Aarkstore Enterprise -IT Strategy and Architecture: Creating an Enterprise Model to Support IT

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IT Strategy and Architecture: Creating an Enterprise Model to Support IT Strategic Planning

The IT strategy of many organisations has evolved over a period of time rather than been purposely defined, and in many cases is not actually documented. However, businesses and customers expect IT systems and services to meet the requirements of the organisation with the consequent need for translating the organisation’s objectives into IT strategy and capabilities, in order that together they can respond to the rapidly-changing environment. The adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach can help with IT strategy planning and execution.

KEY FINDINGS
There needs to be a clear understanding of the enterprise goals and the role that the business expects IT to play.
To remain competitive, organisations must urgently address the growing dislocation between strategy and IT deliverables.
Defining an IT strategy is of little value if organisations are unable to measure the effectiveness of that strategy in delivering value.
Enterprise Architecture must take a leadership role in IT strategy and service delivery.
Special attention should be paid to the people and process aspects of Enterprise Architecture.
An enterprise model needs to be communicated in each stakeholder’s ‘language’, as well as being relevant to senior management and solution architects.
Architecture can benefit from a metrics-based and performance analytics-driven approach.
For architecture to become a respected discipline there needs to be additional encouragement.
Organisations should take a portfolio-based approach to selecting IT investments.


CATALYST
IT organisations are under pressure to develop an effective strategy and to deliver services that can support changing requirements. An architectural approach can offer a useful framework within which organisations can plan and execute IT strategy.

ANALYSIS

Introduction

The IT strategy of many organisations has evolved over a period of time rather than been purposely defined, and in many cases is not actually documented. However, businesses and customers expect IT systems and services to meet the requirements of the organisation with the consequent need for translating the organisation’s objectives into IT strategy and capabilities, in order that together they can respond to the rapidly-changing environment. The adoption of an end-to-end architectural approach can help with IT strategy planning and execution.

In order to improve competitiveness, organisations must urgently address the growing dislocation between the business requirements and IT deliverables. This issue is directly impacting the enterprise’s ability to make quick, accurate decisions and is causing slow implementation of the IT strategy. The gap between IT capability and business needs cannot be allowed to continue. Additionally, many organisations are struggling to highlight the value that IT is delivering to the businesses. Enterprise Architecture provides a useful framework within which organisations can address governance requirements by better planning and the ability to prove compliance, as well as providing an improved understanding of the value of technology investments.

Business Issues

Many IT strategies are assessed and updated yearly as part of the budgeting process and Enterprise Architecture initiatives are developed as isolated, ‘ivory-tower’ endeavours. A better method is to adopt an iterative process, and to use the opportunity to begin to translate IT strategy into reusable deliverables through architecture. This involves the adoption of an architectural approach, rather than the use of tactical undertakings where there is a possibility of reverting back to a siloed mentality, as there is no mechanism in place to interpret strategy and control delivery through the use of architecture, policies, patterns, and common standards.

The IT strategy must address the capabilities required to design and deploy IT solutions, and the way in which the organisation will exploit these capabilities to create business value, both of which must be measured to gauge their success. The IT capabilities include technology infrastructure, business applications, IT processes and services, and skills, which enable a portfolio of IT-enabled business projects and programmes. A balanced scorecard approach provides a unified view of IT strategy performance across all of these dimensions.

Enterprise Architecture is an important company asset that has to be managed and updated on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance is maintained. To successfully adopt Enterprise Architecture there has to be complete buy-in across the entire organisation, with an understanding of the allocation of the roles and responsibilities. Technology and business areas within the enterprise must work together to ensure that the architecture keeps in line with the strategic objectives of the company and adequately reflects the IT services available now and planned for the future.

Attempts to align IT strategy with an abstract business vision or strategy are doomed to failure, and within the Enterprise Architecture domain, an enterprise model is a way to deconstruct business strategy and objectives into something that is more tangible, and into which the other elements of the business environment can be integrated. Butler Group recommends an incremental approach based on continuous improvement when developing an enterprise model, focused at meeting the business objectives and where value can be delivered quickly. This can be achieved by the model only depicting just enough architecture to enable decisions to be made and by growing the model iteratively over time.

The belief is that Enterprise Architecture and engaging with senior management to define a top-level business architecture and enterprise model has become a necessity for any organisation wishing to effectively interpret IT strategy, and successfully utilise technology as an enabler for business agility and change.


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Contact : Minu

Aarkstore Enterprise

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