Action Learning phone call is a reassurance....

Just finished the EA Actionl Learning set phone call.  So, what did I learn from this?

It's reassuring isn't it to hear how others are wrestling with some of the issues I have.....like convincing others of the value of EA and addressing the 'what's the concrete output from all this' remarks, does the BC stack up and should we put in place the overarching model before we tackle the detailed models for subsets of the business.

Care not let the EA modelling become an end in itself.

My thanks to Anna for St.Andrews' IM Priciples document.  Despite what I said I shall give you appropriate credit!

He's not given up on EA

Raised EA as an approach to the putative SharePoint document workflow projects.  Gaining some acceptance that we need to 'model' processes as a way of understanding them......

What have Gartner to say about this?

Gartner's 2010 HE Hype Cycle report has some things to say about EA Frameworks.....

"approximately 80% of our clients are using multiple EA frameworks for inspiration and guidance. No universal EA framework exists in the market, and the hype surrounding all EA frameworks has only recently passed its crescendo at the Peak of Inflated Expectations.  "

"the expectation that the understanding and acceptance of a common language and recognized artifacts and processes to the creation and implementation of EA are more than 10 years away from the Plateau of Productivity "

"The myth that there can be one EA framework to solve all the needs of an EA program has only recently been exposed as false. "

"the existence of EA frameworks has been helpful in the adoption and implementation of EA programs "

Benefit Rating: Low

A non believer?

I guess I gave the impression at the EA workshop of possibly being a 'non believer' with my 'healthy scepticism and enquiring attitude' to EA.   My concerns at the time were around......

• Whether the effort involved in doing EA modelling was justified and whether putting this same effort into other initiatives would yield a better return
• Whether 'analysis paralysis' would set in:  lots of modelling, but with little useful progress as a result.  This has been my expereience elsewhere
• Whether the business case actually stacks up (same as the first point I guess)
• What the overlap is with the EA model and the ITIL vision of the all-emcompassing CMDB
• Whether it is really realistic to do EA on 'a little bit' of the business.  Surely you need the overall, holistic architecture to be put in place before you start developing 'bits' of an architecture for individual systems or processes.

What did Mike do at the workshop?

He recorded some of his key learning.....
Mike's Workshop Learning

And a summary of my conclusions so far.....

Click here...