Enterprise Architecture (EA) is about understanding all of the different elements in the enterprise and how those elements interact. EA is not only about technology, it is a strategic discipline.
Why you should think about Enterprise Architecture?
- Direction and guidance for future investments
- Business-driven introduction of new technology
- Improved alignment of IT with the business
- Faster time-to-market of new innovations and capabilities
- More consistent business processes and information across business units
- More reliablity and security, less risk
- Better traceability of IT costs
Making enterprise processes and ICT architecture more transparent creates insights for improvements. Processes must be linked to strategic goals. Applications must be rationalized. ICT Solutions must fit to the enterprise needs and capabilities.
Based on different best practice frameworks, BeAligned concentrates on the mapping between de Business Processes and the IT Architecture.
BPM & EA Assessment
Business Process Management and Enterprise Architecture diverge more and more and are both important to business/ICT alignment.
In order to verify where you are today with BPM and EA, we audit your current state of maturity in these domains. Through a BPM/EA survey, workshop or interviews we identify the areas for improvement and we draw up an implementation plan.
Enterprise Architecture Framework
BeAligned has developed an Enterprise Architecture framework, based on different best practice frameworks, such as TOGAF and Zachman. We start with this framework to analyse and customise towards your EA environment. Although EA is a very complex discipline, we reduce this complexity into a straightforward representation of your organisation, processes, information, application and IT infrastructure.
The BeAligned EA Framework contains models, terms and techniques for the fast start up of an EA project. A glossary of common terms and definitions is used from the shelf.
We use standard methods, such as BPMN, to model business processes.
We use IT architecture diagrams to easily represent the components, how they interrelate and how they relate to services, processes and owners.
We embed EA into your strategic and operational structures. Together with you we design your operating model and define the strategic EA principles as a basis for further elaboration of EA.
EA Governance
Once an EA system is implemented it is important to have the right processes and governance mechanisms in place to ensure that EA becomes a strategic and operational tool.
We define EA governance and processes on different levels in the organization and in the different life cycle stages of your products and processes. We integrate them in your existing organisation and processes, such as:
- Portfolio Management
- Requirements Management
- Programme/Project Definition
- Build
- Operate
As part of the Enterprise Architecture we align your organization to support agile architectures, such as SOA.
Enterprise Architecture Tools
The Enterprise Architecture Framework is used to define the requirements and functions for the selection and implementation of a BPM or EA system. We have an excellent knowledge of the different BPM/EA vendors on the market. We select the best vendor solution and ensure that the complete solution becomes operational.
We verify that a BPM/EA system has the following key functions:
- Consistent documentation of business processes according to industry standards and best practices (e.g. BPMN, eTom, ITIL, etc)
- Consistent documentation of all components of the IT architecture
- Link of all business and IT architecture components
- Link towards compliancy requirements, risk management, business continuity management, strategic goals, KPI's, services and project portfolio
- Link with Master Data Management processes and systems
- Integration of operational “automated” systems
- Integration of Enterprise Content Management systems
- Addressing the roles, responsibilities and ownerships in the organisation
- Publishing all information in a user-friendly way to targeted audience
- Being able to perform impact analysis on changed processes or IT components.
With these functions in mind, our EA consultants manage and coach the implementation and integration of BPM/EA systems into your organisation.
