Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
reflect a trait termed “feature creep,” which presents the greatest threat to
project completion.
Tip:
For each element of the enteprise, multiple projects will emerge. Pro-
grams provide a stepwise process to reach or close toward a desirable “final
state” defined by the vison. Formal project and change management will
ensure that each step, as a defined project, has a final goal and completion
point that will then be used to develop the next step. The vision itself will
likely never be attained, because the fundamental technical environment
is constantly evolving.
Using the Project Management Framework (PMF) from the PMBOK,
the steps become a continuous process in enterprise architectural manage-
ment: initiating, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. The
Project Management Framework is a close analog to the Systems Develop-
ment Life Cycle (SDLC) used in software engineering, which includes:
initiation, concept development, planning, requirements analysis, design,
development, integration and testing, implementation, maintenance, and
disposition. The enterprise architect should be constantly addressing these
steps in each element of the enterprise, with an eye toward emerging solu-
tions and their potential usefulness for the business entity. Everything up
to the end of life of a technology, service, or solution should be considered
even while planning for its creation or execution.
Vision, business alignment, program, and project goals must remain
living documents, reviewed regularly to address changes in business prac-
tices, regulatory mandates, technologies, and their uses. Robust entities
will engage continuous improvement (CI) review with strong change man-
agement (CM) practices to ensure that business alignment remains effec-
tive while longer-term goals remain attainable. Although the process of
updates is a continuous and repeated operational function, each element
can be managed using well-tested project management practices, with the
output of each project consumed as input for the next cycle in turn.
Hardware
Before delving into the enterprise's interconnected software and service
agents, it is worth examining the hardware foundation that must support
