EA Voices

I hate watching sports. Period. Except curling where I am confused yet fascinated all at the same time. Despite my aversion, I can still see lessons for EAs and those executing strategy. So here goes…

Consider soccer and (American) football. In soccer, patterns and plays are improvised and executed very quickly. Goals are scored when you put the ball in the other team’s goal. You run until you score, get hurt, or just pass out. That’s about it. In football, plays are thought out, deliberated by an overstaffed sideline, and then executed. Incremental progress is measured in yards and downs. At some point, someone either kicks a field goal (3 pts) or moves the ball into the end zone (6 pts). The game moves slower and more deliberately than soccer. This is where I see the lesson.

Regardless of EA methodology or framework, one needs to construct some sort of roadmap for their architecture. Otherwise, all those massive architecture diagrams are nothing more than 21st century art. The roadmap articulates the various steps an organization needs to execute in order to reach a target state in the architecture. There may be multiple target states before arriving to the next "future state". And within each target state there are incremental steps. Sometimes, its baby steps, and that is OK. 

To paraphrase a previous tweet or blog post, EA (strategy execution)  is a set of executed tactics orchestrated to achieve a desired end state. EA programs should take great care to crisply define the target states and the incremental tactics used to achieve each target state. And, when those tactics or states are realized, examine closely if one is still on track and is moving forward. I always advocate the value of  "advancing 1 yard" on a project or other initiative regarding the architecture. 

Sometimes, a yard is all you can get. Take it, and keep moving.

I hate watching sports. Period. Except curling where I am confused yet fascinated all at the same time. Despite my aversion, I can still see lessons for EAs and those executing strategy. So here goes…

Consider soccer and (American) football. In soccer, patterns and plays are improvised and executed very quickly. Goals are scored when you put the ball in the other team’s goal. You run until you score, get hurt, or just pass out. That’s about it. In football, plays are thought out, deliberated by an overstaffed sideline, and then executed. Incremental progress is measured in yards and downs. At some point, someone either kicks a field goal (3 pts) or moves the ball into the end zone (6 pts). The game moves slower and more deliberately than soccer. This is where I see the lesson.

Regardless of EA methodology or framework, one needs to construct some sort of roadmap for their architecture. Otherwise, all those massive architecture diagrams are nothing more than 21st century art. The roadmap articulates the various steps an organization needs to execute in order to reach a target state in the architecture. There may be multiple target states before arriving to the next “future state”. And within each target state there are incremental steps. Sometimes, its baby steps, and that is OK. 

To paraphrase a previous tweet or blog post, EA (strategy execution)  is a set of executed tactics orchestrated to achieve a desired end state. EA programs should take great care to crisply define the target states and the incremental tactics used to achieve each target state. And, when those tactics or states are realized, examine closely if one is still on track and is moving forward. I always advocate the value of  “advancing 1 yard” on a project or other initiative regarding the architecture. 

Sometimes, a yard is all you can get. Take it, and keep moving.

Some of us on Twitter (#entarch) were noodling around for alternative names for Enterprise Architects. Someone chimed in about using "meteorologist" and suggested "climatologist". Then I thought more about the definitions of these words and how these roles operate.

These individuals work on massive amounts of historical data and seek patterns in nature to predict weather patterns and then issue forecasts. But at this point, the best we can do is react to the coming weather. If its a tornado, we head to the SW corner of the basement. If its a hurricane, we try to get out of town (at least most do). We cannot stop a tornado or steer it in a more favorable direction. And while there are proactive measures one can take to endure a storm and bolster structures, one cannot control or shape the weather. 

And that is where the meteorologist/climatologist analogy breaks down for EA. EAs need to be strategic in their thinking and help clients shape their future, not solely react to enterprise events. Like the weather, there are forces (e.g., Porters Five Forces) that one cannot control and must formulate a response. But the EAs job is to provide a vision and executable plan to a desired end state. Smart EAs leverage the experiences of others in design patterns and strategy execution. The discipline of EA provides the way to proactively shape the future for an enterprise. 

What are your thoughts? What lessons can EAs and the discipline of EA garner from other disciplines?

Some of us on Twitter (#entarch) were noodling around for alternative names for Enterprise Architects. Someone chimed in about using “meteorologist” and suggested “climatologist”. Then I thought more about the definitions of these words and how these roles operate.

These individuals work on massive amounts of historical data and seek patterns in nature to predict weather patterns and then issue forecasts. But at this point, the best we can do is react to the coming weather. If its a tornado, we head to the SW corner of the basement. If its a hurricane, we try to get out of town (at least most do). We cannot stop a tornado or steer it in a more favorable direction. And while there are proactive measures one can take to endure a storm and bolster structures, one cannot control or shape the weather. 

And that is where the meteorologist/climatologist analogy breaks down for EA. EAs need to be strategic in their thinking and help clients shape their future, not solely react to enterprise events. Like the weather, there are forces (e.g., Porters Five Forces) that one cannot control and must formulate a response. But the EAs job is to provide a vision and executable plan to a desired end state. Smart EAs leverage the experiences of others in design patterns and strategy execution. The discipline of EA provides the way to proactively shape the future for an enterprise. 

What are your thoughts? What lessons can EAs and the discipline of EA garner from other disciplines?