An Agile Approach for Converting Enterprise Architectures

Abstract

Enterprise Architecture includes IT infrastructures, business processes and whole computer applications in an enterprise. Since such enterprise architecture is the backbone of corporates operating model and business processes, enterprise architecture conversions are very strategic projects. The general tendency for enterprise architecture conversion is big bang approach that is hard to be supported by executives as the results are very late for new architecture toprove. Because of complexity and trade-off between costs and risk, this paper suggests simple solution that starts the project with small core team. First task will be developing coexistence methodology between two systems in data level. By this solution the whole system is able to redesign smaller business projects step by step. It continues developing a prototype on simple business scenario that contains most common behavior of all enterprise architecture. The prototype's aim is to prove new design. The key success factor of this model is agility while managing divided projects and good management skill of the core team while developing new core business processes and system architecture.

Assessing Requirements for Agile Enterprise Architecture Management: A Multiple-Case Study

“…Thereby, an integrated approach (combination of implementations) is useful for further research, which also considers the different needs of stakeholders (e.g., in vertical communities), and a hierarchy of requirements. The cases also show that organizations understand to differentiate the concept of simplicity, and apply it on multiple aspects, e.g., artifacts such as models (see, e.g., "keep enterprise architecture artifacts as simple as possible" [16]), and governance (e.g., trend to use standardized cloud services also identified in [42]). Two cases have failed on the artifact aspect in finding the right trade-off, either having too detailed or too simple meta models, and thus, relaunched their meta models.…”

“…Prototypes are well-known means to test the feasibility of concepts. In this context, [16] suggest to develop prototypes that test co-existing systems "at data level" to minimize the risk of big-bang approaches. Once all requirements are fulfilled, the systems can be replaced and resources are released for subsequent EA projects.…”

“…In their agile approach to model an EA, [28] do not advocate or constrain to use certain modeling notations (e.g., bullet point lists, UML (Unified Modeling Language) models, BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) processes and [16] suggest to keep EA artifacts "as simple as possible" to raise understandability for the stakeholders. Furthermore, the ease of use of models is essential once models are understood as "tools for thinking" [29].…”

“…A process framework is reasonable because changing the EA is "not a once-off project" but rather a process taking into account an organization's continuously changing requirements [15]. Other researchers, e.g., [16], developed an agile approach for converting an EA which has been used in one organization after using big-bang approaches. About 94% of the organization's IT managers and enterprise architects (thirty and eight, respectively) would like to keep on working with an agile EAM approach.…”

New Agile Enterprise Architecture Methodology for Small Latin American Organizations

“…The benefit of this approach is that the implementation of the new architecture is quite easy compared to other approaches. [7]. To find a solution to this problem, researchers, on the one hand [8][9][10][11] and industry [12], on the other, have tested different solutions based on Enterprise Architecture, creating reference frameworks called Frameworks.…”