Five Pillars of IT Architecture

Jim Wilt
Chief Software Architect
Metrics Reporting, Inc.
[email protected]

November 2010
Goals:
By understanding the IASA 5 Pillars of IT Architecture, we
can decide:

(1)Am I/do I want to be an IT Architect?

(2)How can I best interact with IT Architects?
(3)How can I execute on my personal growth?
 Who is IASA?

ai? ‫ه‬ ‫و‬ AS A?

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 IASA
IASA isis…
YOU • 60K Members
…the preeminent knowledge- • 50 Countries
Distinguished Fellows
based association focused on
the IT architecture
• Scott Ambler, IBM
• Len Bass, Carnagie Mellon profession…
University/SEI
Paul Preiss • Grady Booch, IBM
IASA Founder • Paul Clements, SEI/Carnagie
Mellon University
• Miriam Grace, Boeing
• Richard Hubert, Hubert &
Associates GmbH
• Max Poliashenko, CCH, a Madrid
Wolters Kluwer business
• Nick Rozanski, Marks and Colu
Spencer m bia
re
• Roger Sessions, ObjectWatch galo
• Oliver Sims, Sims Associates Ban
• Jeff Tash, Flashmap Systems
• Eoin Woods
• Angela Yochem, Dell
Indonesia
New York
Andy Ruth
MCA Founder
Worldwide Chapters & Events
How IASA did its Homework…
Future
Qualitative Focus Groups from Current State
Analysis Top Industry Architects State

W of
or IT
ldw A
ide rch
IEEE

Co itec
Quantitative 7000 Members Surveyed 1471

mm ts
Analysis

un
ity
Asset “as-is” + “to-be”
Creation
ITABoK
ITIASA’s
Architecture5-Pillars…
– more than just Design & Technology

Business
90 Business
Technology
Strategy
Technology
80
Strategy
70 Human
Dynamics
60
Quality
Quality Human
50 Attributes Dynamics
Attributes

IASA
40
30
IT
20 Environmen
10 t
Design
0
BTS HD QA IT Design
IT
Design
Environment

Very Important Essential

IASA’s Skills Matrix
Role Enterprise Architecture

Software Infrastructure Information Business

Specializations Architecture Architecture Architecture Architecture

Foundation Body of Knowledge

Microsoft’s
Microsoft’sOriginal
Original77Competencies
Competencies Business Technology Strategy

•• Leadership
Leadership IT Environment
•• Communication
•• Our Focus
Communication
Organizational
Organizational
Today
Foundation
dynamics
dynamics Quality Attributes
••
••
Strategy
Strategy (5-Pillars)
Process and tactics
Process and tactics Design
•• Technology
Technologybreadth
breadth
•• Technology
Technologydepth
depth Human Dynamics
First: What is IT Architecture? *Function: noun
(as many definitions exist as there are sources…) Date: 1555
1 : the art or science of building; specifically :
the art or practice of designing and building
structures and especially habitable ones
2 a : formation or construction resulting from
IASA’s Definition: or as if from a conscious act <the architecture
of the garden> b : a unifying or coherent form
or structure <the novel lacks architecture>
3 : architectural product or work
4 : a method or style of building
The art or science of designing 5 : the manner in which the components of a
computer or computer system are organized
and integrated
and delivering valuable
technology strategies.

The software architecture of a Enterprise architecture is the

program or computing system organizing logic for business
is the structure or structures of processes and IT infrastructure
IT Architecture the system, which comprise reflecting the integration and
software elements, the standardization requirements of
is a profession: externally visible properties of
those elements, and the
the firm’s operating model.
- MIT Center for Information
relationships among them. Systems Research, Peter Weill,
An occupation, such as law, - Bass, Clements, and Kazman.
Software Architecture in Practice
Director, as presented at the
Sixth e-Business Conference,
medicine, or engineering, that 2nd ed, Addison-Wesley 2003 Barcelona Spain, 27 March 2007

requires considerable training and

specialized study.
So, What does that make an IT Architect?
The person that
does business
modeling from an
IT perspective?

IASA’s Definition:The person that

The person that
leverages the drives a quick,
right services and iterative process
providers?
An IT Architect is a for creating code?

All of these?
Technology Strategist
for the Business

The person that The person that

selects a project’s does advanced
frameworks and engineering and
products? design?
Are you an IT Architect?
Business Technology Strategy
The skills required for an architect to identify, design, plan and
support a technology environment that provides the basis of
competitive advantage for the company.
Business Technology Strategy
Starts w/business skills
• Basic business competence
• How the organization fits into
the competitive landscape
• How technology aligns with the
business’ goals

• Know what the business of the

business is…

Example Case Study

Business Technology Strategy
It’s the financials…
TCO, CBA, ROI, Payback Period, NPV, Valuation, etc.
It’s business strategy innovation & validation

It’s industry concerns, trends, conformance to standards, and compliance

IT Environment

Skills in the functional and

procedural aspects of technology
organization to ascertain solution
and organizational maturity.

It’s how we run things (maintenance

& support) and how we create new
things (forward engineering).
IT Environment

Application Development
Infrastructure
Technical Project Management
Platforms and Frameworks
Change Management
Asset Management
Governance
Testing Methods, Tools, and
Techniques
 IT Environment
Best if you are familiar with:

It’s about Balance…

Buy
• Industry trends
Build
• Leaders in the specific application space -
and why they are leaders
Waterfall
• Benefits and limitations of various
methodologies and technologies
Agile
• Methodologies and technologies currently in
use (and why)
Interoperability

• How to gage supportability, impacts on

operations, etc. (TCO) Stand
alone
Quality Attributes
A quality attribute is a non-functional characteristic of a
component or a system. It represents a cross-cutting
architectural concern for a system or system of systems.
 Quality Attributes
IASA Groupings:
Usage: Development:
• Usability • Manageability
• Quality attributes cut across all IT • Localization • Maintainability
architectural concerns • Accessibility • Supportability
• Personalization • Extensibility
• Customizability • Flexibility

• Also called systemic qualities,

*illities Operation:
• Performance
• Reliability Security
• Time, cost, requirement, & • Availability
resources constraints can become a • Scalability

trade off in applying quality

attributes
 Quality Attributes
Must be measurable, monitored…
…and be practical.
Number of 9’s Yearly Downtime
3 Nines (99.9%) ~9 hours
4 Nines (99.99%) ~1 hour
5 Nines (99.999%) ~ 5 minutes
6 Nines (999.999%) ~31 seconds

24/7 0
Quality Attributes
QA Interactions…
Development Usability Operations Key
n ity y y
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lF e Per Lo M E R C A A P S S D O S he hu ne No
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Flexibility + P - - - P - + - P
Personalization - + - - + P - - -
Localization P + + P P P P
Maintainability P P P P P P P P P
Extensibility P P P P P P P P P P
Reliability P P P P P P P P
Customizability P P P P P P P
Availability P P P P P P P P
Accessibility P P P P P P
Performance P P P P P P P P
Scalability P - P P P P P P P
Security P P P P P P P
Deployability P P P P P P P P P P
Observability P P P
Supportability - P P P P P P P P P P P
Design
Design skills are an
architect’s primary tool in
delivering architecture
strategy and product to the
business.

Good design is justifications,

reasons, and trade
it off
considerations…
encompasses capturing the
decisions made.
Design
Design implies:
Knowledge of methodologies and
techniques
Knowledge of tools for design
Knowledge of design artifacts such
as patterns, styles, views, and
viewpoints

All Design decisions, elements, &

artifacts should tie to a business
requirement
Design
Whole System Design :
The "whole system" of interconnected elements that
participate in, impact, and influence the design process,
including the nature and rich tradition of design theory
and practice, relevancy of understanding design as a
discipline.
The systems sciences, systems theory, and systems
thinking; developing “whole systems” perspective and its
importance to architects, including recognizing and
addressing complex systemic problems and architecture
praxis.
Design judgment and the construction of meaning,
including work redesign, industry perspectives, and the
increasing importance of architectural influence on design.
Human Dynamics

Human Dynamics encompasses the

skills associated with managing and
influencing people and their
interrelationships in the context of an
IT project or environment.
Human Dynamics
Attribute What does this really mean?
Managing the Culture Politics – understanding of the impact of human culture
executing as a culture change agent.

Customer Relations Understanding the psychological dynamics & managing stakeholder

& consumer expectations against the business strategy.

Leadership and Management Mentoring and guiding those who can benefit from your skills,
knowledge, and experience.

Peer Interaction Playing well with others by being responsive to their needs by
understanding the psychology of interpersonal human interactions.

Collaboration and Negotiation More Politics – the psychology of human collaboration & networking as
well as strategies & methods for working together to reach agreement.

Presentation Skills Understanding your audience and presenting/communicating to them

appropriately.

Writing Skills Quality over quantity in techniques & methods for formal & informal
compositions, especially with regard to technical documentation.
Human Dynamics

Do unto others as they'd like done

unto them…by better understanding
the personality types of others
against your own based on four
behavioral styles (16 actually) to
adapt to the styles of others to
promote mutual advancement.
Now are you an IT Architect?
Do you care?
Apparently so, It is a Relevant Time for IT
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” -
Architects… Buddhist Proverb
Your Call to Action…
Download & fill out the IASA Skills Matrix
Foundation 1 Awareness
Associate 2 Basic Information Demonstration
3 Individualized Knowledge
4 Practice
Professional 5 Delivery
6 Connectivity of Ideas
7 Enterprise Level Leadership
Master 8 Industry Mentorship
9 Research
Need to Yes 10 Industry Leadership
improve
?
and enroll in
No IASA
Foundations
Get IASA/CITA-P
101/102!
Certified!
Learn More!
IASA: http://www.iasaglobal.org
IT Architect Skills Assessment
Miha Kralj, Architecture Foundation in 30-Days
Jim’s Blog: http://wiltjk.wordpress.com
Tony Alessandra and Michael J. O'Connor,
The Platinum Rule: Discover the Four Basic Business Personalities and How They Can Lead You to Suc
cess
, Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 1998)
Peter Stasinopoulos, Michael H. Smith, Karlson 'Charlie' Hargroves, Cheryl Desha,
Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering, Earthscan Publications Ltd.
(January 2009)
Carlson and William W. Wilmot, Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want,
Crown Business (August 8, 2006)
Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Having Trouble with Your Strategy? Then Map It, Harvard
Business Review (January 15, 2009)
W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne,
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
(February 3, 2005)
The Total Solution Life Cycle
ARCast.TV Special - Jim Wilt on Increasing Solution Adoption Success Using Architectural Skills
Discussion?