Image Source: Pinterest
Last week I talked about EA Principles and how they help in the decision making process. We establish a “boundary” by building guidelines based on existing business strategies and requirements. This concept of the combination of business strategy, environment & market trends, and requirements in which the business normally operates is frequently referred to as the Business Context. This is our perspective on how the business operates and its’ driving factors. And like the above graphic, if we are not careful with examining the full context, we can have a skewed perspective on the nature of the business.
From the specific viewpoint of Enterprise Architecture, the Business Context provides a “strategic alignment with the business and a focused direction of effort” (Burton, Allega & Lapkin, 2009). This context provides the enterprise architects with the proper frame of reference in which to link together the EA Principles, Business Strategies and Business Initiatives. This brings cohesion to the EA Implementation Plan and allows EA to work toward bringing value to the organization.
As we continue along the path we started last week, we use our Business Context to help in our navigation of the unclear path laid before us. We have our origin point (current state) and our destination (future state) mapped out before us. The EA Principles are the guideposts along the way that help us to successfully stay on track as we make decisions along the way. Now, we add in our Business Context which acts as an “absolute” reference point to further clarify our navigation of the path. Just as in the case of navigating with a map or a GPS system, if we do not have an understanding of where North is located, then the directions along the way will not make sense.
Image source: Openclipart
References:
Burton, B., Allega, P. & Lapkin, A. (2009) ‘Business Context’ and ‘Business Architecture’ Are Not the Same (G00170922). Gartner, November