit a speaking proposal now, click here. We will be choosing keynotes, conference sessions and workshops on the following examples…
…never mind IT, to survive, most our enterprises are rather bimodal. But I would no call them that, Bimodal enterprises, it sounds too clinical.
The role of enterprise architecture and the enterprise architect has steadily grown in scope and in importance over the last two decades. Although many EA teams operate as part of the IT department, others are taking a more active position as they help to inform and guide strategy planning, investment and transformation at the enterprise-level. Read more
The role of enterprise architecture and the enterprise architect has steadily grown in scope and in importance over the last two decades. Although many EA teams operate as part of the IT department, others are taking a more active position as they help to inform and guide strategy planning, investment and transformation at the enterprise-level. Read more
One of the few downsides to being a Great White shark is that they must continually move, even while sleeping, in order to keep water moving over their gills. If they stay still too long, they die. Likewise, organizations must remain in motion, changing and adapting to their ecosystem, or risk dying out as well. […]
Dear TOG, I hope this letter finds you well. As shepherd of the ArchiMate standard, you are currently working on its next iteration. As I am not part of the ArchiMate Forum, I am going to send you a few … Continue reading →
Architecture in terms IT or business architecture is a relative young area. It interacts with a lot of areas that are also ver young such as economics, business science, etc. We often make the mistake to call these other areas science or engineering, but we all know that a lot of things in these areas … Continue reading Architects as Alchemists →
Are we talking about a Bipolar kind of IT that switches mood, mode, energy and activities at will?… I can only hope that Bimodal IT is not about applying agile modes to IT operations.
The obscure word #deconfliction has started to appear in the news, referring to the coordination or lack of coordination between American and Russian operations in the Middle East, especially Syria.
The Christian Science Monitor suggests that the word “deconfliction” sounds too cooperative, and quotes the New York Times.
“Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter sharply took issue with suggestions, particularly in the Arab world, that the United States was cooperating with Russia, and he insisted that the only exchanges that the Pentagon and the Russian military could have on Syria at the moment were technical talks on how to steer clear of each other in the skies above the country.”
But that’s exactly what deconfliction is – “how to steer clear of each other” – especially in the absence of tight synchronization and strong coordination.
The Guardian quotes Gary Rawnsley, professor of public diplomacy at Aberystwyth University, who says such jargon is meaningless and is designed to confuse the public. But I think this is unfair. The word has been used within military and other technical circles for many decades, with a fairly precise technical meaning. Obviously there is always a problem (as well as a risk of misunderstanding) when technical jargon leaks into the public sphere, especially when used by such notorious obfuscators as Donald Rumsfeld.
In the current situation, the key point is that cooperation and collaboration require something more like a dimmer switch rather than a simple on-off switch. The Americans certainly don’t want total cooperation with the Russians – either in reality or in public perception – but they don’t want zero cooperation either. Meanwhile Robbin Laird of SLD reports that the French and the Russians have established “not only deconfliction but also coordinated targeting … despite differences with regard to the future of Syria”. In other words, Franco-Russian coordination going beyond mere deconfliction, but stopping short of full alignment.
Thus the word “deconfliction” actually captures the idea of minimum viable cooperation. And this isn’t just a military concept. There are many business situations where minimum viable cooperation makes a lot more sense than total synchronization. We could always call it loose coupling.
Helene Cooper, A Semantic Downgrade for U.S.-Russian Talks About Operations in Syria (New York Times, 7 October 2015)
Jonathan Marcus, Deconflicting conflict: High-stakes gamble over Syria (BBC News, 6 October 2015)
Robbin Laird, The RAF Unleashed: The UK and the Coalition Step up the Fight Against ISIS (SLD, 6 December 2015)
Ruth Walker, Feeling conflicted about deconfliction (Christian Science Monitor, 22 October 2015)
Matthew Weaver, ‘Deconflict’: buzzword to prevent risk of a US-Russian clash over Syria (Guardian 1 October 2015)
Ben Zimmer, In Conflict Over Russian Role in Syria, ‘Deconfliction’ Draws Critics (Wall Street Journal, 9 October 2015)
More posts on Deconfliction
Updated 7 December 2015