Investigating the systems architecture and infrastructure of any reasonably established complex organisation is as revealing as an archaeological dig in turning up the relics of its evolution.
There will usually be a basic proliferation of hardware and software platforms with department or task specific functionality; overlapping or parallel systems; and instances of multiple input of data, with all the potential that has for conflicting information. Superimposed upon this may be more sophisticated systems based on database technologies which have resulted from or facilitated the re-engineering of its business processes.
Portraying the IT Architecture is like providing the picture on top of the jigsaw puzzle box in that it shows the infrastructure upon which the organisation is running.
Very often this is at variance with what the business is trying to achieve, reflecting the tendency in most organisations for the systems development agenda to be driven by lower/middle management to improve the performance of their tasks, rather than by the Board or strategic management to improve overall business performance.
When IT Manager and Board share the total picture of the cost structure and systems architecture of the business then they have a solid platform upon which to manage future systems development to the strategic advantage of the business. They will also be able to factor foreseen benefits from IT expenditure into future budgets so as to ensure delivery or, in other words, secure a return on their investment.
For most medium - large organisations, the savings and profit improvements achievable from a systematic analysis and review of their IT operations are considerable and, in many cases, can amount to millions of pounds.
A better understanding of the strategic management issues involved also provides a confident platform from which to consider more radical options such as outsourcing or strategic partnering with specialised service-providers. This affords the prospect of further benefits from access to both the leading-edge technology and organisational thinking they can provide.
It is at this point that visualisation tools will be able to add value:
at the boardroom level, being able to see the organisation’s systems model affords the opportunity to re-engineer (and possibly understand for the first time the use of this term in its systems context) its business processes and systems and align them with strategic goals;
for the IT Manager, the model provides a platform upon which to superimpose the IT establishment. It identifies the cost to the business of: having to man the organisation for the unnecessarily broad range of expertise often required to service a proliferation of hardware and software platforms (because people tend to specialise in certain products and/or product mixes); overlapping functionality; high maintenance systems etc.
There are many Enterprise Architecture tools and methodologies which can assist with the archaeological explorations into the portfolio of deployed systems. But few, if any, can provide a clear picture of the interactions and relationships between business and IT.
It was this realisation a few years ago that caused my business partner and I to set about creating an enterprise applcation to fill this need.
The development process is now complete and we are on the hunt for the first reference client.
© Paul Wallis 2007. All rights reserved.
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