roi Archive

  • Suggesting architecture in general, or enterprise architecture in particular, doesn't add value or is otherwise a fiscal black hole is akin to declaring that badly executed means discredits the ends. The objective of enhancing Business-IT alignment is a worthy one. Just because a bunch of charlatans over time have discredited one method of achieving that alignment doesn't mean we shouldn't bother.

    Bad Marksmanship

    Suggesting architecture in general, or enterprise architecture in particular, doesn't add value or is otherwise a fiscal black hole is akin to declaring that badly executed means discredits the ends. The objective of enhancing Business-IT alignment is a worthy one. Just because a bunch of charlatans over time have discredited one method of achieving that alignment doesn't mean we shouldn't bother.

    Continue Reading...

  • We seem to measuring a lot of things lately. The sheer volume of status reports and dashboards and timelines and updates would seem to indicate we have lots of metrics being captured and reported. But I've seen firsthand how numbers are shoddily derived, over reported, incorrectly reused and re-reported and it doesn't inspire confidence. What does it mean that leadership is basing decisions on these values?

    Death By Metrics

    We seem to measuring a lot of things lately. The sheer volume of status reports and dashboards and timelines and updates would seem to indicate we have lots of metrics being captured and reported. But I've seen firsthand how numbers are shoddily derived, over reported, incorrectly reused and re-reported and it doesn't inspire confidence. What does it mean that leadership is basing decisions on these values?

    Continue Reading...

  • The social experience, whether it is Facebook or Twitter or Foursquare or Flickr or the latest release of <insert meaningless gibberish company name here>, it is all about connecting with one another in meaningful ways. A mega, super, hyperactive version of painting details of the mastodon hunt on the walls of a fire lit cave. How do we, as IT practitioners, connect with our peers throughout the enterprise and communicate knowledge that has intrinsic (or divine) value?

    How We Give Fire

    The social experience, whether it is Facebook or Twitter or Foursquare or Flickr or the latest release of , it is all about connecting with one another in meaningful ways. A mega, super, hyperactive version of painting details of the mastodon hunt on the walls of a fire lit cave. How do we, as IT practitioners, connect with our peers throughout the enterprise and communicate knowledge that has intrinsic (or divine) value?

    Continue Reading...

  • Architects often struggle to articulate what they do, what the value is that they provide. Consulting firms make millions helping folks with strategies to describe, highlight and demonstrate that value. How can it be that years and years into the maturation of Enterprise Architecture we still have problems telling the business why they need us?

    Is Enterprise Architecture even worthwhile?

    Architects often struggle to articulate what they do, what the value is that they provide. Consulting firms make millions helping folks with strategies to describe, highlight and demonstrate that value. How can it be that years and years into the maturation of Enterprise Architecture we still have problems telling the business why they need us?

    Continue Reading...

  • When the demonstrable benefits of using an enterprise approach are self-evident to project teams, magic happens. There is this notion of street cred when it comes to how this stuff operates. I call this the soft power approach. It is very socially intensive. It involves a lot of time spent building relationships with project teams, business owners and segment leaders. It is all about invisible metrics.

    The Soft Power of EA

    When the demonstrable benefits of using an enterprise approach are self-evident to project teams, magic happens. There is this notion of street cred when it comes to how this stuff operates. I call this the soft power approach. It is very socially intensive. It involves a lot of time spent building relationships with project teams, business owners and segment leaders. It is all about invisible metrics.

    Continue Reading...