Enterprise Architecture Wiki
24 October 2007
Many organisations today are establishing an Enterprise Architecture (EA) business function.
However the knowledge about enterprise architecture concepts, framework and processes within many organisations is still quite limited and at a low level of maturity.
Very often there is a good understanding of the technology and infrastructure architecture domain and to a lesser extent an understanding of application architecture domain, but not a good understanding or experience of the Enterprise Architecture discipline as a whole.
The concept of Enterprise Architecture has evolved considerably from John Zachman’s original work in the 1980’s on his Framework for Information Systems Architecture.
The Zachman Framework has provided the basis for many more recent enterprise architecture frameworks and associated processes that are now available, but is not always the preferred or appropriate choice.
According to many surveys, the majority of organisations usually choose to create their own EA framework rather than adopt any existing one.
The reasons for this vary, from the requirement to support a service oriented architecture, object orientation and component based development viewpoints, to a simple desire to use a different terminology that is tailored to the concepts and ‘language’ used within the organisation.
I have created an Enterprise Architecture Wiki (http://iea.wikidot.com) to provide my clients and other organisations with a common reference for the main Enterprise Architecture concepts, frameworks, processes and best practices that can be used today to create a tailored Enterprise Architecture.
My approach is based primarily on my experience using various existing best practices for Enterprise Architecture including: Archimate, COBIT, TOGAF, FEAF, EBA, Zachman and Information First.
In association with this EA Wiki, I am also developing an EA Process using the Eclipse Process Framework (http://www.eclipse.org/epf/) .
Once I have developed the initial content, this EA Process will be published as a web site linked from the EA Wiki and be available for download.
on Enterprise Architecture 
30 October 2007 at 5:04
Hello Adrian,
A wiki is an interesting thing. By establishing your content in a wiki site, you are inviting folks to contribute. However, you never clearly state if you want others to contribute, or how you would like to see them contribute? (Direct edit, comments, comment pages, page rewrites?)
Was the goal to create common ideas from many folks, or just to be a simple location for you to document your thoughts?
— Nick
30 October 2007 at 11:28
The Enterprise Architecture Wiki is primarily a place to document my thoughts at the moment.
I will add a page to the EA wiki to explain my policy on others contributing. In general I’ll be looking for contributions that complement rather than conflict with the approach that I am gradually documenting on the wiki.
My approach to Enterprise Architecture is centered around Archimate and COBIT, but with reference to ideas from Zachman, FEAF and TOGAF. I’ll prefer contributions that add guidelines and case studies related to using Archimate and Cobit as a basis for EA work.
I’m not in favour of EA approaches that are only centred around architecture as a software development activity (i.e. as in RUP or the 4+1 views), nor am I in favour of EA approaches that are centred around only three Architecture Domains (Process, Application and Technology) ignore or give less emphasis on the Information Architecture domain.
I see EA as an enterprise function driven by Strategy and measured by Performance metrics, so these are two architecture domains that add to the Archimate view. The Archimate view doesn’t emphasise levels of concern/levels of detail, so I add levels (like Zachman rows) for Strategy, Reference Architecture, Solution Architecture and IT Operations.
Contributions that add links to other blogs or web sites are welcome. Contributions that focus on Services and service oriented architecture approaches are also welcome.
Adrian
3 March 2009 at 10:59
Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ru
24 July 2017 at 17:14
[…] Eclipse Process Framework can apparently be used for EA tooling – see here and […]