Enterprise Architecture has been developed in order to optimize the alignment between business needs and the (rapidly changing) possibilities of information technology. But do organizations indeed benefit from the application of Enterprise Architecture according to those who are in any way involved in architecture? To answer this question, a model has been developed (the Enterprise Architecture Value Framework) to organize the benefits of Enterprise Architecture. Based on this model, a survey has been conducted among the various types of stakeholders of Enterprise Architecture, such as architects, project managers, developers and business or IT managers. In the survey the respondents were asked to what extent they perceive various benefits of Enterprise Architecture in their organization. The results of this survey (with 287 fully completed responses) are analyzed and presented in this paper. In all categories of the framework benefits are perceived, though to different extent. Very few benefits are perceived in relation to the external orientation of the organization. Few statistically significant correlations were found in relation to the background of the respondents: the overall view on benefits of Enterprise Architecture appeared independent of the role of the respondents, the economic sector and the number of years of experience with architecture.
With the development of Enterprise Architecture (EA) as a discipline, measuring and understanding its value for business and IT has become relevant. In this paper a framework for categorizing the benefits of EA, the Enterprise Architecture Value Framework (EAVF), is presented and based on this framework, a measurability maturity scale is introduced. In the EAVF the value aspects of EA are expressed using the four perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard with regard to the development of these aspects over time, defining sixteen key areas in which EA may provide value. In its current form the framework can support architects and researchers in describing and categorizing the benefits of EA. As part of our ongoing research on the value of EA, two pilots using the framework have been carried out at large financial institutions. These pilots illustrate how to use the EAVF as a tool in measuring the benefits of EA.
The importance of sustainability is rapidly increasing and by now has an increasing impact on the operations of organizations. In modern organizations many of the business processes are supported by IT, which makes the relation between sustainability and IT an important subject. However, how to integrate business strategy with IT operations in relation to sustainability is unclear. In this paper we focus on the role of Enterprise Architecture in this process and try to answer “How Enterprise Architecture may contribute in the traceable transformation from sustainability principles towards requirements on Green IT in the field of higher education.” Based on a literature study and qualitative research at different organizations we adapted the Sustainable Information Systems Management (SISM) model of Erek et al (2012). The SISM Revisited model not only guides organizations in identifying areas of interest for aligning the sustainability strategy of an organization with its IS/IT activities, but we expect it will be useful to implement sustainability in organizations as well.
Wie een raket, vliegtuig of grote autotunnel wil ontwikkelen is jaren bezig om te zorgen dat alle belanghebbenden blij zijn met het ontwerp. Wetgeving, elektronica, milieubelangen, mechanisch ontwerp worden meegenomen om veiligheid, functionaliteit en gebruiksgemak veilig te stellen. Om dit goed te doen zijn bij grote bedrijven heel duidelijke procedures en werkvormen gemaakt om goed te ontwerpen terwijl er veel tegenstrijdige en veranderende belangen zijn. Dit werkterrein heet systems engineering. In het werkterrein van Systems Engineering is de afgelopen jaren veel aan het veranderen; ontwikkelcycli worden korter, en zelfs het ontwerpen van raketten gaat tegenwoordig niet meer zoals het de afgelopen 40 jaar ging, zie de snelle ontwikkeling van de Falcon-X van SpaceX. De ontwikkelproblematiek van een raket of grote tunnel heeft zeker overeenkomsten met datgene wat MKB bedrijven en ontwikkelafdelingen van grootbedrijven doen; het afwegen van veranderende belangen, en proberen de beste ontwerpkeuzes te maken. De vergelijking met grote projecten gaat nu meer dan ooit op, omdat door “Smart Industry” er steeds meer klantspecifieke producten komen die steeds vaker uit deelsystemen bestaan die ook allemaal hun klantspecifieke opties hebben. Een grote uitdaging is dan het ontwerp duidelijk en beheersbaar te houden, niet alleen voor de ingenieurs en klanten van nu, maar ook voor de servicetechnici die de komende jaren met deze ontwerpen moeten werken. Er komen vanuit wetenschap, grote bedrijven en softwareleveranciers wel nieuwe methoden en gereedschappen voor de productontwikkeling, bij het MKB is de vraag welke methodes passen bij hun proces In dit project geeft de Universiteit Twente kennis over de theoretische kant van het Systems Engineering, en zullen de 3 robotica bedrijven (Riwo, Hencon, HollanderTechniek) ervaringen uitwisselen over hun eigen methodieken en uitdagingen. Het lectoraat mechatronica van Saxion zal evalueren welke methoden voor de bedrijven toegepast kunnen worden.
