The Role of Architecture in the Co-evolution of Business and IT 

The aim of the project is to determine the extent to which organizations are making effective use of Business and IT Architectures to guide operational, tactical and strategic decision-making. Our plan is to do this through interviews and case examples, so that we can develop well-founded points of view and recommendations on good practice, including the organizational and support implications. We also intend to demystify the concept of ‘Service Oriented Architectures’ and to determine their real-world relevance and impact.

Progress to date 

Although we are only part way through our client interview programme, some preliminary findings and recommendations are already emerging:

• Start with the strategic needs of the business and, using an architectural approach, articulate these needs in terms of their implications for the business operating model (which covers business capabilities and processes, information, applications and technology platforms).

• Benefits of Business and IT Architecture that have emerged so far include:

• Supporting business scenario planning.

• Providing stakeholders with a clear view of the target business operating model and the impact of business change programmes.

• Revealing the scope for application/solution/business process standardization.

• Making explicit the impacts of regulation on business processes and data flows and revealing where controls are lacking.

• Helping determine the operational impact of mergers, acquisitions, divestments and outsourcing deals.

• Ensuring projects stay aligned with the target operating model.

• Providing oversight of shared operational data within a complex organization.

• Enabling a better understanding of operational risks, including those entailed by the increased adoption of externally provided services.

• Be careful not to treat architecture work as a theoretical activity, separate from the real world of change projects. Indeed, some organizations deliberately avoid using the term 'architecture' because of its 'ivory tower' connotations, preferring to use such alternative terms as 'operating model' or 'blueprint'.

• There is a common plea for architectures that are fit-for-purpose, avoiding diving into unnecessary detail.

• Effective use of architectures goes hand-in-hand with strong IT governance and good project portfolio management.

• Few of the organizations interviewed to date make use of formal architecture frameworks such as Zachman or TOGAF, and although there is a wide range of architecture support tools now available, again we found surprisingly little interest in the application of these tools.

Based on our interviews to date, we have already started to gather experience of Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) from both the client and the vendor perspectives, and are also learning much about the ways in which architecture activities are organized and supported. These themes will be explored in later updates to be published on the LEF website.

News of the Project Focus Group Meeting 

The planned Project Focus Group Meeting will now be held on the afternoon of 6 June 2008 in Central London at a location to be advised later. Attendance will be by invitation only.

Ways in which client organizations can participate in the project 

A number of clients have already been contacted by us for interview in connection with the project. If anyone who has not yet been contacted believes they have ideas and experience that will support the project’s aims, we would be delighted if they would contact us. In addition to receiving personal copies of the final report, people who participate in the interview programme will also be invited to the Focus Group meeting to be held in London on 6 June 2008. Here, they will have a chance to discuss project issues directly with other participating executives, as well as comment directly on the research findings. Note that such participation in the project involves no financial obligation, but individuals will be expected to cover their own expenses if they choose to attend the Focus Group meeting.

To participate in this research, please contact Jane Kingston at jkingsto@csc.com