Approach to

IT Strategy and
Architecture

Alan McSweeney
The Adaptive Enterprise

Business and IT synchronised to capitalise on change

Business

Information Technology

Business benefits: simplicity, agility, value

November 26, 2009 2

Learn to love what you’ve been taught to fear…

Change is constant
• Everyday events send ripples throughout the
organisation, and the IT that supports it.

Change is unexpected
• A merger, new market opportunity, sudden shift
in competitive landscape, new partner.

Change is disruptive
• The goal is to minimise the impact of disruptions
with an IT environment that is synchronised with
the business.

Change presents opportunities

• The ability to adapt to change is a key advantage
in business. To survive, compete and win,
enterprises must adapt.

November 26, 2009 3

Darwin Reference Architecture

Business strategy • Brings standardisation to the

entire IT environment

Business processes Management • Eliminates vertical islands

• Embraces heterogeneity and
legacy IT environments
Applications • Uses automation to scale and
reduce complexity
• Virtualises all IT assets
Infrastructure • Helps convert fixed costs
to variable costs

November 26, 2009 4

Adaptive Enterprise Design Principles

• Reduce number of elements

Simplification • Eliminate customisation
• Automate change

+
• Use standard technologies and interfaces Applied
Standardisation • Adopt common architectures consistently
• Implement standard processes across:
+ • Business
processes
• Break down monolithic structures
• Applications
Modularity • Create reusable components
• Implement logical architectures • Infrastructure

+
• Link business and IT
Integration • Connect applications and business processes
within & outside the enterprise
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How Do We Define Solution Architecture?

Solution architecture is the essential,

unifying concept of an information system
and its effective deployment
into an operational environment
to solve a key business problem.

• Benefits
− Aligns business and information contexts with architectural
decisions
− Ensures the solution that is built matches requirements, and
will evolve with changing business needs
− Provides a complete, clearly-scoped solution
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CIO Balancing Act

Increase agility:
• Enable the business
organisation and operations to
Maximise return: adapt to changing business
• Improve business results; needs
grow revenue and earnings,
cash flow, and reduced
cost of operations

Improve performance:
Mitigate risk: • Improve business operations
• Ensure security and continuity performance end-to-end
of internal business operations, across the enterprise
while minimising exposure to • Increase customer and employee
external risk factors satisfaction

November 26, 2009 7

Solution Architecture Bridges the Business and IT
Gap
Solution Architecture

Business Problem IT Solution

Business/IT Alignment

November 26, 2009 8

Architecture Scope

Building
architecture

Discrete Initiative Enterprise

Information (project) (program)
system
architecture Examples: Examples: Example:
e-procurement, CRM, KM extended value
email chain

November 26, 2009 9

Solution Architecture is Not Just…

•A detailed implementation plan

•A set of product standards
• For infrastructure
• Concerned only with technology
• An end in and of itself
These are parts of an architecture, but they are not an
architecture by themselves.

November 26, 2009 10

Approach

• Approach is a mature, fully supported suite of

methodologies that enable the delivery of offerings and
services that provides:
− A set of best-in-class methodologies to support for the
management and delivery of business
− One-stop shop for methods, tools, and techniques
− Guides and templates

November 26, 2009 11

Approach to ITSA
− Based on stakeholder participation
− Organised as a set of four fundamental views

Business
view

Functional
view
Stakeholders Technical
view

Implementation
view

November 26, 2009 12

The Four ITSA Views — Building a House Analogy
Business view Technical view
Why do I want a new How will it be built?
house? • foundation, framing,
• residence, entertainment, heat/ac, plumbing, ...
business • utilities:
• affordability - electric, water,
• location comms, roads
• independence • security systems
• image • controls
• materials

Functional view Implementation view

What should the With what will it be
new house give me? built?
• uses / room layouts • sourcing
• peace & quiet, security - suppliers
• garden, trees - specific models
• garage, pet needs • financing
• phasing
• moving
November 26, 2009 13
Business View

Why are we doing this?

Ag
ili
ty
• Key questions:
− What are the internal and external drivers?

Q
oS
− What are the business models and processes?
− Who participates in the business processes?
− What are the project goals?

Co
st
− How will the success of the solution be
measured?

Ri
sk
November 26, 2009 14
 Functional View

What should the solution do?

Ag
ili
ty
Key questions:
• What will the completed solution do?

Q
oS
• How will it be used and what services will it
provide?
• What information will it provide? To whom?

Co
st
• What qualities must the solution have?

Ri
sk
November 26, 2009 15
 Technical View

How should the solution work?

Ag
ili
ty
Key questions:
• How will the system be structured and constructed?

Q
oS
• What are the interfaces and other constraints?
• What applications and data are needed?

Co
• What does the infrastructure look like?

st
• What standards will apply?
• How will the system qualities be achieved?

Ri
sk
November 26, 2009 16
 Implementation View

With what will the

solution be built?

Ag
ili
ty
Key questions:
• What specific products and components, from

Q
oS
which vendors, are needed to build the system?
• How will the system be developed and deployed?
• What validation methods will be used?

Co
st
• How will it be managed?
• What is the source of funding?

Ri
sk
November 26, 2009 17
ITSA Framework and Methodologies

ITSA Methodologies
Solution Solution
Architecture Architecture
Concept Blueprint
ITSA Framework

November 26, 2009 18

ITSA Framework

The fundamental architectural elements of the ITSA

framework are:
•Business drivers, goals, and metrics (closely associated with the
business view
•Principles, models, and standards (associated with each of the
four views)

November 26, 2009 19

In Summary

The approach for creating solution

architecture is:
− Based on stakeholder participation
− Organised as a set of four fundamental
Business
views view
− Motivated by key business
Functional
drivers, goals, and metrics view
− Expressed as a set of principles,
Technical
models, and standards view
− Linked to actions to ensure timely
Implementation
progress view
− Supported by an extensible framework
of methods, tools, and techniques
November 26, 2009 20
Contrasting Solution Architecture and Project
management
Solution Architecture Project Management
• Defines engagement scope • Keeps engagement within scope
• Articulates the essential • Ensures the work breakdown
elements of the solution and structure covers all the essential
work to be done elements
• Defines resources needed • Ensures staffing, funding, and
to complete the work resources are available to support
• Defines acceptance criteria for the work
solution iterations and • Defines milestones, and schedule
phases and ensures acceptance criteria
• … are
met
d o
t to • …
ha o ne
W i t d
get
to
w
Ho
November 26, 2009 21
Contrasting Solution Architecture and Traditional
Engineering

Solution Architecture Traditional Engineering

• Finds satisfactory system concepts • Finds optimal solutions to well-
for ill-defined problems understood problems
• More art than science, heuristic in • More science than art, algorithmic
nature in nature

d on
o n se ry
e d ds c u e
s
cu t nee Fo eliv
o
F en d
cli

November 26, 2009 22

Solution Architecture Concept

•A rapid review of the key elements of a proposed

solution, examining each of the four views
− Focus on business drivers/goals, principles, models, and
standards
− Determine feasibility of an effective solution based on
obstacles and constraints
− Purpose: define solution’s conceptual architecture to facilitate
well-informed, rapid decisions and get shared stakeholder
understanding of, and commitment to, the proposed solution

November 26, 2009 23

Solution Architecture Blueprint

•A detailed architectural description of a project,

initiative, or enterprise architecture.
• Works with you to:
− Establish an agreed-to, sufficient solution concept
− Define, design, and document all essential features of the
solution
− Analyse the feasibility of the solution
− Plan the implementation of the solution

November 26, 2009 24

IT Strategy and Architecture Framework

Business
drivers Implementation
Business view Functional view Technical view
view
business functional technical implementation
Goals
principles principles principles principles

rationales rationales rationales rationales

implications implications implications implications

obstacles obstacles obstacles obstacles

Actions Actions Actions Actions

November 26, 2009 25

More Information

Alan McSweeney
alan@alanmcsweeney.com

November 26, 2009 26