Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
ways of doing business. The chief enterprise architect is rarely a popular
person, as entrenched professionals with established professional and per-
sonal standing can be very influential when complaining about changes
that are made counter to local preferences.
The chief architect must always be looking to the future, identify-
ing crises that may emerge as a result of new network threats or emerg-
ing technologies. Disaster recovery and business continuity may hinge on
effective IT planning, in which good decisions and an eye to potential
large-scale disruption may keep the business on track while competitors
fail. Concerns about global pandemics, terrorist activities, and natural
disasters all add to the scope of an enterprise architect's planning, because
decisions now may determine whether an organization survives or simply
ceases to exist in the worst case.
Communicating the Vision
Chief architects must be able to see the big picture but paint it on small
canvases. Translating the vision into simple, concise pieces is vital both to
educating stakeholders and conveying directives to those responsible for
executing planned changes. A solid business case for each primary ele-
ment, along with strong project management skills that can bridge mul-
tiple projects into a cohesive program within a common framework can
aid in rapidly identifying a process gone awry or one that is being ineffec-
tively implemented. Unhappy implementers can often be identified here,
where their lack of enthusiasm may be adversely affecting project success
and timeliness.
Chief architects must be equally at home talking to primary stake-
holders as to individual users, as they are comfortable communicating in
the language of business as technology. They must be able to effectively
convey elements of the vision at all levels of the business, but also be able
to dig down to the individual details of the application of the vision so
that communication can flow both ways. Ultimately, they need to be able
to sell the idea to stakeholders, convey it to implementers, and document
everything so that metrics can be measured against the process of change.
Like all project managers, enterprise architects may spend up to 90%
of their time communicating among implementers, change management
functionaries, stakeholders, project sponsors, peers, and individual users.
