Enterprise Architecture helps us address the following types of questions…

Business Architecture

• Do the core business & operational structures support the strategic goal ?
• What do our customers want & how should we capture & mine this information ?
• How do we align strategy with tactical execution ?
• How do we measure value ? AND How can we platform value delivery ?
• How do we leverage risk to drive the right decisions ?

Operational Architecture

• Are the functional processes, controls, and metrics aligned across the org ?
• Are the x-functional operations properly modeled and aligned to enable the functional areas?
• Are service levels and metrics models aligned to support the internal & external needs ?How do we ensure operations can adapt to business change in an agile manner ?

Information Architecture

• What are the information needs to support the operational controls and metrics ?
• How do we manage the data quality and data security needs to address business risk ?
• Do the data structures and logical models support the needs of the business & operations ?How do we accelerate the “right” decisions across the value chain (not just mgmt.) ?
• Why do we need to manage the lifecycle of data and how do we impart governance ?
• How do we become a “learning” organization (beyond managing knowledge) ?

ApplicationArchitecture

• How can we harmonize business rules & constraints across the enterprise ?
• How do we ensure technology works for our customers (instead of the other way around) ?How can technology be designed & implemented to drive business agility ?
• How do we ensure IT & Business folks talk one language ?
• What are the right technology platforms to support the value platforms for the organization ?How do we build and/or source a set of reusable services used within & without the org ?

Technical Architecture

• How do we approach a virtualization strategy that optimizes corporate resources ?
• How do we leverage virtualization to accelerate change management ?
• What types of computing platforms and topologies will support growing information demand?
• How do we enable ubiquitous computing w/in the enterprise & w/o the extra-prise ?
• How do we shape vendor relationships to enable flexibility while supporting sustainability ?

Implementation Architecture

• How do we align the multiple portfolios across the enterprise ?
• How do we ensure execution enables strategy ?
• How do we align customer needs, organization priorities, and requirements through design, build, testing, and delivery ?
• How do we measure value delivery for customers (internal & external) with projects ?
• How do we ensure we design, build and deliver products and services that meet the desired outcomes of customers ?
• How do we ensure that technical platforms address the needs for value platforms ?
• How do we optimize human potential (intellectual capital) in value delivery ?
• How do we enable a culture driven by learning and continuous improvement ?