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In a prior post, I described a process modeling antipattern which I called " Blame the Computer ." The feedback helped me to realize that there's a deeper problem that we need to consider: alignment of ownership between process and IT. Ownership of a
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I'm a big fan of use cases. Great for describing how software is used, and puts context around the use of functionality that helps software developers to create solutions that will actually fit into human activities. On the other hand, are
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In my opinion, a business function can often be best understood by describing the processes that compose it. My last post , I attempted to describe the role of an Enterprise Architect, and the ensuing discussion quickly splintered because everyone
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We use process models for lots of things. One is simply to understand the processes we have and to analyze them looking for opportunities to improve. But in IT, we have another good reason: to better understand software requirements. One goal that we
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I'm going to suggest a minimal way to gather requirements, one that produces a (minimum) requirements document in an iterative and agile manner. A little background In the systems space, it is common to write up a "requirements document" that attempts
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This tidbit came to me indirectly. I was having a meeting with a talented architect this afternoon, and after the meeting wrapped up, we were chatting about some of the different tactics we've seen for "selling an idea to an executive." At the end of
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You have probably heard of the Iron Triangle of project management (Cost, Scope, and Time). Did you know that Enterprise Architecture has it's own iron triangle? It does, and understanding the EA triangle is a great way to understand and describe the
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I decided to take a few minutes of my vacation time to catch up on my reading, and I read through Mike Walker's article on MSDN on APM and EA . It is an interesting and useful article. (I'd give it a B-). One thing that I'd like to highlight in the practice
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I'm thinking about the business case for integration again... (still). We talk about SOA providing a benefit by being more agile. In other words, if you have a SOA infrastructure, you can change to meet the needs of the business in an agile way. Here's
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I have a SOA view of the software development lifecycle. And, in that SOA view, BPM fits nicely. First, a comparison: Waterfall looks like this: Waterfall: Plan --> Envision --> Design --> Develop & Test --> Deploy Agile: Plan --> Sprint
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How do we take EA governance from a "push" model to a "pull" model? In other words, how to we create a system where people want to do the same things that EA wants them to do, without calling it governance, and without the political battles that ensue?
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Like many corporations, Microsoft has many business units, and many IT groups. Enterprise Architecture has a lot to keep track of. The big win, for EA, is in helping to decide what projects are funded. Once a project is funded, the opportunities to guide,
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Capital One has repeated that phrase to me so many times, it's amazing. The fact that I cancelled my Cap One card after they charged me 10 times the fees of any other card means that this phrase now has another meaning... what should NOT be in my wallet.
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As I am called upon, more and more, to present a clear "vision" for how SOA will occur, I realize that folks are using the same words for two completely different requests. The trick is to provide both. The question may be phrased as "Where are we going
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You know what seperates an artist from an engineer? Let's say Joe designs something pretty cool. Mary sees it and uses that design. In Engineering, Mary is wise. In Art, Mary is a thief. For years, in many IT shops, and throughout the computing world,
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