Enterprise Architecture Management

This is the seventh posting in our series on using ArchiMate in practice. So far we have considered the mind of the architect as well as several ‘fundamentals’ in the language: the structure / behavior dichotomy, three layers, internal / external aspects of each domain, specialization, and the use of views & viewpoints. In this posting we will discuss some ‘philosophical’ and practical issues that you may run into when using ArchiMate.

“Many stakeholders consider their organization as unique.” Depending on the level of abstraction you take as viewpoint, you can argue this statement is either right or wrong. It is interesting from an enterprise architecture perspective to understand why stakeholders stress this uniqueness and what are the benefits of understanding where the organization really is different from others. Recently there was a very successful seminar on Enterprise Architecture in Healthcare at BiZZdesign’s Dutch Amersfoort office. Therefore we use the example of the healthcare industry to illustrate things.

In this series, we have discussed various aspects of the ArchiMate modeling language using a “first principles” approach. We have covered structure vs. behavior, the three layers, (with internal / external aspects), the use of specialization, and so on. A key issue that we have often discussed is the distinction between the (mental) model of the modeler (i.e. the architect) and the visualizations that he or she creates for stakeholders in the organization. In this posting we will elaborate on that aspect.

The hype on cloud computing makes expectations rise. What’s the role of the IT department in general? And the role of an architect in particular? Recently there was a very successful seminar on Enterprise Architecture in Healthcare at BiZZdesign’s Dutch Amersfoort office. We discussed this topic with attendees and the conclusion are presented in this blog post. 

As a consultant at BiZZdesign, I help organizations in professionalizing their Enterprise Architecture practices. In these projects, I see architects struggling with ‘selling’ their products to their internal customers, often referred to as ‘the business’ (not as in “mind your own business”, a common response in architecture work).  The inability of convincing the business of the added value of architecture products can become a big frustration in organizations. Recently, I found some inspiration in football.

This is the fifth posting in our series on using ArchiMate in practice. The goal of this posting is to come to grips with the use of specialization in architecture models. We discuss the main idea as well as implications and benefits.

Sharing knowledge an good practices is one of the core values of BiZZdesign. We regularly organize and contribute to online and offline seminars, conferences and round tables. Recently there was a very successful seminar on Enterprise Architecture in Dutch healthcare. After presentations on “Dilemma’s for Architects”, the relation between physical and digital architecture in hospitals and “Data Management”, we had a World Café on various topics. Please share your good and worst practices by reacting to this blog.

Over centuries, we have seen architects and engineers leading innovation. The Romans building ingenious aqueducts, the construction of the Canal du Midi and the Eiffel Tower in France, or more recently the Norman Foster’s Millau viaduct or  landmark buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao by Frank Gehry. Buildings that inspire and stretch technological possibilities. Ideas that have literally shaped construction and design, and transformed their surroundings.

This is the fourth posting in our series on using ArchiMate in practice. The goal of this posting is to come to grips with the structure of the language, building on the previous posting where we considered the structure vs. behavior aspects. …