The Irony of Enterprise Architecture
It has been observed that…
Every institution tends to preserve the problem to which it is the solution.
When I think of enterprise architecture as an institution irony often ensues…
What if value is in the noise?
If thought precedes action, what idea does enterprise architecture move towards?
The clarity of a signal lifted out of the noise? Tidy cubicles or hacker spaces?
To find a form that accommodates the mess, that that now the task of the enterprise arc…
What if value is in the noise?
If thought precedes action, what idea does enterprise architecture move towards?
The clarity of a signal lifted out of the noise? Tidy cubicles or hacker spaces?
To find a form that accommodates the mess, that that now the task of the enterprise architect.
(Apologies to Beckett).
Data management 8: Modeling
This is the eight blogpost in the Data Management series. We have covered many capabilities that are associated with Data Management, ranging from Governance and Stewardship to Business Intelligence. In each posting we briefly touched upon the modelin…
Reuse is the essence of building blocks in Enterprise Architecture
Would you want to buy a new hammer every time you need to drive a nail? You would soon end up with hundreds of hammers of all colors and sizes, when all you need is one!Similarly, when creating architecture (or solution) building blocks, a clear headed…
Reuse is the essence of building blocks in Enterprise Architecture
Would you want to buy a new hammer every time you need to drive a nail? You would soon end up with hundreds of hammers of all colors and sizes, when all you need is one!Similarly, when creating architecture (or solution) building blocks, a clear headed…
Haiku Review: Business Model Generation
Love it, loads of useful tools
Hipster mba
Good case studies not whole pic
Haiku Review: Simple Architecture for Complex Enterprises
Interesting approach
Did not follow math
Business card for the author
Haiku Review: Lean Thinking
case studies interesting
hmm cult of ohno
not a guide could be shorter
Shearing Layers – Part 1 physical buildings
In Stewart Brand’s terrific work, “How Buildings Learn”, there are some great analogies to what we do in Enterprise Architecture. He expanded on the concept of “shearing layers” introduced by Robert V. O’Neill in his “A hierarchical concept of ecosystems”. The primary notion being that we can hierarchically understand our ecosystems better by understanding the different rates of change possible at the different layers.
The diagram above is reproduced from How Buildings Learn, and represents the parts of a building which change at different rates. It is arranged from outside in with, in this representation, no absolute correlation between the parts and rate of change.
Using Brand’s own explanation, the layers have the following descriptions:
Site
The site is the geographical setting, the urban location and the legally defined lot whose boundaries and context outlast generations of ephemeral buildings
Structure
The foundation and load bearing elements are perilous and expensive to change, so people don’t. These are the building.
Skin
External surfaces can change more frequently than the structure of the building. Changes in fashion, energy cost, safety, etc. cause changes to be made to the skin. However tradition and preservation orders often inhibit changes to the skin since the skin is very much the aesthetic.
Services
These are the working guts of the building, communications/wiring, plumbing, air handling, people moving. Ineffective services can cause buildings to be demolished early, even if the surrounding structure is still sound.
Space Plan
The space plan represents the interior layout – the placement of walls, ceilings, doors, etc. As buildings are re-purposed, as fashion changes so can the interior quickly be reconfigured.
Stuff
The appurtenances that make the space useful for its intended purpose. Placement of tables, chairs, walls cubicles, etc.
In further articles, I will develop this theme in 2 directions. First in thinking about how data can affect the way that retail organizations can think about their layout and organization (shearing at the Stuff/Space Plan layers of both brick and mortar and web stores. Second in looking at Enterprise Architecture through the lens of shearing layers – by analogy with Brand’s writing and thinking.
Shearing Layers – Part 1 physical buildings
In Stewart Brand’s terrific work, “How Buildings Learn”, there are some great analogies to what we do in Enterprise Architecture. He expanded on the concept of “shearing layers” introduced by Robert V. O’Neill in his “A hierarchical concept of ecosystems”. The primary notion being that we can hierarchically understand our ecosystems better by understanding the different rates of change possible at the different layers.
The diagram above is reproduced from How Buildings Learn, and represents the parts of a building which change at different rates. It is arranged from outside in with, in this representation, no absolute correlation between the parts and rate of change.
Using Brand’s own explanation, the layers have the following descriptions:
Site
The site is the geographical setting, the urban location and the legally defined lot whose boundaries and context outlast generations of ephemeral buildings
Structure
The foundation and load bearing elements are perilous and expensive to change, so people don’t. These are the building.
Skin
External surfaces can change more frequently than the structure of the building. Changes in fashion, energy cost, safety, etc. cause changes to be made to the skin. However tradition and preservation orders often inhibit changes to the skin since the skin is very much the aesthetic.
Services
These are the working guts of the building, communications/wiring, plumbing, air handling, people moving. Ineffective services can cause buildings to be demolished early, even if the surrounding structure is still sound.
Space Plan
The space plan represents the interior layout – the placement of walls, ceilings, doors, etc. As buildings are re-purposed, as fashion changes so can the interior quickly be reconfigured.
Stuff
The appurtenances that make the space useful for its intended purpose. Placement of tables, chairs, walls cubicles, etc.
In further articles, I will develop this theme in 2 directions. First in thinking about how data can affect the way that retail organizations can think about their layout and organization (shearing at the Stuff/Space Plan layers of both brick and mortar and web stores. Second in looking at Enterprise Architecture through the lens of shearing layers – by analogy with Brand’s writing and thinking.
Business Architects: Do Not Start With Strategy
Frequently, when reading articles or books on business architecture, the following advice emerges:
Business architects start with the strategy of an organization. They take that strategy and map it to the capabilities of the enterprise to clarif…