The Architectural Vision Is What Executives Need From Enterprise Architects

The Architectural Vision Is What Executives Need From Enterprise Architects

Traditionally building architects have learned and communicated through the architectural vision. Selling this vision to clients became the method by which a building architect became recognized. In the early 20th century this consisted of examples, like Frank Lloyd Wrights mile high skyscraper, that would inspire public imagination. It would inspire professionals to become better architects. It would inspire the profession to reach for even greater heights.

In enterprise architecture we occasionally have some of these visions. They are simple and direct, but inspire us. Different than the blueprints that are talked about within the current frameworks, the vision captures the essence of the architecture in a concise manner that is understood by enterprise architects and their clients. It includes the reasoning for design choices. It is framed within the context of business through and understanding of its link through the operational model.

Businessmen are experts in seeing value. They will always talk about their return on investment, cost control, and revenue. Only those in business understand that this is just the metrics for the game. What businessmen really thrive on is perception. This is why business is so interested in enterprise architecture. The metrics they will justify and figure out. The architectural vision is what they need enterprise architects for!

We as professional enterprise architects seek to create understanding, develop a common thought space and, change hearts and minds. To that end, this site is not about collecting design diagrams but rather those architectural visions, stakeholder communication, and decision support artifacts that not only enable enterprise architects to be successful but will change the way people think about enterprise architecture, including core capabilities of business architects and enterprise architects.

Business Architects:
- Organizational Context – Impacting the formal structure, work management practices, human resource policies, leadership, and culture
- Corporate Vision – Mapping and alignment with the mission, objectives, goals, tactics, and strategies
- Value Chains – Strengthening alliances, capabilities, services, and processes by determining the return on technology investments.
- Plan – Rationalizing roadmap investments with respect to capabilities, resources, and competencies
- Marketplace – Recognizing internal and external competitive forces that determine the product/service offerings and their relationship
- Language – Defining the glossary, taxonomies, concepts, patterns, and references used to frame the organization

Enterprise Architects:
- Aligning strategic and operational views of business
- Driving the technology vision
- Transforming and automating operations
- Facilitating and governing organizational change
- Mitigating risk
- Overseeing investments
- Managing the architecture
- Integrating people, processes, and technology