Evaluator

EA is a discipline that takes a look at the integration of an organisation's purpose, goals, structure, and systems.  It tends to pay particular attention to the integration of technology and processes because this is a common challenge for organisations transitioning into both new technologies and new business models.  And these days that is just about everyone.

Enterprise architecture is tremendously challenging, and yet a discipline worth investing in and growing.  We would like to help you grow your enterprise architecture capability through coaching and supporting your existing staff.  In particular we would like to see you focus your EA efforts on creating knowledge within short periods that then lead to actionable plans.

EA is challenging, but is also rewarding when done right, and significant value can be achieved quickly with the right people and management support in place.

Application architecture is a narrower architectural focus on the way software applications support business goals.  In our model we use this term to represent and highlight a commonly under addressed component of IT management - ensuring the right software packages and platforms are available to support the business structure.

It can be quicker to establish an application layer architecture, and the model can presume that the organisational structure is mostly a 'right-fit' for the current goals.  (Although if it isn't we will quickly identify the issues.)

Application architecture can be used to support the development of application road-maps and technology investment plans.  

A common trigger for a review of the application architecture is the announcement of a new strategic direction, or simply a realisation that the annual IT plan is likely to result in disappointing outcomes.

While the effort to develop a rigorous architectural view is difficult to estimate in advance it is possible to pull a sufficiently useful view of application architecture in a relatively short time.