There is a lot of advice on what any professional in any profession must do. While the dos are great, they don’t tell the whole story. There is a lot of advice on what enterprise architects much do. Here is a Top Ten What Not to Do for Enterprise Architects.
Top Ten What Not to Do for Enterprise Architects:
- Not Understanding Business Needs: Enterprise architecture isn’t just about IT systems. It’s about aligning those systems with the strategic objectives of the business. For instance, if the company aims to expand into new markets, the architecture should support this scalability and potential integration with new systems.
- Ignoring Stakeholder Involvement: The viewpoints of different stakeholders (from executives to end-users) are essential for an effective architecture. For example, ignoring end-users’ input could lead to a theoretically sound architecture that is frustrating or inefficient for day-to-day use.
- Over-Complicating the Architecture: Simplicity is critical. Choose the former if you can design an architecture with five components instead of ten with the same results. A more complex architecture may look impressive on paper, but it could lead to higher maintenance costs, more points of failure, and more difficulty identifying issues when they arise.
- Ignoring Scalability and Flexibility: Businesses evolve, and the architecture should be capable of growing with them. For instance, if you design a data processing system that works perfectly for current volumes but can’t handle an increase, it will fail when the company’s customer base expands.
- Sticking Solely to One Methodology or Framework: While adhering to frameworks like TOGAF or Zachman can help guide your architecture design, they should not limit creativity. Sometimes, you might need to blend different aspects from various frameworks to meet your organization’s unique needs.
- Ignoring Security Concerns: In an age of increased cybersecurity threats, failing to consider security in your architecture design could have disastrous consequences. For example, if an architecture doesn’t incorporate proper data encryption or access controls, sensitive data could be exposed to unauthorized individuals or systems.
- Neglecting Documentation: Without clear documentation, the knowledge about the architectural design and its underlying reasons might get lost, leading to issues in future modifications. For instance, a prospective architect might not understand why a particular design decision was made and could inadvertently create problems by changing it.
- Disregarding Non-Functional Requirements: Focusing only on what the system should do (functional requirements) without considering how it should perform (non-functional requirements) can lead to dissatisfaction. For example, an e-commerce platform that functionally works but is slow or goes down frequently will likely lose customers to competitors with faster, more reliable platforms.
- Avoiding New Technologies and Trends: Ignoring emerging technologies like cloud computing or AI could make the architecture obsolete. For instance, if you avoid the cloud trend due to unfamiliarity, you could miss benefits like cost savings, scalability, and flexibility.
- Not Regularly Reviewing and Updating the Architecture: Enterprise architecture isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it task. The technology landscape changes rapidly, and even business strategies can pivot. Regular reviews help you identify if any changes are required. For example, if a new regulation requires all data to be stored in the country of origin, your architecture might need to be updated to comply.
