Enterprise architecture: business and IT alignment

2012

Business and ICT strategic alignment remains an ongoing challenge facing organizations as they react to changing requirements by adapting or introducing new technologies to existing infrastructure. Enterprise Architecture (EA) has increasingly become relevant to these demands and as a consequence numerous methods and frameworks have emerged. However these approaches remain bloated, time-consuming and lacking in precision.

Communications

This paper proposes the use of an enterprise architecture methodology known as the Systemic Enterprise Architecture Methodology to determine the relevance of EA in addressing the business-IT alignment. A construct that characterized EA was developed based on review of the literature. A theoretical framework build upon the Systemic Enterprise Architecture Methodology (SEAM) was used based on a business-IT alignment market, in which supplier business systems compete to provide a value to an adopter business system. Data was empirically gathered based on survey respondents who are concerned with the adoption, planning and implementation of EA in their organizations. Respondents were managers and executives representing the IT and senior level management of public and private organizations in Malaysia. The data collected was then analyzed based on the following factors: (1) EA business issues; (2) EA environment; (3) EA governance; and (4) EA methods, tools and frameworks. Comparative analysis was carried out based on the four factors to examine the trend and status of EA adoption and implementation in Malaysia vis-à-vis the international scenario. Statistical analysis was used to validate the SEAM, which was found to be relevant in addressing the business-IT alignment.

Strategic Business and IT Alignment (SBITA) requires a holistic view and a continuous coherent interrelation between the business components, personnel and IT systems, contributing to each other's performance over time. Several conceptual and practical methodologies to assess or achieve it has been proposed and implemented before or parallel to the advent of the Enterprise Architecture (EA), lacking to a greater or lesser degree the EA modeling characteristics. This paper explains the criteria and the process for associating the artifacts of a SBITA methodology represented as Metamodel to the Zachman Enterprise Architectural Framework (ZEAF) and reports the association pattern and statistics. This association has been done in order to find the representations of the specific concern SBITA into the EA dominion. This paper reports, among other issues, to what extent and in which perspectives and aspects the SBITA assessment concern is predominantly represented in ZEAF.

11th IEEE International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference (EDOC 2007), 2007

To align an IT system with an organization's needs, it is necessary to understand the organization's position within its environment as well as its internal configuration. In SEAM for Enterprise Architecture the organization is considered as a hierarchy of systems that span from business down to IT. The alignment process addresses the complete hierarchy. We illustrate the use of SEAM for Enterprise Architecture with an example in which a new hiring process and an IT system are developed. With this approach it is possible to train new engineers in the design of business and IT alignment. It is also possible to scope projects in a way that integrate both business and IT strategies. This enables the consideration of IT developments in an enterprise-wide context.

2012

Abstract Business and IT alignment remains an ongoing concern for organizations. Enterprise Architecture has emerged as a possible tool for understanding and planning for BIA, but the current range of methods and frameworks for EA do not support precise measurement. In this paper, we propose a set of technologies and concepts-notably goals and computable functions which can be used to provide a measure of equivalence between as-is and to-be enterprise architectures.

Vojnotehnički glasnik

The link between business and information technology (IT) has been a constant topic in both academic and industrial circles for more than 30 years. Alignment (compliance) between business and IT is generally seen as an important component and a basis for optimizing the performance of any organization. Due to constant changes in the IT world as well as in modern business, the work on the alignment of business and IT is gaining in importance. The cause of the alignment problem lies primarily in different levels of business abstraction and IT concepts. In order to solve this problem, for a long time, the current approach to the development of information systems (IS) is based on the so-called enterprise architecture (EA). In this paper, a review of literature dealing with EA is given. The focus of the literature review was the identification of works dealing with motivational aspects for the use of EA as well as those that deal more closely with the process of development of EA using general and domain specific frameworks. The aim was also to give an insight into the current picture of academic research in this field and the use of EA in order to solve the problems of business and IT alignment. This overview can be a starting point for participants in EA development using existing frameworks as well as for developing specific frameworks that would be applied in specific domains.

2017

The challenge of business-IT alignment, the increasing complexity of organizations' operations and supporting organization transformation are the main drivers for organizations to adopt Enterprise Architecture (EA) concept. Despite the rapid interest in the EA, organizations are facing challenge to realize organizational value out of it. This challenge can be rooted to the lack of the stakeholders needs and concerns consideration in the final developed architecture which result in low utilization or no acceptance of EA. The enterprise architects and the stakeholders are the main players in the development phase of EA. Literature highlighted the need of alignment framework that can support the enterprise architects to align the development of EA with the stakeholders' expectations. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of academic studies that shed the light on the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders during the development of EA. Hence, the purpose of this study is to develop a framework that supports the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders in EA development to ensure a mutual understanding and agreement. The study is guided by the interpretive paradigm to address the research gap through the utilization of a qualitative methodology. The research is using the case study approach to build in-depth understanding of the relationship between the enterprise architects and stakeholders in EA development. The understanding from Multiple Perspectives Theory is used to develop the initial research model to provide initial guidance in data collection and analysis. Currently, the research is at the analysis stage of case study data. The developed framework is expected to support the practitioners in the EA development by uncovering the factors influencing the alignment between the enterprise architects and the stakeholders during the development process. Additionally, the study is building a comprehensive understanding on how the enterprise architects consider the stakeholders needs and concerns in the development of EA.

Procedia Computer Science, 2016

Business-IT Alignment (BITA) has been an issue for researchers of Information and Systems Technology (IST) area for the last three or four decades. Many authors refer to BITA as a concern subject of IST managers, in what regards its achievement, but also its maintenance. Nevertheless, all approaches seem to be time and resources consumers, contrary to what would be desirable nowadays: achieve and maintain BITA quickly, efficiently and sustainably. Enterprise Architecture (EA) construction, as a way to BITA, especially when a Business Process Management (BPM) approach is used, a list of best practices should be obtained. Using Case Study methodology, with a data set content analysis, this paper intends to highlight benefits of using it, in process oriented approaches' to EA construction aiming BITA. Besides contribute to EA construction using process oriented methodologies, it is also important to consider the contribution to the Academy, with the scientific knowledge' increase in this area. And also the contribution to both involved consultancy companies, as well as to the organizations, in this case Municipalities, deserves attention: organization's processes are improved and real problems can be solved.

2002

This paper discusses the alignment of the enterprise with its Information Systems (IS) from the perspective of policy determinations, past research studies and implications for the future. Policy determinations from the US, UK and Australia are discussed, while past and current alignment research studies are reviewed and contrasted. It is conjectured that where Enterprise Architecture (EA) treatment is not mandated, there may still be a positive role for architecture in the alignment of the enterprise and its IS. Some well known EA frameworks and methods are reviewed and compared as viable alignment vehicles. The paper concludes with implications for future alignment research studies and policy decisions, and outlines a current research program that is investigating the use of enterprise architecture in government agencies for the alignment of business strategy and IS.

2011

Nowadays, the business IT alignment has become a priority in most large organizations. It is a question of aligning the information system on the business strategies of the organization. This step is aimed at increasing the practical value of the information system and makes it a strategic asset for the organization. Many works showed the importance of documentation, the analysis and the evaluation of business IT alignment, but few proposed solutions applicable to the strategic and functional level. This paper aims has to fill this gap by proposing a simple approach for modeling enterprise strategy in the context of strategic alignment. This approach is illustrated by case study of a real project in a Moroccan public administration.

Enterprise architecture has attracted the attention of information systems (IS) academics as well as information technology (IT) and business professionals. While enterprise architecture has been proposed as a solution to the business-IT alignment problem, there is little theoretical basis that would explain how enterprise architecture work can lead to better alignment. Here we draw on the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to highlight the role of enterprise architecture in achieving and sustaining such alignment. Specifically, we argue that enterprise architecture work helps to achieve agreement and thus alignment of the interests of internal actors within the context of enterprise interests and inscribes such agreement into architectural artifacts. Such artifacts can then be used in negotiations with external parties, such as IT vendors, thereby protecting the interests of the enterprise. Enterprise architecture work is also likely to reduce the likelihood of members of the enterprise, such as IT staff, from forming close ties with external parties, such as IT solution vendors, at the expense of the interests of the enterprise. We argue that this would result in stronger business-IT alignment. We conclude by highlighting two important goals of enterprise architecture as viewed through the ANT lens: (1) to help achieve an alignment of interests within the enterprise, and (2) to serve as a tool for protecting the interests of the enterprise in internal and external negotiations. These in turn point to the importance of the soft skills of enterprise architects and the need for clear and readily understandable enterprise architecture artifacts.

Nowadays, many organizations are concerned with how successfully they can formulate an information system (IS) strategy. Have them adopted enterprise architecture, they are concerned of how to activate the business and IS decisions. From a functional perspective, enterprise architecture demonstrates how all information technology elements in an organization, systems, processes and people work together as a whole. Hence, enterprise architecture is an approach of aligning the business area of an organization with the IT area. It has become widely recognized that an enterprise architecture plays a key role in influencing the IS strategy formulation. Strategy formulation in enterprises is a continuous process and it is considered an implicit process that is influenced by a set of factors in which enterprise architecture is a major one. In this paper, we discuss that role that an enterprise architecture plays in influencing the IS strategy formulation. Index Terms: Enterprise architecture, Zachman, The Open Group Architecture Framework TOGAF.

… Systems and Technologies (CISTI), 2010

Enterprise engineering has recently emerged as a new discipline to address the intensified complexity and dynamics of the evolving enterprise by designing, aligning, and governing its development. Enterprise designers employ various approaches, frameworks, and methodologies to design and align various components in the enterprise. This paper takes a closer look at alignment between the business and IT components of an enterprise, and the need for a theoretical backing when combining multiple approaches during enterprise design. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a 'method artefact'. The method artefact applies an existing model, called the business-IT alignment model, and is useful to enterprise designers when they need to enhance an existing business-IT alignment approach. As an additional contribution, the paper emphasises the role of an emerging research methodology, called 'design research', in developing the new method artefact. The paper ...

2006

This paper proposes a metamodel based on Jerry N. Luftman's strategic business and information technology (IT) alignment assessment approach. It explains how this metamodel is deduced and how it will perform such an assessment, showing conformity with the expert's parent approach. Since Enterprise Architecture (EA) has emerged as a feasible model-based management tool for the systematic and holistic planning and decision-making of an enterprise's business and IT system operation and evolution, this paper also argues the metamodel's affiliation to EA as a guide or reference for identifying the relevant representations for specific concerns, mitigating the expenses and drawbacks of the often larger modeling required to apply the EA Frameworks.