I started reading “Enterprise Architecture as Strategy” recently because it’s a tempting title and, although it was published a while ago, I thought it would provide good academic reference for our work promoting the use of information systems to solve key problems within businesses. The introduction definitely provides this sense:
We believe [companies] execute better because they have a better foundation for execution. They have embedded technology in their processes so that they can efficiently and reliably execute tough decisions about what operations they must execute well, and they’ve implemented the IT systems they need to digitize those operations. These actions have made IT an asset rather than a liability and have created a foundation for business agility.
Great, yes, good start. Unfortunately the book doesn’t deliver too much more than that, that’s relevant to today’s context anyway. On that point, probably the most interesting aspect of the book is the difference it shows in IT approach in 2006 versus today. Concepts of how to create large systems from very diverse components and allow those components to change rapidly and independently (i.e., SOA, Messaging, Reactive, etc.) were just emerging, and these terms aren’t mentioned in the book. It seems that enterprise technology in 2006 really believed that it would eventually embrace and surround all users with its formal process, and that these aspects would be neatly governed by the CIO and the very efficient IT department.
Ugh, the reality of it all. The narrative reaches a peak on this vision when, in chapter 8, when, after prior chapters describing 4 stages of architectural maturity, we get a glimpse the future according to 2006:
We call the fifth stage of architecture maturity “Dynamic Venturing.” Building naturally on the capabilities developed in the Business Modularity stage, the fifth stage extends the concept of reusable modules to enable companies to rapidly reconfigure their portfolios of businesses. Based on the core capabilitieis of the company, managers will look for opportunities to partner, acquire, joint-venture, collaborate, integrate, and connect with many other companies.
Chapter 8 goes on to describe the “Dynamic Venturing” stage as characterized by
Seamless merging with partners’ systems.
Sorry… wrong. The reality today is that we have a much more highly fragmented, powerful, independent, and quickly evolving ecosystem than the authors were able to imagine. The fundamental nature of information technology and its strategic use in support of strategic value is very different than the high formalism envisioned in 2006. In fact it’s so different, that the really compelling use of IT is frequently outside the domain of the CIO and the structured IT department entirely. See this article as an example.
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