The Role Of The Architect In Turbulent Times

The role of the Architectin Turbulent Times

Miha KraljSr. ArchitectMicrosoft CorporationSession Code: ARC207

Architecture Impetus

You can’t build a sky rise the way you build a dog house…Booch, SD’99

Architectural leadership always comes from the least expected direction…

Unknown

Architecture??? We are in recession,who needs architecture now!

CIO of undisclosed company

Architecture is the translation of intent into technology

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

Architecture is the translation of intent into technology

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

Aesthetics

Architecture is the translation of intent into technology

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

AestheticsAesthetics:

Judgment of sentiments and taste

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

Aesthetics

Business desires the right

Function

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

Aesthetics

Business desires the right

Function

Technology seeks the right

Structure

Architecture: Raison d'être

Business Technology

AestheticsAesthetics

requires the rightAppearance

Business desires the right

Function

Technology seeks the right

Structure

Architecting process

Requirements DesignAnalysis

DesignConscious effort to create something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing

All architecture is design.Not all design is architecture.

Who Does What Best?

Requirements DesignAnalysis

Business Analyst

DeveloperIT Professional .

Architect

Architectural Levels

Design all things by considering them in their larger contexts

An object in a component

A component in a system

A system in an enterprise

An enterprise in an industry

Put the large rocks in the place first

Scope of Architectural Decisions

Product A scope

product architecturedecisions

Product family scope

Product B scope

Component scope

decisions made here are tuned to product A

product family architecture decisionsdecisions optimized over the whole, making tradeoffs and compromises across the products for the overall good of the whole

Architecture is the set of decisions that cannot be delegated without compromising overall system objectives

Enterprise Architecture - DefinitionEnterprise Architecture

Encompasses:

Application Architecture

Infrastructure Architecture

Information Architecture

Business Architecture

Addresses Enterprise objectives:

Consistency, Integration, Interoperability, Security

Flexibility to make, buy or outsource IT solutions

Reuse across applications, solutions and product families

EA has Enterprise-wide scope and crossesintra-organizational boundaries

Value

Scope

EA = TA Reduce IT cost and enhance operations

EA = EWITA Enhance Value Management

EA = BA + EWITA Enhance Business/IT Alignment

Evolution of Enterprise Architecture

Goal of an Architect

Get the Architecture Right

Right Direction: Architectural Vision and Strategy

Right Focus: Architectural Requirements and Prioritization

Right Solution: Architecture Specification

Get the Architecture Used Right

Get the Architecture used (at all)

What you think the job is:

Architect responsibilities

Technical work

Solving interesting problems

Applying design patterns

Technology choices, system design

Non-technical work

What it really is:Technical work

Touchy-feely stuff

Organizational politics

Getting participation

Building consensus

The Main Activities of an ArchitectWhat an Architect really does?

Think, Analyze

Listen, Talk, Walk around

Design, Brainstorm, Explain

Assist with risks, WBS, schedule

Present, Meet, Teach, Discuss

Test, Integrate

Write, Consolidate, Browse

Read, Review

Gerrit Muller, “The Role and Task of the System Architect”, http://www.gaudisite.nl/RoleSystemArchitectPaper.pdf

How do you explicitly measure success of these tasks?

Architect Competencies

Technical Competencies

BusinessCompetencies

Personal Competencies

Organizational Dynamics

Strategy

Process and Tactics

Technology in Breadth

Technology in Depth

Leadership

Communication

Split of the Role in the Hard Times

Technical Competencies

BusinessCompetencies

Personal Competencies

Organizational Dynamics

Strategy

Process and Tactics

Technology in Breadth

Technology in Depth

Leadership

Communication

Development LeadTesting Lead

Operations Lead

Business AnalystProject ManagerStrategy Advisor

Split of the Role by Domain Focus

Technical Architecture(Software, Application, System)

Solution Architecture(Infrastructure, Information)

EA

Split of the Role by Domain Focus

Technical Architecture(Software, Application, System)

Solution Architecture(Infrastructure, Information)

EABusiness AnalystProject ManagerStrategy Advisor

Development LeadTesting Lead

Operations Lead

Shifting the Focus

Diminishing Old PrioritiesNew Projects – due to the overwhelming amount of internal optimization new projects are few and far apart.

Large-scale SOA projects – With widespread failures of large SOA projects architects are reconsidering their approach to SOA

Web 2.0 projects – The experiments on if this technology paradigm is viable is deemed non mission-critical.

Server consolidation – the lifetimes of servers is extended thus reducing the amount of consolidation projects

Shifting the FocusEmerging New Priorities

Optimization of current portfolio – How to leverage Company’s assets in a struggling economy (do more with less)

Cost Reducing Programs – Programs that look at cost reductions are becoming a major property for architects

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) – Many pre- and post-M&A projects will occur during the recession time

Compliance – New regulations will emerge to control all aspects of how IT operates

Value Add Customer-facing projects – Furthering the reach of the company past traditional methods to add to the value chain

Four Key Architectural Imperatives

What to do in the times of uncertainty

Align – Find direct links to business imperatives.

Optimize – Do more with what you have

Externalize – Move IT assets outside of the IT operating environment, if they do not add value

Consolidate – Reduce unnecessary redundancies

Align the Architecture

Key Metrics

Instead of defining IT-specific metrics, architecture

organizations need to operate more like a business. By doing

so, they need not only to demonstrate their effectiveness,

but also to quantify it.

Redefine how you are measured and evaluated

Assessments

Repeatable and consistent assessments should drive how decisions are made, and they

must illustrate how architectural trade-offs occurred.

Define the assessment metrics for all aspects of your work

Link the Architecture

Requirements Management

Capturing functional and nonfunctional requirements in reusable ways will help align architectures to the business

and drive both the functionality and the architecture.

Align with business with the right requirements capturing process

Architecture Management

Architecture management should link into the standard

processes, such as application portfolio management and Project Management Office

processes.

Prove the value of architecture through PMO

Optimize the Architecture

Portfolio Management

Reviewing the IT portfolio of applications will allow architects

to either inventory existing systems or review the systems

that have been cataloged.

What Solutions bring the most value and return?

ALM Management

ALM improvements can include process optimizations to

streamline efforts, new tools to automate and accelerate

application development, and key information-gathering points

to support architecture efforts and quantify business value.

How can you improve the ALM tools, process or skills?

Optimize your Tools and Solutions

Development tooling

Optimizing the tooling that is used in the actual development

and architectural planning is essential for companies. In times

of slowed project work, it is optimal to retool.

Are you using the right tools for the architecting process?

Optimizing Solutions

With a wave of new innovations in social computing, context-aware architectures, cloud-

based architectures, and SaaS, there are ways to introduce

lower risk, cost, and support for your company.

Find the low-cost refactoring ideas and approaches.

Consolidate your IT Assets

IT Infrastructure

The hardware backbone of an enterprise often is the first to be consolidated with virtualization

solutions. While it is easy to virtualize, there is careful

planning needed, as it could lead to the same problem that we

have with server sprawl.

What infrastructure elements are ready for virtualization?

IT Services

Collaboration, VOIP, e-mail, business intelligence, portals,

system monitoring, and project-management systems are all IT

services that can be streamlined by creation of standards or consolidation of multiple

vendors.

What redundant IT Services can you find and consolidate?

Consolidate your IT Assets

Solution Architectures

Companies often find redundancies in solutions across

LOBs or functional areas. Consolidating solutions will be

key to lowering costs and complexity within the

organization.

How much cost-reduction can you bring with consolidation?

Process Management

Process management can be a valuable exercise to consolidate

disconnected and redundant processes. This streamlines your architectural efforts by providing

repeatable and predictable measurements.

What processes are fat, long and unnecessary?

Invent New Usage of Current TechnologyUse technology NOT as originally intended

Redefine where the applied cutting edge really is

Go beyond prescribed scenarios and personas

Are you using technology the same way as your competition?

Improve Customer ExperiencesExperience is more important than functionality

If you don’t improve the experience, someone else will!

Eliminate negative, tedious or hard-to-understand parts

How do you get dissatisfied users to talk before they walk?

Render Your Own Cash Cow ObsoleteIs there a single product/service that generates the majority of income?

Create new Cash Cows out of Stars and Question marks (BCG)

Anyone’s Cash Cow can be (and will be) stolen

How do you reposition your own current Cash Cow?

Learn to Fail FastPlan ahead and get the advantage of unavoidable future

Don’t refuse to accept failure; Invest in the next success

If horse is dead, GET OFF!

Is your product, service or engagement slowly failing?

Systematically Look Into the FutureFocus on the NEW big picture

Look for trends, patterns and new disruptors

Technological changes can redefine the entire industries

What changes can you identify that might yield an opportunity?

Solve Predictable Future Problems TodayShift from Crisis Management to Opportunity Management

Most of Future Issues are predictable and avoidable

Anticipate, Plan and Pre-empt

What problems can you eliminate before they happen?

Co-create the Future with your CustomersReward and stimulate customer innovation

Foster collaborative research and creation

Customers will help you design future products with THEM in mind

Do customers send you their innovate ideas to implement?

Create Strategic AlliancesCooperation and Competition are merging (Coopetition)

Alliances are partnerships of equal players

Strategic alliances tend to create advantages for all

Which alliance would benefit your ecosystem?

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