13 centrale spørgsmål: Få et stærkere grundlag for beslutninger om it
I denne artikel får du en interessant model og 13 centrale spørgsmål om EA leveret af den hollandske enterprisearkitekt og forfatter Martin Van Den Berg.
Dansk IT’s fagråd for Business and IT Alignment udgav for nylig en artikel med otte gode råd og anbefalinger til arbejdet med enterprisearkitektur (EA). I forlængelse af den udgivelse anbefaler fagrådet, at man også læser nedenstående af den hollandske enterprisearkitekt og forfatter Martin Van Den Berg.
Martin Van Den Berg afsluttede i september 2019 sin ph.d. med titlen “Improving IT decisions with Enterprise Architecture”.
I Ph.d’en anvendte Martin Van Den Berg denne figur som referencemodel for arbejdet med at afdække de involverede parter og områder for beslutninger/bidragsydelser:
Figuren viser, at der er en vekselvirkning mellem it-beslutninger og EA’s bidrag, som giver en positiv forskel på it-beslutninger.
Til at eftervise sammenhængen i modellen har Martin Van Den Berg opstillet 13 spørgsmål til organisationer, som skal afdække i hvilken grad, at organisation har gjort brug af EA til at få forbedret grundlaget for it-beslutninger.
Martin Van Den Berg har brugt spørgsmålene til at kunne indsamle empiri til sin ph.d. Man kan også sige, at spørgsmålene udgør et ’mini cheat sheet’ til at afdækket EA-udfaldsrum og -modenhed i en virksomhed. Her er de 13 spørgsmål, som indgår i ph.d’en:
1. Check the fit with the business strategy.
To what extent does this business case realize the business strategy?
2. Check the objectives.
To what extent are the objectives of this business case clearly defined? To what extent does this business case meet the set objectives? Is it clear when the business case is successful?
3. Check the future options.
To what extent does this business case generate opportunities that can be redeemed in the future?
4. Check the stakeholders’ concerns.
To what extent are the concerns of stakeholders known? Are these concerns sufficiently reflected in the business case?
5. Check the solution requirements.
To what extent are the solution requirements known? To what extent are these requirements clearly defined?
6. Check the solution alternatives.
What are the solution alternatives to realize this business case? Are these solution alternatives recognized in the business case? Are the solution alternatives weighed up? Is the proposed solution motivated? Does the proposed solution meet the interests of the stakeholders? Does the proposed solution make it possible to redeem the benefits of this business case?
7. Check the solution costs.
To what extent are the costs of the solution reliably estimated? Which costs are missing or have not been properly estimated? Have the management costs been defined?
8. Check the solution benefits.
To what extent are the benefits of this business case reliably estimated? What benefits are lacking or have not been properly estimated? Is it clear who will realize the benefits? To what extent do the solution alternatives contribute to the benefits?
9. Check the impact of the solution on other business cases.
Can other business cases benefit from this business case? Can this business case ruin other business cases?
10. Check the consequences for the current state.
What are the consequences for the current landscape? Are these consequences recognized in the business case? To what extent can this business case ruin the current landscape?
11. Check the fit with the future state architecture.
To what extent does this business case realize the future state architecture? Is this business case in line with the future state architecture? Is this business case in conflict with the future state architecture? Is this business case in line with architecture principles, policies, and standards? Is this business case in line with current market developments?
12. Check the feasibility.
To what extent is this business case feasible? What makes it difficult to realize the solution for this business case? What makes it difficult to realize the benefits of this business case? Is the feasibility of the solution addressed in the business case? Is the feasibility of the benefits addressed in the business case?
13. Check the risks.
What are the main risks to realize this business case? Are these risks recognized in the business case?
Det er i øvrigt hensigten at holde spørgerammen dynamisk, så den kan opdateres med hjælp fra andre, som begynder at anvende den. Den kan findes på Github.
Fagrådet for Business and IT Alignment i Dansk IT har haft samme tanke med at få sat fokus på, hvordan og hvad EA kan bidrage med i virksomhed, men har gjort det med en mere pragmatisk tilgang, hvor fagrådet ud fra erfaring med at arbejde med EA har opstillet otte gode råd om, hvordan EA kan blive bragt bedre i spil til at kunne understøtte bedre beslutninger i it samt forretningen.
Hvis man sammenholder fagrådets otte gode råd og Martin Van Den Bergs ph.d. kan det fremhæves, at de givne råd adresserer vekselvirkningen mellem forretning og it, baseret på indsigten og overblik som EA bidrager til og med til støtte for organisationens stakeholders og organisationens fortsatte forretningsudvikling.
Martin Van Den Berg afsluttede i september 2019 sin ph.d. med titlen “Improving IT decisions with Enterprise Architecture”.
I Ph.d’en anvendte Martin Van Den Berg denne figur som referencemodel for arbejdet med at afdække de involverede parter og områder for beslutninger/bidragsydelser:
Figuren viser, at der er en vekselvirkning mellem it-beslutninger og EA’s bidrag, som giver en positiv forskel på it-beslutninger.
Til at eftervise sammenhængen i modellen har Martin Van Den Berg opstillet 13 spørgsmål til organisationer, som skal afdække i hvilken grad, at organisation har gjort brug af EA til at få forbedret grundlaget for it-beslutninger.
Martin Van Den Berg har brugt spørgsmålene til at kunne indsamle empiri til sin ph.d. Man kan også sige, at spørgsmålene udgør et ’mini cheat sheet’ til at afdækket EA-udfaldsrum og -modenhed i en virksomhed. Her er de 13 spørgsmål, som indgår i ph.d’en:
1. Check the fit with the business strategy.
To what extent does this business case realize the business strategy?
2. Check the objectives.
To what extent are the objectives of this business case clearly defined? To what extent does this business case meet the set objectives? Is it clear when the business case is successful?
3. Check the future options.
To what extent does this business case generate opportunities that can be redeemed in the future?
4. Check the stakeholders’ concerns.
To what extent are the concerns of stakeholders known? Are these concerns sufficiently reflected in the business case?
5. Check the solution requirements.
To what extent are the solution requirements known? To what extent are these requirements clearly defined?
6. Check the solution alternatives.
What are the solution alternatives to realize this business case? Are these solution alternatives recognized in the business case? Are the solution alternatives weighed up? Is the proposed solution motivated? Does the proposed solution meet the interests of the stakeholders? Does the proposed solution make it possible to redeem the benefits of this business case?
7. Check the solution costs.
To what extent are the costs of the solution reliably estimated? Which costs are missing or have not been properly estimated? Have the management costs been defined?
8. Check the solution benefits.
To what extent are the benefits of this business case reliably estimated? What benefits are lacking or have not been properly estimated? Is it clear who will realize the benefits? To what extent do the solution alternatives contribute to the benefits?
9. Check the impact of the solution on other business cases.
Can other business cases benefit from this business case? Can this business case ruin other business cases?
10. Check the consequences for the current state.
What are the consequences for the current landscape? Are these consequences recognized in the business case? To what extent can this business case ruin the current landscape?
11. Check the fit with the future state architecture.
To what extent does this business case realize the future state architecture? Is this business case in line with the future state architecture? Is this business case in conflict with the future state architecture? Is this business case in line with architecture principles, policies, and standards? Is this business case in line with current market developments?
12. Check the feasibility.
To what extent is this business case feasible? What makes it difficult to realize the solution for this business case? What makes it difficult to realize the benefits of this business case? Is the feasibility of the solution addressed in the business case? Is the feasibility of the benefits addressed in the business case?
13. Check the risks.
What are the main risks to realize this business case? Are these risks recognized in the business case?
Det er i øvrigt hensigten at holde spørgerammen dynamisk, så den kan opdateres med hjælp fra andre, som begynder at anvende den. Den kan findes på Github.
Fagrådet for Business and IT Alignment i Dansk IT har haft samme tanke med at få sat fokus på, hvordan og hvad EA kan bidrage med i virksomhed, men har gjort det med en mere pragmatisk tilgang, hvor fagrådet ud fra erfaring med at arbejde med EA har opstillet otte gode råd om, hvordan EA kan blive bragt bedre i spil til at kunne understøtte bedre beslutninger i it samt forretningen.
Hvis man sammenholder fagrådets otte gode råd og Martin Van Den Bergs ph.d. kan det fremhæves, at de givne råd adresserer vekselvirkningen mellem forretning og it, baseret på indsigten og overblik som EA bidrager til og med til støtte for organisationens stakeholders og organisationens fortsatte forretningsudvikling.