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Zachman International & FEAC Institute

Designing for Flexibility

professional-flexibility

Relative to Dewey's conceptual innovations, in addition to his observation that the secret to the whole thing lies in the coding and classification of the data, Dewey identified and formalized the Process orientation in the late '60s long before Mike Hammer and Jim Champy popularized the concepts of Process Reengineering in their 1993 book. 

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Enterprise Architecture Defined: Primitives and Composites

\F_Abstractions

To return to the basic point ... the kind of descriptive representations (models) you need for engineering are different from the descriptive representations (models) you need for manufacturing.

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Enterprise Architecture Defined: Architecture Abstractions

Architecture Abstractions

Architecture: AbstractionsYou can classify the set descriptive representations of anything (buildings, airplanes, locomotives, battleships, computers, etc.) in a two dimensional classification structure, a "schema". 

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Enterprise Architecture Defined: Complexity and Change

Complexity and Change

Architecture is a SET of Descriptive Representations.

I the object you are trying to create is simple, you can see the whole thing at the level of definition required to create it ... like a log cabin ... or a computer program ... you don't need Architecture. All you need is a tool, like an axe of a compiler or something and some raw material like a forest, or some data or something, and some time, then build log cabins or write computer programs.

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The Issue is THE ENTERPRISE

Information Technology Enterprise

In the Information Age, the characteristics we understand to date are complexity and change. The customer wants a product specific to his or her specification... a custom product. The customer is a market of one. And, the customer may not even know what they want until they want it and then they want it now... immediately. And, if you can't produce to those requirements, click! 

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Strategy Spectrum for Enterprise Engineering and Manufacturing

Enterprise Culture

My goodness! I'm so sorry to take so long with another blog! I'll bet this year is the most people we have Zachman Certified ever! HUNDREDS of folks this year so far!

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The New EA Paradigm 5: The Pattern: Assemble-to-Order

Inventory Management

My goodness! Cort and I have been teaching non-stop! We have Zachman Certified just over 65 people in the last month!

OK, on with this blog...

Clearly, you have to change the strategy... to an Assemble-to-Order strategy... Mass-Customization, "custom products, mass-produced in quantities of one for immediate delivery"... but this is a completely different kind of a business.

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The New EA Paradigm 4: Provide-from-Stock

Inventory Strategy

Initially, the customer is willing to accept these limitations... they don't know any better. But, over long periods of time, 50 or a hundred years, they get frustrated and the drive the manufacturer out of a Job Shop into a Standard Production Environment (mass production) in order to solve the problems. Actually, the problem is the strategy

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The New EA Paradigm 3: The Pattern: Make-to-Order

Strategy Pattern

WOW! We have been Zachman Certifying so many people these last 2 months, I feel like I have been on the road non-stop! Sorry to take so long with this next part of the blog!

Go back to the Toyota illustration... I want to develop a pattern, a Strategy Pattern, for you. I am sure it is a universal pattern. I use Manufacturing, tangible products, because they are easier to conceptualize than intangible products like services but I am sure this is a universal pattern

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The New EA Paradigm 2: Expenses and Assets

Expenses and Assets

Back to the Toyota illustration... now that Toyota has all these parts engineered to be assembled into any Toyota and have pre-fabricated them and have them in inventory before they get any orders... how does Toyota "cost-justify" those parts? They don't have any orders so there is no revenue. They are not making any money... they are not saving any money in the current accounting period. 

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The New EA Paradigm 1: The Toyota Illustration

New EA Paradigm

I'd like to put some posts together about what I think "The New Paradigm" for Enterprise Architecture is. I will break this up into 5 or 6 blogs that deal with this in terms of Enterprise Architecture expenses vs. assets, cost justification of Enterprise Architecture, providing from stock vs assemble-to-order strategies, mass-customization of EA and some cultural implications of this new paradigm. 

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Powershift from an I.T. Perspective

20220210-134805it-powershift

One of the factors that made Walmart dominant in the market and enabled them to change the "core logistic" of the industry was their ability to customize their local stores to the local market, maintain inventory and build customer relationships. Power shifted to the customer. 

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The Information Age: Powershift

Information Age

In the third blog of three about "The Information Age," the third book Toffler wrote about change was "Powershift." The basic idea in this book is, if you give everyone the same information at the same time, the power will shift outboard. No longer will the power be concentrated in two or three people at the top who know everything, decide everything, control everything... the power will shift outboard. 

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The Information Age: The Third Wave

Waves of Humanity

The second book Toffler wrote about change is "The Third Wave," and this is my 2nd in a series of three blogs. In this book he was contrasting the characteristics of the major "Waves" of humanity:

In the Agricultural Wave, the basic discipline of humanity was Farming.

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The Information Age: Future Shock

Knowledge is Change

The Information AgeHere is a little context around the Information Age. In the interest of time and space, I will try to be brief but there is a key point I have to make. Having made this observation, I will limit my comments about the Information Age to some well-known works by Alvin Toffler, and I will probably break this blog into three separate parts based on the following, so look for those shortly: 

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The Origins of Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture Origins

Here are some samples of seminal works that constitute the origins of Enterprise Architecture:

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Defining Enterprise Architecture: The Systems Are the Enterprise

Enterprise Architecture Systems

The Enterprises of today (2015) have never been engineered. They happen... incrementally... over the life of the Enterprise as it grows and requires formalisms... "systems", manual and/or automated.  

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Defining Enterprise Architecture: Economics and the Role of I.T.

Enterprise Architecture Economics IT

So, why is it that an Enterprise needs Information Technology people in their Enterprise in the Information Age?

When I happen to be talking to some IT folks and I raise the question, "Why does the Enterprise need Information Technology people in their Enterprise in the Information Age?" I usually warn them at this point that I haven't had an hour and a half or so to soften them up and I am going to make a radical comment... so don't fall of their chairs when I say this but...

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Defining Enterprise Architecture: Misunderstandings

Enterprise Architecture Misunderstandings

There presently appears to be a gross misunderstanding about Enterprise Architecture among management... but also among the information community as well. Enterprise Architecture is NOT an Information Technology issue... it is a Management issue. It is likely perceived to be an Information Technology issue as opposed to a Management issue for two reasons:  

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Big Architecture for CEOs

Architecture for CEO's

We've been having a great GovEA Conference this year- no shortage of good speakers, exhibits and vendors.

I had the distinct pleasure of introducing my long-time friend and colleague, Scott Bernard who has been the U.S. Federal Chief Enterprise Architect for the last several years.

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