Book Review - Enterprise Architecture As Strategy by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson
Category Book Reviews
All too often, an "enterprise architecture" is designed for a company by IT, and then it gathers dust as everything continues along the same path it always has. The book Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating A Foundation For Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson approaches the whole subject from a different perspective, and it's one that actually integrates IT and business...
Contents: To Execute Your Strategy, First Build Your Foundation; Define Your Operating Model; Implement the Operating Model Via Enterprise Architecture; Navigate the Stages of Enterprise Architecture Maturity; Cash In on the Learning; Build the Foundation One Project at a Time; Use Enterprise Architecture to Guide Outsourcing; Now - Exploit Your Foundation for Profitable Growth; Take Charge! The Leadership Agenda; Notes; Index; About the Authors
In most companies I've observed, the enterprise architecture (if it even exists) is an IT thing that defines what software they'll use and support. But there's only a loose tie-in to the overall strategy of the company from a business process view. This book twists that around and first forces you to define what type of business model you want to pursue... Coordination, Unification, Diversification, or Replication. Each of these models have distinct advantages based on what type of company you are, and it has a huge bearing on how the IT department should be set up to support the business. Once the business model is defined, then it's a matter of traversing the maturity continuum of your enterprise architecture... Business Silo architecture, Standardized Technology architecture, Optimized Core architecture, and Business Modularity architecture. The further to the right you go, the more mature your organization is in terms of building systems that integrate and support the business, as well as leveraging existing technology to avoid one-off solutions.
There are some excellent techniques here that can, if practiced consistently, allow all your projects to fulfill specific business needs as well as contribute to the overall enterprise architecture. A few careful decisions on one project can lay the groundwork for upcoming projects to build on, and in fact can allow both the current and future projects to share the cost of certain technology implementations, knowing that both sides will benefit. It's obviously not an easy thing to do, but it can make the difference between being a good and an outstanding organization.
Definitely a recommended read for IT management responsible for the overall direction of how technology supports the business...
If you liked this review and found it helpful, please click on the Amazon book link in the review and click the Yes (Was This Review Helpful To You?) button at the bottom of my review. Thanks!
All too often, an "enterprise architecture" is designed for a company by IT, and then it gathers dust as everything continues along the same path it always has. The book Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating A Foundation For Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson approaches the whole subject from a different perspective, and it's one that actually integrates IT and business...
Contents: To Execute Your Strategy, First Build Your Foundation; Define Your Operating Model; Implement the Operating Model Via Enterprise Architecture; Navigate the Stages of Enterprise Architecture Maturity; Cash In on the Learning; Build the Foundation One Project at a Time; Use Enterprise Architecture to Guide Outsourcing; Now - Exploit Your Foundation for Profitable Growth; Take Charge! The Leadership Agenda; Notes; Index; About the Authors
In most companies I've observed, the enterprise architecture (if it even exists) is an IT thing that defines what software they'll use and support. But there's only a loose tie-in to the overall strategy of the company from a business process view. This book twists that around and first forces you to define what type of business model you want to pursue... Coordination, Unification, Diversification, or Replication. Each of these models have distinct advantages based on what type of company you are, and it has a huge bearing on how the IT department should be set up to support the business. Once the business model is defined, then it's a matter of traversing the maturity continuum of your enterprise architecture... Business Silo architecture, Standardized Technology architecture, Optimized Core architecture, and Business Modularity architecture. The further to the right you go, the more mature your organization is in terms of building systems that integrate and support the business, as well as leveraging existing technology to avoid one-off solutions.
There are some excellent techniques here that can, if practiced consistently, allow all your projects to fulfill specific business needs as well as contribute to the overall enterprise architecture. A few careful decisions on one project can lay the groundwork for upcoming projects to build on, and in fact can allow both the current and future projects to share the cost of certain technology implementations, knowing that both sides will benefit. It's obviously not an easy thing to do, but it can make the difference between being a good and an outstanding organization.
Definitely a recommended read for IT management responsible for the overall direction of how technology supports the business...
If you liked this review and found it helpful, please click on the Amazon book link in the review and click the Yes (Was This Review Helpful To You?) button at the bottom of my review. Thanks!
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