During Nov 2016 the BCS EA SIG ran a session entitled "Enterprise Architecture Practitioners Day / Hackathon" in London - These are my slides for my sesion at the event.

1. A Day in the Life of an Enterprise Architect
Daljit Roy Banger MSc FBCS
14th Nov 2016
Role Play
Exercise

2. Part I
 Context (10-15 Mins )
 Architecture Roles / Responsibility
– Enterprise
– Solution
– Technical
 Services Touch Points / Enterprise Architecture
 Control, Inform & Direct
 Engagement Model (Projects/Programmes)
 Interactions
Part II
 The Role Play (45 Mins )
 Setting the Scene
 The Task…
 ARB Discussion
Agenda

3. Part I - Context

4. Roles & Responsibility (EA)
• Strategic input into the technology roadmaps of the organisation –
shape, form and stabilise
• Influence decision makers on technology investment – current & future
• Provide systems consultancy, guidance and assurance to large
Programmes
• Review and assure Solution Designs produced both internally and by 3rd
party suppliers
• Ensure that governance mechanisms such as review boards, principles,
etc. are maintained and supported
• Police the standards through Project and Programme engagement
• Represent the organisation with 3rd parties, for example Systems
Integrators and Standards bodies
• Understand the impact of the introduction of new technology into the
technology landscape of the organisation.
Enterprise Architects maintain the organisational abstract view, with a primary
objective to ensure that the technology landscape is aligned to the strategic,
operational and tactical goals of the organisation.

5. Roles & Responsibility (SA&TA)
Solution Architects work with/in Projects and
Programmes to provide systems consultancy services,
impact assessments, end-to-end designs, cost models..
Solution Architects work within the Projects and
Programmes to deliver the following architectural
services:
• Manage the ‘cradle to grave’ – from conception
through to delivery into production of solution
architectures
• Design both the physical and logical components of
solution architectures that will deliver a positive
business outcome
• Work with Project Managers to provide provisional
costs for the components of the architecture
• Technical Analysis and Design capabilities
• Business and technical requirements capture, when
required
• Facilitate design workshops
• Validate designs / costs produced by 3rd parties
wishing to sell systems to the organisation.
Technical Architects deliver the lower level of technical
design, based on high-level component solution
designs and costs provided by the Solution Architects.
Technical Architect work with projects and the BAU
organisation to provide some of the following ;
•Delivering technical designs and standards and the
associated approvals from the formal governance
channels.
•Understanding the technology estate and the
encapsulated technology components of the
organisation
•Providing technical recommendations and options
based on solution designs which can cost-effectively be
realised in the production environment
•Mitigating any technical risks that could occur through
the introduction of new technology into the landscape
of the organisation
•Providing input into the appropriate innovation
funnels for the analysis of new technology
•Keeping abreast of technology trends, attending
industry events to ensure product roadmaps are
understood by the Solution and Enterprise Architects.
•Ensuring that production acceptance for projects is
delivered and managed.

6. • Enterprise Architects maintain a macro
abstract organisational view, together
with the understanding of the key
business drivers and potential drivers for
change and the effect that these drivers
may have on the technology landscape of
the organisation.
• Solution Architects maintain a macro
project view and deliver an end-to-end
architecture in which they outline the
key components (physical and logical)
necessary to design a solution that meets
requirements.
• Technical Architects maintain a micro
view of the technical components that
will be deployed to realise the solution
design and often act as the true
‘guardians’ of the technology estate.
Architectural Mindset

7. Services/Touchpoints of Enterprise Architecture

8. Part II - Role Play

9. – Our Business
o We are a Swiss owned multi-national engine manufacturing company with plants in the US,
Europe, China and the Middle East.
o Market entry into our core has high barriers to entry, however due to economies of scale and
strong localised brand we remain competitive
o We are asset rich, cash flow is affected by currency volatility.
o We have a flat management structure in Middle East and China.
o We have a large retail / distribution / sales(parts) network
o We have a wide range of sales channels – Call Centres in Malaysia, India and Poland.
o We have several contracts with the Large Integrators and providers
o TCO of our Technology is 20% above the industry Average
– Our Technology
• We operate a multitude of MES systems in the regions
• We have centralised on ERP systems
• In US and Europe our systems are Mainframe based System.
• We have a global interconnected MPLS network
• We currently host all of our own systems
• System Lifecycle is in years not months
– Our People
• Ageing IT Population Based in Europe / US
• Outsourced Application Maintenance to Off shore (India/Malaysian) companies
• Systems Poorly Documented
• Skilled workforce in China / Middle East.
– Our Architectural Community
• Geographically Dispersed Culturally diverse Community
• No reference Architectures per domain
• Solution Architects / Projects / technical Community Have the power
• Agile methods adopted in Europe / China / US
Setting the Scene

10. The Issue…
The EA Team have set a direction for a new Oracle ERP (Linux) System across the
globe which will be funded by the individual regions, if everyone is in agreement.
The non European Businesses feel that this cost will impact their trading figures for
years and have asked the Solution Architects to propose an alternative , who have
proposed an upgrade to the existing SAP Mainframe / Windows Systems
The Technical Architects have proposed a tactical switch i.e. moving the SAP
Systems off host onto a Linux Platform as they feel the platform is more superior .
The Business Stakeholder wants to do nothing and ‘sweat the assets’
However a member of the Swiss Board has an associate who has offered to
outsource everything (Platform as a Service) to China and manage everything up
to the O/S except the applications, connections, security and operations.

11. Source : Unknown
Architectural Mindset Contd..

12. We will now Break into 4 Groups. These are ;
 Architectural Review Board
 Enterprise Architect
 Solution Architect
 Technical Architect
We will also have a
 Business Stakeholder (nominated individual)
The Task…
Each Group will spend 10 mins to decide on key points (from their viewpoint) that
they wish to address with the other groups ( strengths / weaknesses) and then
bring these to the ARB.
The ARB Group will spend the 10 mins to consider the ‘criteria for evaluation’
All parties will present to the ARB. At the end of the presentation – we will
discuss/evaluate the role that a EA must play in his/her daily life to ensure that
certain situations are avoided …(Political, Technical , Funding)

13. Bespoke notes for the ARB Group

14. Enterprise
View
Project / Solution
View
Technical
View
3 conflicting view points
presented to the board
Architectural
Review
Board
Architectural
Review
Board
Single ‘Agreed’ unified view point presented
Business Case
tech debt management ?
Reuse
Innovation
Project impact
do ability
Exercise Expected Outcome……

15. Website : www.s-ea-t.com (Tools, Papers Downloads)
Blog : https://dalbanger.wordpress.com/
Email : dal@s-ea-t.com
Thank
You