Anticlue

Why have an IT Architecture?

An IT strategic plan generally consists of where we currently are, where we as an organization would like to go, and the way to get there. Is generally linked to IT Architecture, but why?

First, the Vision of where one would like to be is derived the business visions being enhance by technology thrends. From these realizations the purpose of IT in an organization and the purpose of the organization itself is defined. This outcome establishes and communicates a common direction.

The strategy of getting to the vision encompasses several key components that are dependent on each other. First, the IT configuration of the organization needs to be defined. This encompasses the portfolio of IT assets - including applications, tools, hardware, infrastructure. The next step is detailing the business goals/needs and the infrastructure goals/needs. Finally one needs to determine the amount of IS resource available, and budget for new resources if needed. Based on these three items, comfiguration, goals and needs, and available resources, one can look at the plan and success criteria of meeting the IS Purpose through objectives and projects. An architecture assists here because it can define interoperability for data and functionality, which will limit support requirements for new projects. IE, we don't really need to convert this data, because it is sitting here and already configured for reporting. Plus you will also have access to this information. Another way the architecture assists, is hopefully the picture will continue to be simplified instead of complicated.

The sequencing of implementing the vision is driven by the IT Architecture, the Operating Plan of the organization, and the Budget. A good architecture brings about interoperability which assists new implementations with allowing a higher quality and flexibility of the system. Finally a good architecture makes the planning simple, so that it is obvious to everyone there are no gaps.