May 13, 2009 - a|EA-DC Forum 1

Quality and Principle:What Makes a Good Architecture

Haiping Luo

Enterprise Architecture Management Guide (EAMG) Project Manager

a|EA EA Standards Committee

Association of Enterprise ArchitectsInternational Committee on Enterprise Architecture Standards

2

Overview1. Observations of architectures2. Does an enterprise architecture need quality

standards?3. What are the desirable quality aspects for an

enterprise architecture?4. What makes an enterprise architecture high quality?5. Sample EA principles6. A categorized collection of EA principles7. See impacts of EA principles through reviewing real

world cases8. An approach to help implement EA principles and

improve architectural qualities9. Caveats when applying EA principles

3

Observations of Building Architectures

Can you recognize these buildings or structures? Are they good architectures?

How could you say they are good or bad?

4

Observations of Enterprise Architectures

How about these enterprise architectures? Are they good or bad? How could you say one way or another?

5

The Question…

What Makes a Good Architecture?

6

The Affecting Factors…Many things affect how to evaluate an architecture:• From whose perspective?• For what purpose?• Under what context?• In what environment?• In what time frame?• Under what constraints?

Given these varying factors,

Can we define objectively the quality standards

for enterprise architectures?

7

The Commonality…Quality Standards for Enterprise Architectures

• Suitability• Integrity• Fosterage• Strength• Economy• Sustainability• Homeostasis• Harmony

8

EA Quality Standard Definitions - 1• Suitability

– The pattern by which elements are interrelated or arranged fits the type and purpose of the enterprise in focus.

– The functionalities of the structure support the functions and activities of the enterprise effectively.

• Integrity– Elements have compatible interfaces and exchange media to coordinate and

interact with each other.– Elements support and supplement each other so the enterprise whole is better

than the sum of individual elements.– The structure conforms to architectural principles.

• Fosterage– The architecture enables and supports the growth and continuous

improvements of the enterprise and its elements.– The architecture encourages and utilizes opportunity seeking and innovations.

• Strength– The architecture provides sufficient support to the pursuit of the enterprise’s

mission.– The structure can endure a normal range of shocks and impacts from internal or

external sources.– The architecture has self-discipline and self-adjustment ability to respond to

changes.

9

EA Quality Standard Definitions - 2• Economy

– The architecture optimizes enterprise-wide resource use (including time and space use) that is affected by the architecture.

– The architecture optimizes the enterprise gain that can be obtained through the support of the architecture.

– The architecture minimizes the cost to maintain and improve the architecture.

• Sustainability– The architecture remains vital and capable over the life of the

enterprise.– The changes designed for and implemented in the architecture can

persist as intended.

• Homeostasis– The architecture has embedded-adjustment mechanisms to return to

balance, equilibrium, or homeostasis timely, efficiently, and with minimal loss and pain.

• Harmony– The architecture is acceptable by its elements.

10

Again, the Affecting Factors…Given that these factors vary across enterprises and change over time:• Perspective• Purpose• Context• Environment• Time frame• Constraints

How can we ever say that an enterprise’s architecture

has met the quality standards?

11

The Truth is…No, we can’t. There is no absolute point that an enterprise’s architecture can be said having met all or any quality standard on that list.

But, there is hope…

We can always, and should only, evaluate an architecture relatively.

An enterprise’s architecture can be compared to its:– previous state– potentials– best-practice peers

to evaluate improvements and to identify opportunities towards reaching the EA quality standards.

Improving the quality of an enterprise’s architecture is a journey, a never-ending one.

12

How EA Principles Can HelpDefinitions:A Principle is a fundamental law, rule or requirement that leads to desirable results persistently. An Enterprise Architecture Principle is a fundamental requirement that brings one or more aspects of quality to enterprise architectures persistently.

13

Sample EA Principles•Avoid Sole Dependency •Establish Balance of Power •Streamline Value •Standardize Commonality •Maintain Redundancy, not Duplicates

14

A Collection of EA PrinciplesAs part of the a|EA work of developing a Enterprise Architecture Management Guide, a collection of EA principles is being assembled at: http://www.aeablogs.org/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=205#205.

This collection groups EA principles by enterprise management areas so people can find applicable architecture principles for the specific management area they focus on.

A Generic Enterprise Management Category Tree

Enterprise Management

Strategic Management

BusinessManagement

ResourceManagement

Risk Management

Electronic Management

Five Management Areas

Management Domains Goal & Strategy

Mgmt

Organization Mgmt

Result Mgmt

Line of Business Mgmt

Partner Relationship

Mgmt

Customer Relationship

Mgmt

Financial Mgmt

Asset & Infrastructure

Mgmt

Material Mgmt

Security Mgmt

Business Continuity

Mgmt

Legality andCompliance

Mgmt

AutomationMgmt

ElectronicInfrastructure

Mgmt

Technology Mgmt

Human ResourceMgmt

Cross-area/domain Interoperation** Each area/domain obtains inputs from all other areas/domains and outputs to all other areas/domains. See the EA Management Guide Integrity Matrix for the method.

Fluctuation and Uncertainty

MgmtOpportunity &

Innovation Mgmt

Execution & Operation

Mgmt

Information Mgmt

Digitalization Mgmt

VirtualizationMgmt

Last updated: 4/11/09

MobilizationMgmt

Sample Architectural Principles by Enterprise Management Area

StrategicManagement

BusinessManagement

ResourceManagement

RiskManagement

ElectronicManagement

•Maintain strategic directions

•Establish balance of power

•Ensure total accountability

•Optimize decision chain

•Streamline enterprise value for maximal customer outcomes

•Establish agility

•Pursue stakeholder alignment

•Nurture opportunities

•Maintain lean operations

•Provide right resources rightly

•Maximize reusability

•Ensure individualized responsibility for every resource

•Live within means

•Avoid sole dependency

•Invest in prevention

•Trust but verify

•Drive right behavior

•Minimize own weaknesses

•Enhance interoperability

•Maximize ease of use / operation

•Standardize commonality

•Maintain scalability

Real World Cases and EA Principles

Case / System / Situation EA Principles

• A check-and- balance government system• Huge bonus for failing banks’ executives• Sub-prime mortgage crisis

• Global warming

• The only expert of a mission-critical system is leaving the company this Friday.• Duplicate and scattered data

• Federal deficit

• Scrutinize Assumptions

• Maintain redundancy, not duplicate• Live within own means • Establish balance of power

• Ensure total accountability

• Drive right behavior

• Avoid sole dependency

Note: This is a game for the audience to match the cases / systems / situations with relevant principles. The arrows between principles and quality standards indicates which quality standards the principle would improve.

Please use lines to link a case with one or more relevant principles. If a case is likely in conformation with a principle, use a solid line to connect the two; If a case is likely in violation of a principle, use a dashed line to connect the two.

EA Quality Standards

• Suitability

• Integrity

• Fosterage

• Strength

• Economy

• Sustainability

• Homeostasis

• Harmony

An Approach to Help Implement EA Principles and Improve Architectural Qualities

Basic Logic:

EA Quality EA Principle RequirementActivity

Element

requiresdecomposed

intoimplemented

in

Basic Tool: EA Repository –

Use EA repositories to document and relate EA quality standards, EA principles, and requirements; and to monitor and manage compliance and conformation.

A Sample Repository Metamodel Supporting the Implementation of EA Principles:

EA Quality Standard

EA Principle Requirementsupports implements implements

NetworkApplicationProjectProcess Equipment

Compliancy

complies through

Possible Matrix Reports onArchitectural Quality Improvements

Baseline Architecture Quality Report (Indirect relationship: 4 levels away)

Quality

Element

Process A 60% 70% 40% 60%

Process B 80% 45% 80% 70%

Process C 80% 70% 90% 60%

Su

itab

ilit

y

Inte

gri

ty

Str

eng

th

Eco

no

my

Compliancy

Quality

Element

Process A 90% 80% 70% 90%

Process B 95% 75% 89% 87%

Process C 95% 79% 96% 90%

Su

itab

ilit

y

Inte

gri

ty

Str

eng

th

Eco

no

my

Compliancy

Target Architecture Quality Report (Indirect relationship: 4 levels away)

20

Caveats When Applying EA Principles• Proper and thorough decomposition, accountable association to activities and objects are key to implement principles.• Implementing architectural principles is a balancing art since the principles may conflict with each other. • Viewer’s perspective impacts the interpretation of principles and the measures of implementation results.• Things changes constantly, EA improvements must be continuously.

• Audience’s Turn: Other inputs / thoughts?