enterprise architecture: making it real

Enterprise Architecture: Making it RealApplying Change Management Discipline toMaximize EA Value

Robert AudetDiamond Management & Technology Consultants

[email protected]

October 7, 2008

No Pre-requisites for this presentation

Level: Intermediate

Introductions

Robert Audet

Principal for Diamond Management & Technology

Consultants

I have experience practicing Enterprise Architecture, as well as developing Enterprise Architecture organizations, processes, and

change management techniques

By the end of this session,

you should be able to

Understand the common pitfalls in establishing EA organizations and processes

Know how to approach common the problem of making EA real

Understand the importance of focusing your EA organization on the right problem

Recognize the value of piloting to rapidly establish credibility and capabilities

Weave change management practices into the fabric of your EA organization

3:15 PM Introduction

3:20 PM What Problem Are We Solving?

3:30 PM Approach for Solving Problem

4:00 PM Q&A

4:15 PM Wrap-up

Agenda

64.2% of IT Leaders and 53.7% of Business Leaders view EA as a top 3 priority1

We know that EA is valuable…

1 – Chris Curran & John Sviokla, “Digital IQ,” Diamond Management & Technology Consultants (2007), http://www.diamondconsultants.com/digitalIQ/.2 – Experio case study on IBM Patterns for e-business web site

IBM developed a set of best-

practices learned from its e-

business projects

Published as IBM’s Patterns

for E-Business

Utilized by Experio Solutions

as reference architectures for

e-business

Context and Approach2

60% reduction in architecture

design time

40% lower costs in systems

migration

Sharply reduced risk

associated with application and

infrastructure upgrade

Benefits Achieved

http://www.diamondconsultants.com/digitalIQ/

Large-scale failures common place

Not having the right focus from the start

Belief that „build it, and they will come‟ approach will work

Resistance to adopting EA capabilities from Business and IT

Delays in defining and rolling out EA capabilities

Competing priorities relegate EA to back burner

EA

Change

…, but realizing it is another matter

EA Services & Engagement

Standards & Reference

Architectures Re-use

Organizational Structure &

Role Definitions

EA Measurement

• New or revised delivery of EA services to projects

• Project-level solution development• Greater discipline and governance to

define and maintain standards

• Modified roles and responsibilities of EA staff

• Qualitative to data-driven decision-making

• Focus on strategic alignment

Components of EA Change

3:15 PM Introduction

3:20 PM What Problem Are We Solving?

3:30 PM Approach for Solving Problem

4:00 PM Q&A

4:15 PM Wrap-up

Agenda

Define Right Focus

Start Small & Pilot

Manage Knowledge

Gap

Apply Organizational Change Management Throughout

Making EA real starts

with having the right focus

Focus should be demand

and opportunity driven

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap

Apply Organizational

Change Management Throughout

Boil the Ocean “Focus” Demand-Driven Focus

Creates services without clear linkage to business problem

Create set of processes that are not used

Burns out resources since focusing on too many things

Causes analysis paralysis

Exhausts EA budget rapidly

Aligns with business needs

Demonstrates value quickly

Applies EA in consumable fashion

Defines ongoing EA capabilities

Limits investment exposure

.vs

Demand-driven focus should

aim to solve business problems

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Companies that start with a strategic vision and understanding of their business needs,

realize positive outcomes almost

twofold over those companies that have no strategic vision or

business needs clarity3

Vision

Goals

Roadmap

Objectives

Metrics

Capabilities

3 – Chris Curran & John Sviokla, “Digital IQ,” Diamond Management & Technology Consultants (2007), http://www.diamondconsultants.com/digitalIQ/.

Defining, enabling and proving EA

capabilities should be iterative

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Identify Need

Rollout

En

ab

le

Prove

Ite

rate

Demand-driven Approach• Avoid a framework-driven approach (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman, etc.) that can result in analysis paralysis and enablement challenges

• Find a business problem, latch onto it and define EA capabilities to address problem

• Enable the EA capabilities locally and prove they provide value

• Learn and iterate based on enablement

• Expand EA capability reach by rolling out to other parts of organization

Start small, pilot,

iterate, learn & expand

Organizational Reach

Tim

e

EA Capability Rollout Model

Pilot (1 project)

Ne

ar

Te

rmLo

ng

Te

rm

EnterpriseProject

• Starts small and selects a program / project with EA challenges to rapidly put new model into action

• Iterates EA capabilities during piloting efforts before rolling out to next layer of IT

• Builds early credibility by demonstrating quick results

• Establishes platform and allows for incorporation of key lessons learned to facilitate rollout to other areas

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Rollout of capabilities has been

limited by the knowledge gap

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



• EA organizations possess vast architecture knowledge

• Growing need to manage EA change

• EA lost in translation when conversing with business partners

• Service-based IT operating models demand more than just hardcore IT skills

• Heavy focus on pure architecture loses human touch

• Limited adoption of EA capabilities

• EA lost in translation when conversing with business partners

• Credibility suffers from not effectively serving the customer

Situation Implications

Making the EA machine work

is about bridging this gap

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Core Architecture Knowledge

OCM

Relationship Management

1

23

• Establishes rapport with EA customer

• Translates business needs into EA needs and visa versa

• Understands business problems

• Ensures strategic alignment

• Applies deep architecture knowledge

• Understands appropriate solution patterns

• Applies techniques to address “human” side of EA

• Actively manages and interacts with stakeholders

1

2

3

OCM is oftentimes ignored when

rolling out EA organizations

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Start early, and understand the scope the changes (e.g., new EA processes, metrics, roles and responsibilities)

Establish appropriate funding to incorporate change management expertise

Don‟t eat the elephant all at once

Divide the enterprise into manageable domains

Blueprint each one in succession

"If you had the chance to do a past [EA] project again, what

would you do differently?”

The most common response from 327 project leaders, consultants and managers

was…?

"Utilize an effective and planned

change management program.“4

4 – Source: Change Management Learning Center

Managing EA change minimizes the

length and breadth of the change dip

The “Change” Cycle

Start End

Pe

rfo

rma

nce

& M

oti

va

tio

n

Initiative Timeline

-

+

Despair

UninformedOptimism

Immobilizationand Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Informed Pessimism

Testing

Hopeful Realism

Acceptance

Informed Optimism

Initiative Completion

ContinuousImprovement

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



While EA has its idiosyncrasies, an

EA program needs to nail the basics

1

Awareness of the need for change

• Identify business problem already receiving publicity

Desire to participate and support the change

2

• Apply EA to problem, demonstrate value & inherently create advocates

Knowledge on How to Change

3

• Train Enterprise Architects by doing EA, and expand through mentors & more formal training

Reinforcement to sustain the change5

• Measure, measure, measure EA value generation

Ability to implement required skills and behaviors

• Look for new sources for OCM and Relationship Management skill such as Business Analysts

4

Change Management

Lifecycle5

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



5 – Source: Change Management Learning Center

Identify stakeholders groups and stakeholders early on

Actively manage stakeholders from start to finish (they are your customers)

Establish a communication plan and communicate frequently

Solicit feedback on regular basis to recalibrate strategy, approach and EA organization to better service stakeholders

Realize early on that many Enterprise Architecture organizations need soft and OCM skills

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Other considerations

when mobilizing EA organizations

In-flight EA organizations should

assess current approach

Mobilize Reinforce

At Risk, Right Focus On Target

Serious Risk of

Failure

At Risk, Wrong

Focus

Recovery / Re-Start Re-Focus

Level of Change

Management

Discipline

Focus

Low

Build It,

They

Will

Come

Demand

Driven

High

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Key take-away points to consider

when launching an EA organization

Define Right Focus

Start Small &

Pilot

Manage Knowle

dge Gap



Establish right focus up-front that aligns with real business problems

Start small, pilot, iterate, learn and expand

Equip existing staff with necessary skills, and seek external expertisewhere needed

Adopt OCM from start to finish; don‟t short change this dimension

Assess your organization to determine if course corrective changes are needed

enterprise architecture: making it real

Business

ea challenges

ea organizations

ea capabilities locallyand

pm approach

ea toback burner

ea capability rollout

pm qa4

pm introduction3