Solution Architecture
Solution Architecture
more effective, agile and resilient. In fact, as we have explained in multiple reports, they require
six interrelated capabilities:
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The Solution Architecture Model
HP Global Method
Business sponsor
IT Strategy & Architecture (ITSA)
Business
View Stakeholders
Why?
User
Functional
View
What? Builder
Technical
View
How? Operator/
Provider
Implementation
Separation of View
concern
With?
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Model filled in
Characteristics
• Stakeholder views
• Coherence between views via
Business drivers
principles
Business goals
Business principles • Models for communication
Business • Capturing standards
View
Services to users
Principles for quality,
quantity and use
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Example: IT Consolidation
Principles for: Back Middle Front
BUSINESS DRIVERS • Data office Office Office
• Cost • Applictions
• Business Value • Infrastructure Middleware
• Business Agility Generic services
PRINCIPLES Management
• Governance Platforms, Network
GOALS (overall Business • Ownership • Separation of applications, data & infrastructure
Case), e.g.: • Financing • Separation of application domains
• Cost/transaction • Consolidation & Virtualisation of the
TECHNICAL
• Customer intimacy infrastructure
• Shipment reliability • Services based architecture
• Product time-to-market BUSINESS • ITSM Tools
FUNCTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION
• Services model
• Principles for quality,
quantity and usage Principles for:
• ITSM process & organisational
• Capacity • Pay per use improvements
• Availability • Demand forecast
• Program and project conduct
• Reliability • Access (identity, rights,
• Problem solving 24X7, mobility?)
• Migration
State-of-the-art
• User support • QoS • Rollout phasing
Service
• Changes • …… • Change Management
Provider
• Strategic sourcing
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Architectural coherence (1)
Business
Drivers Business View Functional View Technical View Implementation
View
Business Functional Technical Implementation
Goals
Principles Principles Principles Principles
PROJECT PLAN
ELEMENTS Actions Actions Actions Actions
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Architectural coherence (2)
Business Strategy • Architects to help stakeholders use the EA
elements to shape the solution
Business Processes
• A Governing Body (Steering Group, Policy
Data Board) to manage architectural compliance
Applications
Generic User Services
Technical Infrastructure
Business
DriversBusiness ViewFunctional ViewTechnical View Implementation
View
Business Functional Technical Implementation
Goals
Principles Principles Principles Principles
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SA and EA by HP Evolve
Demand
Supply
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Creating Business Value
Creating
Business measurable
Strategy business value
…..
Dire Business
ction Case
Lear
ning
Enterprise Business
Architecture Execution
….. by consistently
using SA derived Solution Project
from and feeding Architecture Plan
back to EA
Business
Value
A well-GOVERNED and evolutionary model creating adaptive
business/IT alignment FOR VALUE
Cost Agility
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Two ways to develop the EA
A – Adapt & Go B – Go & Adapt
Pressing
Current EA Current EA business
need
EA content &
implicit conduct
Content Conduct Full
capitalisation SA Full, but
of learning to discriminate,
improve both Concept of stakeholder
Analysis Analysis content and the need involvement
conduct of the
EA
Proposed Proposed
improvements improvements Program/ Project
selection
Approval Approval SA Blueprint for project
Project Launch
Enhanced EA Full
capitalisation
of learning to Project Realisation
Implementation in improve both
real projects content and
conduct of the Project Evolution
EA
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Lessons learned
1. In practice often EA’s ‘have not a lot in it yet’ and their
‘power of law’ is not clear – leaving lots of room for
improvement, both in content and in conduct
2. Applying methodical solution architecture to projects allows
for much better transitions between phases and teams -
Think continuous teamwork, not ‘phased handoffs’
3. SA helps to put EA in its proper place, keeping it small,
manageable and communicable
4. Cost reduction pressures present opportunities to improve
the overall position and way of working with IT, as cost
must always be balanced against business value
5. Adaptivity is not achieved by just technology, it is the result
of an integral approach using architectural insight,
governance and formal change management
6. In this way architecture (EA+SA) becomes a repository of
critical business knowledge – to be carefully managed
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PS (1) Adaptive Enterprise
Roadmap
Real-time
management & control
processes
business
based management
• Automated policy-based & workload/resource
management links IT to allocation
Business stability business metrics • Enterprise-wide
• Integrated view of system- • All IT resources and integration
wide operations and SLAs processes aligned and • IT delivered as
• Infrastructure simplified and business process
consolidations
simplified to enable optimal
utilization, performance and services
resources
Enterprise architecture
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PS(2) – About the author
Rob Kruijk has been working for over 30 years in software solutions for
Digital Equipment, then Compaq and now HP, in all industries, all over the
world. In the last 8 years his consultancy work has developed into
architecture-led governance of complex IT-issues in need for business/IT
aligned solutions. This included telco’s in Holland, Hong Kong, Poland,
Germany, Sweden and Malaysia, banks in South Africa, Sweden and
Holland, utilities in Canada and Hong Kong, shipping companies in
Denmark and Hong Kong, several Government and educational institutions
as well as industrial, retail and transport companies in Holland. This diverse
experience has yielded many insights made practical for dealing with the
dynamics and challenges of today’s business/IT environment. Besides his
work with customers, Rob is HP’s Lead for the solution architect profession
in EMEA and elected chairman of the Netherlands Architecture Forum, an
association of 35 enterprises – large IT users, the main IT and SI suppliers
and academia – aimed at the advancement of architecture towards better
business solutions with IT.
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