Agility within The Open Group

What an exciting event in the city of Denver, Colorado the week of July 22, 2019! If you were at this conference you would probably have noticed the breadth and depth of work happening in The Open Group and, as well, noticed the impact it is having throughout various industries. A lot of really great stuff is going on thanks to those members working on real issues best addressed through collaboration! Kudos to the Members!!

One of the things I heard from some Members, expressed as a “potential” issue, was work being done that might be considered overlapping. Specifically referenced was TOGAF® Architecture Development Method, the Digital Practitioner Body of Knowledge™ (DPBok) Standard, and Snapshot of The Open Group Agile Architecture Framework™ Standard. After giving this some thought I felt compelled to present the optimistic view of this based on my experience with The Open Group over three decades!

Snapshot of The Open Group Agile Architecture Framework™ Standard – A Conversation with Walters Obenson

As organizations around the world pursue more agile ways of working to innovate, attract and retain customers, drive best-in-class operating efficiencies, and respond quickly to changing economic and regulatory conditions, the architecture profession must evolve to support and drive such outcomes.

In continuing over 30 years of publishing award-winning leading practice standards for IT, The Open Group presents the Agile Architecture Framework™ (AAF), a comprehensive revision of core architecture practices – updated to compliment modern, digital operating models and agile development methods.

Managing Digital Transformation with Support of Enterprise Architecture

I applaud the choice in the book “Managing Digital, Concepts and Practices” by Charles T. Betz “to NOT include dedicated chapters on “Project Management” and “Process Management.” Instead, more general chapter titles of “Coordination” and “Investment and Planning” were chosen. I like this because the more general terms get to what must be done and get away from the legacy disciplines that have been assumed to be the right and only way to get them done. In other words, I think we have lost the reason for employing legacy disciplines and they have become embedded, maybe even institutionalized, without accountability for adding value – especially through answering questions to support decisions. On the other hand, I do not feel that one should simply dismiss the goodness of legacy disciplines lest we throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Design Thinking for Enterprise Architects – A Conversation with Mayank Saxena

The concept of Design Thinking is all the rage these days in certain circles—particularly in MBA programs and in the tech industry. But what is Design Thinking and why should businesses make it a consideration? And what does it have to do with Enterprise Architecture?

Mayank Saxena, Enterprise Architect at ABM AMRO Bank in The Netherlands, believes Enterprise Architects can learn a lot from the lessons of Design Thinking—lessons that could give Enterprise Architects greater influence and value within their organizations. We spoke with Mr.Saxena in advance of The Open Group Singapore 2019 to learn more about the concept of Design Thinking and how Enterprise Architects can benefit from it.