Enterprise Architect role definitions

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Other papers discuss the EA role as described in architecture frameworks.

This paper presents EA role definitions drawn from job adverts – top and tailed with generalisations.

Preface: How does Solution Architecture relate to EA?

The table below represents reasonable consensus.

 

Enterprise Architect

Solution Architect

·         title often used by enterprises for the manager or member of a central EA function.

·         is strategic: addresses cross-organisational concerns and goals

·         treats a whole enterprise as a system, the highest, widest, longest term kind of architecture

·         responsible for optimisation (often by integration or standardisation) of the enterprise system estate

·         responsible for the quality and completeness of strategic road maps

·         maintains enterprise architecture collateral in enough detail to enable impact analysis

·         must understand the enterprise system estate

·         must engage with senior executives and their strategies.

·         is responsible for enterprise integrity and quality

·         guides solution architects on cross-organisational standardisation and integration opportunities.

·         may commission and govern solution architects working on discrete system developments.

·         acts as a governor to ensure solution architects comply with any relevant overarching EA.

·         title often used by systems integrators in the bid phase, and sometimes the delivery phase.

·         relatively tactical: addresses specific problems and requirements

·         focuses on selected business processes and applications.

·         shapes and describes a solution, usually at a project level

·         responsible for the quality and completeness of a solution outline or high-level design.

·         describes architecture at a level sufficient for detailed design and building to proceed

·         must understand all facets of design well enough to form a coherent solution architecture

·         must partnership with and coordinate lead business analysts, software architects and others

·         is responsible for delivery quality: focuses on critical success factors, especially non-functional qualities.

·         must identify and mitigate all manner of technical risks, with delivery time and cost in mind.

·         governs solution delivery at a project level

·         may or may not be asked to be heedful of any relevant overarching EA.

Enterprise Architect 1 – Job advert  (IBM for DoD )

·         Leads and directs large teams with diverse functional and technical disciplines

·         Works directly with senior executives of the enterprise

·         Coordinates resolution of highly complex problems and tasks, selling new ideas and concepts in support of operational goals and objectives.

·         Provides technical and analytical guidance to enterprise architecture team.

·         Integrates and translates complex concepts into tactical action plans.

·         Directs high-level enterprise architecture analysis, evaluation, design, integration, documentation, and development.

·         Has a deep understanding of DoD business transformation and processes,

·         Possesses extensive knowledge of the DoDAF

·         Gas had hands-on experience with the Business Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architect 2 – job advert

Solid and proven EA experience, a track record in delivering effective architectural roadmaps and blueprints in the past with practical experience in TOGAF or Zachman.

Highly experienced in all aspects of EA across ranging technologies, including applications architecture, integration, infrastructure, business intelligence and Data Warehousing.

Responsibilities:

·         Model and maintain EAs (current and target) with cohesive roadmaps covering the transition and migration steps required to reach the selected target model.

·         With the divisional delivery and infrastructure services managers, monitor adherence to IS EA standards and guidelines through appropriate architecture governance, policies and design rules.

·         Act as the guardian of the IT strategy, providing EA input and developing and enhancing this as required in conjunction with the other members of the senior management team.

·         Ensure that the IT strategy is aligned to the business strategy by developing appropriate relationships with assigned business stakeholders (via Divisional Delivery teams)

·         Introduction of best practice in solution definition and development procedures, processes and working practices through the deployment of best practices and standards to raise the maturity level of the department.

·         Provide input to strategic IS investment decisions through technical input to business cases and provision of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) information

·         Proactively demonstrate appropriate innovation (both technical and process) opportunities to the business.

·         Together with the senior management team, undertake a structured and methodological approach to IT based risk across the department.

·         Ensure that all project based works are completed on time every time and to budget.”

Enterprise Architect 3 – job advert (just to illustrate role name confusion out there)

One recruitment consultant describes enterprise architecture as an infrastructure technology specialism thus.

·         “Extensive experience of: Enterprise architecture design, strategies, especially:

·         Platforms and environment including server and storage design and implementation for enterprise systems/services processing millions of transactions;

·         Enterprise environment design and implementation, both hosted DC, Cloud and virtualisation.

·         Delivering DR/BCP capability utilising both on premise and Cloud;

·         Platform and environment security design implications and requirements for up to and including “Official Sensitive”;

·         Design, planning and implementation of platform environments from incumbent to new supplier;

·         Enterprise tooling selection and procurement;

·         Specification and procurement from multi-sourced Government IT Frameworks;

·         Architecture design within a SIAM service management model.

·         Demonstrable and proven track record of the design of complex infrastructure architecture, using multi-sourced IT operating models in Public Sector;

·         Generation of Architectural Artefact standards.”

Enterprise Architect – a generalised job advert

Aims

Better business-IT alignment, partly through improved visibility of the enterprise’s estate and better change impact analysis.

Improved planning: support for business and IT strategies; strategic and cross-organisational road maps for change.

Improved integrity and efficiency: joining up the enterprise by integrating data and processes.

Lower costs from de-duplication of business systems and technologies.

Greater agility through standardisation of business processes, applications and technologies.

Responsibilities

Establishment of architect roles, processes and resources.

Definition of baseline and target operating models and maturity levels.

Definition of business taxonomies, Enterprise Architecture landscape, principles, policies, standards and other EA collateral.

Application portfolio road maps: master data management, application consolidation and integration, package selection and integration.

Technology portfolio road maps: technology consolidation, replacement and outsourcing.

Planning: migration paths and other support for programme and project planning.

Governance: compliance with regulations and EA collateral.

 

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