Building Enterprise Information Architecture: Reengineering Information Systems
Author: Melissa Cook, Hewlett-Packard Professional Books
List Price: $34.99
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ISBN: 0134402561
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (22 January, 1996)
Sales Rank: 6,898
Average Customer Rating: 4.36 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
A reader-friendly text on the utility of IS architectures
My high endorsement for this publication reflects both the importance of the subject matter and the author's approach to presenting it. Cook takes the academically high-brow subject of information systems architectural planning and relates the major concepts in terms that any business user, manager or exective should appreciate. The first three chapters of this book are a must-read for EVERY business executive and manager who relies on information systems to help manage their enterprise.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Solid presentation of the material
This book provides solid presentation of the Zachman Framework and how it enables enterprise architectural development. I think it could be more concise.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Focusing on the Business Layers of Enterprise Architecture
Melissa has produced an excellent, non technical book which outlines:
- the reasons for taking a business led approach to the development of Enterprise Architecture
- the potential benefits to business of investing in an Enterprise Architecture approach
- practical steps for doing it and overcoming common roadblocksSome readers will no doubt have wanted Melissa to move on to discussing the technical layers, but I feel this would have diluted one of the key messages of her book - that Enterprise Architecture is primarily a business issue focused on the company's core data and fundamental processes. Technology comes a distant second.
If I have any criticisms, it would be on the suggested representations of the data and process models in the business layers of the architecture framework. My experience working with CEO's and business executives is that they automatically associate the look of these models as being "IT" and mentally switch off.
In order to effectively market Enterprise Architecture and obtain the executive sponsorship necessary to drive it forward, some other ways of representing this information must be found. Representations that the executive team automatically regard as being in the business domain rather than in IT's. This varies from industry to industry and between organisations, but one example that has wide acceptance is the value chain model. Portraying the ballpark view process classes as a value chain does not corrupt the message and can help achieve the buy-in that is so essential.
As Melissa rightfully stresses, a successful Architecture strategy requires the business executive taking ownership and ongoing control of these layers of the architecture framework.
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Book Index