Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture

What is architecture? It is:

the art & science of designing and erecting buildings
A style and method of design and construction
Orderly arrangement of parts; structure: the architecture of the federal bureaucracy; the architecture of a novel
Computer Science: The overall design or structure of a computer system, including the hardware and the software required to run it, especially the internal structure of the microprocessor

We follow Govt and industry standards to build detailed, accurate architecture products that conform to specification while conveying the critical essence of a system. An architecture is not merely a set of diagrams about a system, but is the distilled key details and perspectives needed to build and operate the system. Im general, an architecture includes: form; materials; structure; aesthetics; use patterns; maintenance; construction; safety. An architecture is “the structure of components, their relationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time.” (IEEE Std 610.12) For IT, architecture includes: network diagrams; software models; communication protocols; hardware connections.

Importantly, an architecture must include the how, who, when, why, where, what of design, funding, decision-making, development, operation and maintenance. Why must all of these “soft” issues be included? It has been learned over many years of large scale IT programs that organizational or technical issues can dominate systems engineering to the exclusion of the other. However, real success depends on blending people, process, technology ad working with this complete perspective.

There are several standard EA frameworks: Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF); Zachman framework; The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF); Object Management Group (OMG) Model Driven Architecture (MDA); and, Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DODAF). TECHi2 has extensive experience with FEAF and DODAF. The pictures below show just a few examples of the many in-depth coordinated architecture sets we have developed for clients. The figures below are DODAF OV-1 operational view, OV-5 operational activities (A0 and A1), SV-1 system view, and a use case for data services.