Enterprise Architecture

What is Enterprise Architecture? Well ...

"Enterprise architecture (EA) is a discipline for proactively and holistically leading enterprise responses to disruptive forces by identifying and analysing the execution of change toward desired business vision and outcomes. EA delivers value by presenting business and IT leaders with signature-ready recommendations for adjusting policies and projects to achieve target business outcomes that capitalise on relevant business disruptions. EA is used to steer decision making toward the evolution of the future state architecture". (Gartner)

I have been an practicing Enterprise and Solution Architect for many years - and have moved from a position of seeing architecture as an academic exercise with value in its own right, to seeing it as a tool to achieve an outcome - and if the tool does not help - well then, sharpen it or get a new one.

This is my motivation for bringing together my thoughts and assets into a simple and lightweight framework that I call A Simple Architectural Framework (ASAF). I hope that this can help other architects working for clients or institutions without their own developed approaches.

Some Enterprise Architecture Frameworks

I have created a set of short one page "bio-pics" of enterprise architecture frameworks that have influenced my work.

• The Open Group TOGAF - Comprehensive but heavy
• The Zachman Framework - the "original" but still un-proven
• IBM Rational Unified Process - Comprehensive
• A Simple Architectural Framework (ASAF) - Our own methodology (!) - lightweight 
• CSC Catalyst - DXC's proprietary methodology, future uncertain
• Capgemini Integrated Architecture Framework (IAF) - Part of Capgemini's proprietary metholodolgies
• IBM Enterprise and Information Frameworks - Other IBM enterprise architectural assets, future uncertain
• Microsoft Solutions Framework - Microsofts implementation framework, future uncertain