Enterprise Architecture
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Enterprise Architecture
Mega-Corp
Provided by
Tami Chase
TC Enterprises
TS3200 Sec 8
Scott Morrissette
September 14, 2007
Table of Contents
Mega-Corp
Challenges and Recommendations
Solid Foundation
Operating Model
Service Oriented Architecture
Organization’s Enterprise Architecture Maturity Summarized
Changes in Management Practices for Mega-Corp
Center of Excellence
IT Engagement Model Recommendations
Project Management’s Role in Enterprise
Architecture Recommended Activities for Outsourcing
Inside The Organization
Outside the Organization
Think Out-Side the Box
Mega-Corp
Mega-Corp is a multi-national conglomerate consisting of six core companies. The companies are:
Canned Fruits and Vegetables.
Toys Are Fun.
Childcare for You.
Tasty Fried Foods.
Not As Tasty Health Foods.
Train the Teacher.
Mega-Corp companies are administered by a distinct set of senior managers for each organization, who all report to the same board of directors. The organization has not had an acquisition or merger in over ten years. The product lines are stable; however, profits have gone down in all sectors during the past two years IT projects for Mega-Corp are proposed, funded, and implemented for each organization independently. They are not a part of the oversight duties of the corporate board. Each organization has an IT steering committee that evaluates, approves, and funds projects. This includes industry specific systems as well as transactional systems, such as HR and payroll.
Mega-Corp companies have selected a variety of network architectures:
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Two have chosen Linux based systems, which they maintain and operate within the company.
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Two have outsourced their IT projects and network management responsibilities to Berbee.
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Two are running their own Windows 2003 Active Directory-based networks.
Mega-Corp’s board of directors have asked the IT directors of all of their organizations to get together and come up with a plan for reducing IT costs by 20%.
Challenges and Recommendations
Since there has been no merger or integration in over 10 years it might be difficult to convince Mega-Corp that it is essential for growth for them to do so. In addition, they want to reduce IT cost but that is not their only problem. In order to address that problem there needs to be a change in the way they do business altogether. This change will be put into place in increments so as not to completely upset the whole of the company. Their technology is inefficient and out of date for communicating data to each other and companies that have similar products could link together to save time and money for Mega-Corp. Putting in a new EA could be expensive and how the cost is to be funded will be a challenge. In addition, when new processes are put in place it could also mean employees not being needed anymore. These employees will need to be relocated so letting go can be minimized. Education and training for using these new processes will be applied as needed. Improving the overall efficiency, reliability, and agility in all departments while embracing change and moving forward towards the companies targeted goals can be achieved if a solid foundation is in place from the beginning.
Solid Foundation
Having an effective foundation requires the commitment of the organization to have a clear and precise operating model that defines how the company will operate. The operating model’s integration and standardization requirements will be reflected in the enterprise architecture (EA). The organizations core capabilities will be automated by the IT infrastructure and the digitized business processes. Digitizing processes might make individual processes a little bit less flexible but it will make the company more agile. In the beginning, it will require more attention and work to get going but once in place it will become automatic and leave management free to focus on how to increase profits and growth in the company. This will provide the company with better information on customer’s sales and ideas for new products and services. The organization needs to keep up with the new technology to be ahead of the curve and recognize trends in their respective industry. Some will fade away in time and some will be our competitors for a long while. Therefore, Mega-Corp must have a strong and solid foundation in the beginning or look at spending a costly amount to fix it later. Mega-Corp’s new motto will be, “Do it correctly in the beginning”.
Operating Model
The operating model describes how the company wants to operate, the requirements for Business Process Standardization and Integration. Implementing Enterprise Architecture generally starts with documenting the organizations strategy and goals.
1.) Is the current architecture supporting and adding value to the organization?
2.) How might architecture be modified so that it adds more value to the