On 08/02/07, Gervas Douglas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [snip IT has big issues....] > Fortunately, there is hope and it comes in the form of enterprise > architecture. As we've frequently discussed, the most critical part of > making SOA work is doing architecture well. So, if there's a need for > architecture, then it figures that there's a need for architects.
The problem here is that EA is 10+ years old and hasn't solved the problem. [snip a bit of a description of architecture] > > So, what do we expect from these individuals? First, these individuals > aren't just developers with enough experience to say what works and > what doesn't. They have a specific set of talents that simply cannot > be organically grown from an arbitrary individual in the IT > organization. Specifically, this breed of enterprise architect, the > kind that can make the business stand up and recognize how to best go > about something, rather than just a part of the IT department, is a > rarity in the organization. This isn't EA, this is the "I want Dan Creswell" et al pitch, I actually used Mr Creswell in a conversation the other day where someone had issues around talent management in people who could "do" things. My point was that they'd employ 20 average people rather than pay someone like Dan 15x what an average person was paid. The reality is that the later would be more effective than the former. This is old Mythical Man Month stuff. Nothing to do with EA, nothing to do with SOA, its just the basic fundamentals of IT that no-one ever actually does. > > Good enterprise architects have six core talents that they master in > order to give the business organization the strategic capabilities of > leveraging IT in the face of continuous change. They must be great > communicators – no ifs ands or buts about this one, no communication > means no ability to connect the parts of the organization together. > Good architects realize that nothing ever stays the same. As such, > architects are responsible for not just meeting today's requirements > using today's technologies, but managing change as well. It thus falls > upon the shoulders of the enterprise architect be the champion of > thrift and extend the value of existing IT investments. Such > architects must be able to find ways to reduce the need to invest in > unnecessary technology and allow companies to build systems that can > evolve with changing needs. Good architects must be more than great > communicators, simplifiers and economic magicians—they must also be > able to make realistic, step-wise improvements to the business use of > IT. Finally, good architects must understand best practices, since > they are the masters that make it happen. Again, this is "I want shit hot people" bollocks what they call themselves its about talent. There are less than 1% of people in IT who fall into this group, and if you have them great, but don't pretend that talent is about a role. > > Yet, while there's a glut of developers who can piece things together > if you can give them the proper context, there's a dramatic shortage > of skilled enterprise architects with the above talents to make SOA, > or any long-term initiative, work in the face of continuous change. In > part, there's not enough knowledge or skills in the industry to mature > wanna-be architects into full blown architect professionals. ZapThink, > along with other groups, are seeking to improve this lot by > introducing SOA-specific and EA-specific credentialing and skills > uplifting such as the Licensed ZapThink Architect program and Open > Groups's AOGEA efforts. Ummmm, sorry to pick on Dan (because he can beat me up) but why would Dan, Greg, Duane, Miko etc etc both with getting those? Hell I started filling in the Open Group form and lost the will to live, and everyone knows I just live in Powerpoint these days. > > But more than that, there are indeed a growing base of enterprise > architects with the above credentials who are not only available, but > willing to help companies make the transition from need-it-yesterday > and need-it-cheap IT project-by-project decision making to > architectural strategic planning that considers IT as a set of agile > resources to be utilized by the business. Through ZapThink's Architect > Resource Center as well as other efforts, we are trying to help raise > the visibility of these architects with specific skills in human > interaction. Already, dozens of such architects are now in the > database, with more added daily. And my view is that talent in a database is an entertaining perspective. I like the Zapthink stuff mostly, but would I trust them to assess Dan against someone who can be bothered to fill in a word document? Nope. > > It may sound like a daunting task to bring together all the necessary > people required to make SOA a success, but even the largest companies > probably have no more than a few dozen enterprise architects with the > necessary scope of responsibility to be important additions to your > SOA efforts. Your key is to find these cherished and skilled > individuals so you too can be on the road to effective enterprise SOA.>> I'm not doubting this statement, but this is nothing to do with SOA. Talent matters, people matter, technology changes all the time. There is a phrase in football, form is temporary, class is permanent, its the same in IT. The problem I have with these pieces that say "EA needs" or "SOA needs" is that back in 1970 they had the same problems. The reality is that "IT needs" people who can communicate and who "know" the right thing to do for the majority. IT is filled with people who do technology today, or technology for themselves, but the challenge is always the same, people with so much talent they can do technology for everyone. http://service-architecture.blogspot.com/2007/02/kiss-soa-is-rocket-science.html > > You can read this at: > > > <http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid26_gci1242414,00.html?track=NL-451&ad=578716&asrc=EM_NLC_984837&uid=5532089> > > Gervas > > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/service-orientated-architecture/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/service-orientated-architecture/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
