When Enterprise Architecture Becomes More Architecture and Less Enterprise
After attending the Zachman Framework Training last month, I realized that my fundmental way of thinking around architecture was flawed. To most of us, Architecture is thought of another layer on top of systems building process. The senior guy who can see the big picture and who understands the business language comes and builds some diagrams and documents which becomes the architecture. In some cases the "Enterprise Architect" builds diagrams and documents that explains the IT environment in general.
However enterprise architecture is all about the enterprise as a whole. The "thing" you're modelling is the enterprise itself. Which brings the question, who is more close to being an enterprise architect, is it the team who builds the strategy maps, organizational structures, balanced scorecards and KPI metrics or is it the IT people who claim to be enterprise archiectects looking at the row 6 in Zachman Classification who build and deliver IT solutions? Or do we need people who understands both, but is this possible? I do strongly beleive that the role definition and the skills of an Enterprise Architect is something we need to clarify in the next decade.