Bill Barr proposed a single line definition of Enterprise Architecture, and I'd like to follow his attempt (not that I consider myself at all qualified):
Enterprise architecture is the planning process of an organization that leads to the implementation of business strategy and processes.
I've intentionally left out the words technology and models. Models are tools for communication and doucmentation. Technology is a tool that is often used these days to achieve the ultimate goal of enterprise architecture. EA could be equally applied to a lemonade stand as it could to a multi-national corporation, the methodology remains the same. Architecture is not, ultimately, about technology... though it is very practical to use EA as a planning tool that, of course, often includes technology as a very important aspect.
Wikipedia provides quite a good definition that's perhaps more accurate and less broad than mine:
Enterprise architecture is the practice of applying a comprehensive and rigorous method for describing a current and/or future structure and behavior for an organization's processes, information systems, personnel and organizational sub-units, so that they align with the organization's core goals and strategic direction.
The technology aspect that tends to be applied to EA I find blinds many to it's true objective. Technology is really just a means to an end. Perhaps a less zealous way to state things might be that Enterprise Architecture is equally concerned with people and business processes as it is with technology.
What a noble ideal on EA but sounds so intangible. My suggestion is
EA is the automation architecture effort with enterprise wide consideration.
Hopefully, EA is not a redundant effort of the established profession of Planners.
For more information please reference to
http://e-cio.org/lea_book.htm
Posted by: John Wu | January 24, 2007 at 11:49 AM