It has been three weeks since I started down the road of learning about Enterprise Architecture (EA). I can say with confidence that I know more now than I did on January 19th. I can also say with confidence that I have a lot more learning to do in this area! However, when I created the below KWL chart* I could see my growth clearly in this short time and I know I will continue to make progress throughout this semester.
I understood a very hazy version of EA. I knew that it was an organizational strategy to streamline a company’s technology infrastructure. I now understand that EA has multiple models (frameworks) that are used in different businesses depending on the functions of that organization. Each framework lends itself differently to certain organizational needs. The five frameworks I’ve learned about so far are Zachman, DoDAF (Department of Defense Architecture Framework), FEAF (Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework), TEAF Treasury Enterprise Architecture Framework), and TOGAF (The Open Group Architectural Framework). The article, “A Comparison of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks” provided a direct comparison of the frameworks, based upon their views and aspects (p. 18). The authors found the terminology from Zachman’s framework to be the most comprehensive and therefore other EAFs [Enterprise Architecture Frameworks) stakeholder perspectives could be represented using the Zachman terminology (Mrdalj and Urbaczewski, p. 20).
One of the questions I had was: which framework is most commonly used? I learned that the TOGAF Standard is the most widely adopted EA framework (Cameron and McMillian, p.61). I think this may be because it includes a comprehensive process to develop the architecture called the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM). It has been popular in the private sector (Bernard, Appendix E). I wonder if this is a model that school districts have used?
Other questions I have:
Which model supports my district’s needs?
How does can a framework support a district’s vision?
What key features should I look for when determining which framework to use?
You don’t know, what you don’t know and questions will come up again as I discover more. It would be interesting to revisit this KWL in another few weeks to see what new questions I have and what new learning has happened.
References:
Bernard, S. (2012). An introduction to enterprise architecture (3rd ed.). Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse.
Cameron, B., & McMillan, E. (2013). Analyzing the current trends in enterprise architecture frameworks. Journal of Enterprise Architecture. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://ea.ist.psu.edu/documents/journal_feb2013_cameron_2.pdf
Urbaczewsk, L., & Mrdalj, S. (2006). A comparison of enterprise architecture frameworks. Issues in Information Systems, VII(2). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://iacis.org/iis/2006/Urbaczewki_Mrdalj.pdf
One of the questions I had was: which framework is most commonly used? I learned that the TOGAF Standard is the most widely adopted EA framework (Cameron and McMillian, p.61). I think this may be because it includes a comprehensive process to develop the architecture called the TOGAF Architecture Development Method (ADM). It has been popular in the private sector (Bernard, Appendix E). I wonder if this is a model that school districts have used?
Other questions I have:
Which model supports my district’s needs?
How does can a framework support a district’s vision?
What key features should I look for when determining which framework to use?
You don’t know, what you don’t know and questions will come up again as I discover more. It would be interesting to revisit this KWL in another few weeks to see what new questions I have and what new learning has happened.
References:
Bernard, S. (2012). An introduction to enterprise architecture (3rd ed.). Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse.
Cameron, B., & McMillan, E. (2013). Analyzing the current trends in enterprise architecture frameworks. Journal of Enterprise Architecture. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://ea.ist.psu.edu/documents/journal_feb2013_cameron_2.pdf
Urbaczewsk, L., & Mrdalj, S. (2006). A comparison of enterprise architecture frameworks. Issues in Information Systems, VII(2). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://iacis.org/iis/2006/Urbaczewki_Mrdalj.pdf