Latest News from Serge Thorn

Are you a Business Architect or a Business Analyst?

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:02:00 EST

Enterprise Architecture domains include Business Architecture which is the first architecture domain within TOGAF 9. An Enterprise Architecture program that includes this domain, maps critical business processes to their

The role of the Solution Architect during the implementation

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:34:00 EDT

In my previous article I describe the role of the Solution Architect within the TOGAF ADM, mostly acting between phases E to G, with a specific focus on E (Opportunities and Solutions) and F (Migration Planning). This article will cover the role in phase

Enterprise Architecture, TOGAF and Solution Architects

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:15:00 EDT

Quite often people wonder where a Solution Architect fits within the TOGAF Framework and it is not obvious that there is a single answer. I suggest we look first at a generic profile for a Solution Architect. Companies such as Oracle, Cisco, SAP and others have roles called Solution Architect but with little apparent agreement to what that role is.

IT Architecture Is Not Enterprise Architecture

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:15:00 EDT

For many years I have observed lots of confusion with some basic definitions such as IT and Enterprise Architecture among other terms. I will not try to define the meaning of Enterprise Architecture by myself (despite I have my own view on this) as this is something being right now redefined by the Open Group (which by the way used to call their events “IT Architecture Practitioner Conference” and changed only recently to “Enterprise Architecture Practitioner Conference”).

Development of an Enterprise Architecture Communication Plan

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:30:00 EDT

As a strategic activity for IT, communication is important for the effective management of both internal and external relationships. The IT function in many organizations operates with highly diverse stakeholders from different parts of the world. The

Should the IT Strategist role disappear with Enterprise Architecture?

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:38:00 EDT

Many companies in their IT department have two units: IT Strategy & Planning and Enterprise Architecture. As regularly these are two different people managing these units, there is a high risk this ends up in serious conflicts.

The IT

Aligning ITIL V3 Service Design with TOGAF 9

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:12:00 EDT

ITIL V3 is structured in 5 modules, one of them being The Service Design book. This book refers to technology-related activities (requirements engineering; data/information management and application management). It also covers some of the practicalities

TOGAF 9 Migration Planning and Project Portfolio Management

Wed, 20 May 2009 23:06:00 EDT

Phase H in TOGAF helps to describe how to create a viable implementation and migration plan in co-operation with the portfolio and project managers. Very often companies already have in place a Project Portfolio Management framework and there may be a

TOGAF 9, a new era in Enterprise Architecture

Tue, 12 May 2009 12:26:32 EDT

TOGAF 9 has been announced at the Open Group 21st Enterprise Architecture Practitioners conference in San Diego.

Keep an eye on OneCMDB and the CMDB Federation

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:03:00 EDT

OneCMDB Version 2.0 is a real interesting concept and product as this may be one of the first IT Service Management solution developed in an Open Source mode. It will not replace your Service Desk solution but may help companies with limited budget or

Deliverables, Artifacts And Catalogs-Matrices: Some examples

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:51:00 EDT

Quite often as an Enterprise Architects we are asked to show what the deliverables of an Enterprise Architecture program are.

TOGAF provides a methodology for analyzing your specific situation and turning that analysis into deliverables and

TOGAF 9 Workshop at the Integration Consortium

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 02:09:00 EDT

TOGAF 9 introduces a very appealing concept of Capability-based planning for Business People

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:46:00 EDT

TOGAF 9 promotes a very interesting concept related to Capability-based planning which is an approach more focused on business issues and outcomes. TOGAF 9 defines a capability as “An ability that an organization, person, or system possesses.

TOGAF 9, a new era in Enterprise Architecture

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:48:00 EST

For those who are interested in TOGAF 9, I have written an article for the Integration Consortium.

http://www.integrationconsortium.org/?page=TOGAF9

Comparing various Enterprise Architecture Frameworks

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:34:00 EST

There are plenty of comparisons between architecture frameworks and the one I like is written by Roger Sessions from Objectwatch, Inc.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library

Which Enterprise Architecture Framework are you using?

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:20:00 EST

Linkedin introduced recently a new feature: Polls.

I wanted to test that feature and created a poll with the main EA frameworks. Unfortunately, this is limited to 5 and I have not been able to include something like "others" or "proprietary".

IT Governance, finally a worldwide recognition: ISO 38500

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:14:00 EDT

Finally IT Governance will be recognised as a standard. We already had a series of ISO standards for various IT Governance domains such as IT Service Management ISO 20000, Security Management ISO 27001, and Quality ISO 9000, but recently the

Business Architecture may help to get ISO 9001:2000 certification

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:48:00 EDT

The ISO standard is related to the definition and requirements of a quality management system. It helps an organization to operate with increased effectiveness, consistency and customer satisfaction and have the capability to continually improve the

Business Architecture and Capability Modeling

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:41:00 EDT

Capability modeling is an emerging technique for analyzing a business and modeling it in terms of its competencies. Capabilities are the building blocks of business. A business capability tipically defines what a business unit‘s purpose is, its core

Differences between IT Governance and Enterprise Architecture Governance

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:13:00 EST

IT Governance is the responsibility of the board of directors and executive management of an IT department. It is an integral part of the enterprise governance and consists of the leadership and organizational structures and processes

ITIL V3 Demand Management and...Demand Management

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:42:00 EST

In one of my previous post I was referring to the definition of Demand Management and how this related to Requirements management and Project Portfolio

Service Management and Enterprise Architecture

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:05:00 EST

An article I wrote for OpenSource magazine published yesterday, you may comment here!

http://opensource.sys-con.com/read/493465.htm

Service Management and Enterprise Architecture

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST

Governance is currently a key topic for many IT functions. Its definition varies, but its key themes are true for all companies: effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability. Business value and risk mitigation are also at its center and represent a significant part of enterprise governance overall.

ITIL V3, Enterprise Architecture and Project Portfolio Management, where do I start?

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:35:00 EST

Recently I have attended the ITIL V2 to V3 bridge course and took the examination. It is clear that one day is not enough and a day and a half would have been convenient. IIL V3 is supposed to be an evolution and not a revolution… Pretty sure that a day

Requirements Management and Enterprise Architecture

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:09:00 EST

I was describing a while ago the relations between Requirements Management and other types of user’s demands.

Let me restate my definition of what

Invitation to join the Enterprise Architecture Network Group on LinkedIn

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:45:00 EDT

I've just started a new LinkedIn Group dedicated to people in the Enterprise Architecture arena. I'm sending this invitation in the hopes that you would be interested to grow the community.

If you work in any of the following domains:

Do not miss Enterprise Architecture Governance!

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:13:00 EDT

Many people are considering Enterprise Architecture as a way to align IT to Business not only through the use of formalized processes. When looking at the various components of enterprise Architecture such as baselines, all kind of principles,

Do not invest too much in building your CMDB now!

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:05:00 EDT

Interesting enough a few days ago a new version of the CMDB federation Whitepaper has been posted. The list of participants is impressive as we find every key players in ITSM including Microsoft…CA, IBM, BMC

Efficient Enterprise Architecture needs waiver requests...

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:05:00 EDT

A waiver request can be a new document type in an Enterprise Architecture program. The purpose of such a document is to request an exception to an approved Enterprise Architecture for information systems and applications. It allows to document the

Mapping of TOGAF 8.1 with COBIT 4.0

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:59:00 EDT

A new white paper has just been releaseed: TOGA and COBIT. This is the mapping of TOGAF 8.1 with COBIT 4.0 By The IT Governance Institute(R) (ITGI(R)).

This document provides a detailed mapping of TOGAF 8.1 with COBIT 4.0 and also contains the

TOGAF and ITIL

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 06:33:00 EDT

Many people are interested to understand how does Enterprise Architecture fits with IT Service Management. For the Open Group, I have written a document which has just been published today.

This read more

The re-birth of Enterprise Architecture?

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 03:58:00 EDT

Sadly enough, Enterprise Architecture has always been considered as a side IT Governance component and few big names were proposing services around products. Why? Simply because the IBM and HP like did not have any product offering…IBM always claimed

ITIL and CMMI synergies

Wed, 23 May 2007 05:42:00 EDT

Enterprise Architecture and change management

Thu, 10 May 2007 06:07:00 EDT

An Enterprise Architecture should be fully revised on an annual basis to incorporate new or changed standards, evaluate new technologies and realign with changing business priorities. Architecture will never be "complete" in the sense that it should be