Director Enterprise Architecture
If you were starting an Architectural knowledge base from scratch, what are the key deliverables you'd produce? eg. I imagine System Context diagrams of the current state would make the list.
Would you use a dedicated Architecture tool right away or start to build out the practice with generic tools like Visio first to clarify your requirements before purchasing?Director of Architecture
See Full DiscussionI would not use an architecture tool right away. They are expensive and you are already attaching a big ROI to your team and practice before you even start along with the requirements. I would start with Visio (or I prefer LucidCharts) and spreadsheets. This will allow you to use tooling you most likely already have or can get much cheaper to show what architecture can provide to the organization.
As far as artifacts to start with (assuming we are talking about an overall architecture practices and not infrastructure):
- System integration diagrams that show each critical system and how they interact with other systems. This should include data flow and the type of data itself (classifications if available)
- Create an Application Portfolio. This is critical to do along side the diagram creation as it provides insights into the solutions you have and the capabilities they provide the organization.
- A full end to end Enterprise Landscape diagram that shows all the critical systems and how they interact to form your enterprise and serve your customers.
Hope this helps!