From the Back Cover

Enterprise IT architecture made practical--finally!

There's only one way to maximize legacy infrastructure while integrating new partners, technologies, applications, and data streams: begin with a coherent enterprise architecture. But most approaches to enterprise architecture have been far too complex and theoretical--until now. IT Architecture Toolkit is a breakthrough: a practical, simple, rapid, and complete approach to delivering on the promise of enterprise architecture.

Jane Carbone's approach has been proven in mid-market and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. Step by step, Carbone shows how to integrate business, architecture, implementation, and all key outputs: for data, applications, technology, and people. Whether you're an IT leader, architect, planner, or analyst, you'll learn how to: Create strong, auditable links with business drivers Model your architecture simply, easily, and quickly Translate your models to real, manageable projects. Define the value proposition for architecture and establish realistic metrics Achieve buy-in throughout your organization Manage the "soft" aspects of your architecture initiative, including processes, roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure

Carbone provides a "soup to nuts" collection of methods and examples. Using her exercises, you'll construct a complete draft architecture for your own business: one that will handle change, opportunity, growth, mergers, downsizing . . . whatever comes your way.

About the Author

Jane Carbone is a co-founder of and partner at infomajic. She has over 25 years of experience in information technology working with network provisioning, finance, regulatory, customer sales and service, billing, and financial and credit applications. Ms. Carbone has developed and used the infomajic enterprise information architecture methodology to conduct and develop architecture assessments, enterprise and data architectures, IT strategies, data models, organization designs, and implementation project plans for financial services companies, IT HR and telecomm firms, and the public library.

Prior to forming infomajic, Ms. Carbone was the Director of Information Architecture Services at Datanomics, Inc., where she formed an architecture consulting practice. Prior to that, Ms. Carbone was with AT&T, where she was responsible for enterprise architecture for the consumer business unit. She was also responsible for developing and implementing the client/server architecture for AT&T American Transtech (now a unit of Convergys Corporation). Ms. Carbone was a member of the Gartner Group's Client/Server Best Practices Group. Working together with Gartner analysts, the group created research notes on all aspects of client/server architecture.

Ms. Carbone's experience also includes teaching analysis and data modeling, leading an enterprise data modeling team, developing and managing an enterprise-wide data stewardship program, managing HR and business planning for IT organization, managing data and voice network operations, and IT organization and job design. She has designed and developed software, and developed and taught programming and design courses.

Ms. Carbone delivers three-day architecture workshops for clients and one-day seminars for METAGroup/DCI Enterprise Architectures conferences. Her architecture seminars are available online through DCI. She has spoken on architecture at other DCI and DAMA conferences and is a past board member of DAMA-NJ. Her articles have been published in DMDirect, the TDAN Newsletter, and on eacommunity.com.

Ms. Carbone has a B.A. in English Literature and Language and an M.S. in Library and Information Science.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface

There were two factors that motivated me to write this book. One was that, while those of us who were data geeks were always passionate about business information, our opinions were not always popular. Today, meaningful, accurate information is the lifeblood of most organizations. In fact, in many cases, information is not just critical to the business-it is the business. Therefore, the need to plan how data is collected, flows through the organization, and is transformed into information the business can access, is vital. That need is increasingly recognized, not only by CIOs, but also by CEOs and even by the non-IT world at large. I was pleasantly surprised to read the following in an unlikely source:

Halfway through the last century, information became a thing. It became a commodity, a force-a quantity to be measured and analyzed. It's what our world runs on. Information is the gold and the fuel. (James Glieck, "Bit Player," The New York Times Magazine, December 30, 2001)

The second factor that motivated me to write this book was that, just as a converted smoker becomes overly eager about the smoking habits of those around him, I have had my own religious experience. Having been honed (some would say charred) on the altar of architecture, I am eager to share both my suffering and my successes. Having learned many lessons the hard way, I am anxious to help you benefit from those lessons.

This book, therefore, is a very practical guide to enterprise architecture. Many fine minds have addressed architecture theory from the podium and the bookshelf. The purpose of this book is to help architects, IT planners, and analysts find ways to implement those theories, and to spare you as much pain as possible in the process.Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q. Is this just more theory?

A. No. The Toolkit is very practical-it is based on our learnings as chief architects and consultants (and in both cases, compensation was determined by success).

2. Q. How can you ensure that business needs are addressed in the architecture?

A. Having wrestled with this problem, we developed a business framework and methods for translating business needs to architecture outputs. The Toolkit also addresses financial considerations and measurement development to tightly link architecture with the business.

3. Q. How does this approach relate to the Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture?

A. The Toolkit architecture framework produced by our company, infomajic, is consistent with, but simpler than, the Zachman Framework. It focuses on the upper left-hand rows and provides methods for filling in the cells. It also addresses strategies for implementing target architecture. The Toolkit is very practical-it's based on experience. We'll do a more complete comparison with the Zachman Framework a little later.

4. Q. How do you create architecture outputs?

A. We discuss what the critical outputs are-principles, models, inventory, and standards-and include specific methods for developing them. Examples and exercises allow you to practice using them.

A. Yes. The Toolkit includes an implementation framework, which addresses strategies and practices for successfully gaining business and IT buy-in, and includes descriptions of key architecture processes and roles.

6. Q. How can you translate conceptual architecture into reality?

A. The Toolkit includes a step-by-step approach to translating architecture into manageable projects-how to identify, select, and downsize architecture projects.

A. The Toolkit includes descriptions of key architecture roles.

8. Q. How can you measure/cost justify architecture?

A. The Toolkit addresses financial considerations and measurement development.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Enterprise IT architecture made practical--finally!

There's only one way to maximize legacy infrastructure while integrating new partners, technologies, applications, and data streams: begin with a coherent enterprise architecture. But most approaches to enterprise architecture have been far too complex and theoretical--until now. IT Architecture Toolkit is a breakthrough: a practical, simple, rapid, and complete approach to delivering on the promise of enterprise architecture.

Jane Carbone's approach has been proven in mid-market and Fortune 500 enterprises alike. Step by step, Carbone shows how to integrate business, architecture, implementation, and all key outputs: for data, applications, technology, and people. Whether you're an IT leader, architect, planner, or analyst, you'll learn how to: Create strong, auditable links with business driversModel your architecture simply, easily, and quicklyTranslate your models to real, manageable projects. Define the value proposition for architecture and establish realistic metricsAchieve buy-in throughout your organizationManage the "soft" aspects of your architecture initiative, including processes, roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure