Enterprise Architecture
Overview
Using enterprise architecture to provide a framework for individual business and ICT development is becoming conventional wisdom. This concept is now being extended to government - applying enterprise architecture practices to the New Zealand State Services as a whole, while recognising agency autonomy and agencies' own architectures.
"Enterprise architecture is the process of translating business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating and improving the key principles and models that describe the enterprise's future state and enable its evolution.
The scope of the enterprise architecture includes the people, processes, information and technology of the enterprise, and their relationships to one another and to the external environment. Enterprise architects compose holistic solutions that address the business challenges of the enterprise and support the governance needed to implement them."
- Gartner G00141795: Gartner Defines the Term "Enterprise Architecture", Anne Lapkin, July 2006
The 2003 E-government Strategy recognised the need for a State Sector ICT architecture. A first step in achieving this was the development of the E-government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF). The e-GIF provides a successful model for developing a more comprehensive architecture to support the transformation of government, and respond to our increasingly networked society.
In 2006, a Federated Enterprise Architecture (FEA) programme was added to the E-government Strategy. "Federated" describe the tensions of attempting to capture the benefits of both centralised and decentralised IT functions, in a way that balances the interests of the whole (of government) with the autonomy of agencies.
Vision
The FEA programme vision is:
Enabling better government through better design.
The programme will assist agencies to design efficient and effective systems that are more closely aligned with government strategic outcomes, thereby enabling better government.Better design will be achieved by promoting common terms and
models for describing government activity; providing frameworks to
allow agencies to deliver joint-outcomes; and through recognition of
thought leadership in business, process and technology areas; promotion
of good-practice tools and templates in new contexts across
government.
Benefits
Public value will be further increased, as the practise of enterprise architect can delivery the following additional benefits:
- Asset portfolio optimisation
Enterprise Architecture allows better visibility across the ICT asset portfolio, allowing such assets to be effectively managed across their lifecycles from inception to retirement. Enterprise Architecture can reduce investment in duplicate (or overlapping), inconsistent, and unnecessary system capability.
- Project alignment and standard setting
Enterprise Architecture allows the maximisation of project effectiveness by sharing enterprise-wide view of resources reducing implementation costs. Project teams have a tendency to optimise on a project basis, sometimes leading to inconsistent system capability acquisition, and higher build and maintenance costs.
- New technology/innovation introductions
Enterprise Architecture allows a proactive approach in assessing the adoption of new technology and innovation. Technology and innovation is often assessed reactively, rather than against future business capability requirements. Projects maybe delayed while time-consuming technology evaluation takes place; there is also the risk of a project-focused evaluation rather than enterprise focused one.
Scope
The FEA framework applies to the Public Service and non-State Sector Act departments, when these agencies share information, technology and/or business processes. In line with public sector governance arrangements, the wider State sector is also encouraged to adopt the FEA framework and local government are invited to use it.
