Enterprise SDLC Solutions Boot Camp

In this course, you will learn about enterprise-wide analysis from discovery of opportunities, to idea generation, solution selection, and creating business value in the recommended solution(s). The focus is also on innovation through creating a solution for the enterprise that takes it to the future state. Sometimes it may start with technology in a discovery process, other times it may begin with a business problem or other improvement opportunity. You may already have the artifacts and information you need to get started; we'll help you identify what to look for and assess the right approach for your enterprise.

What You Will Learn

• Key definitions and artifacts
• Approach to creating any architecture
• Apply LEAN principles when looking for opportunities
• Analyze an enterprise
• System Under Discussion (SUD) characteristics
• Architecture development roadmap
• Architecture transition roadmap
• Create a business case and feasibility study
• Ongoing iterations to architectures

Audience

Anyone who needs the enterprise view of a business and wants to assure the business' strategies are realized, such as:

• Business Analysts
• Business or Functional Managers
• Technical Architects (Application, Infrastructure or Information)
• Product and Process Owners
• Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) Resources, Program Managers, or Project Managers
• Procurement

Prerequistes

Course Outline

1. Enterprise Key Concepts

Know what others are doing. Best practices are brought out for discussion. Key definitions and artifacts are compared to your reality. You will be exposed to enterprise frameworks and class discussions will help you determine how they are or might be used in your organization with the collaboration of key stakeholders.

• Speak the Enterprise Language
  Activity: Term and artifact real-life gap assessment
• Enterprise Frameworks
  Activity: Which framework would you use and why for each scenario?
• Collaborate with Enterprise Stakeholders
  Activity: Determine what is needed from stakeholders and what is needed from you

2. Creating an Architecture

There is a general approach to creating any architecture. We will examine the approach, and test it based on the different types that are relevant to the participants in the workshop.

• Architecture Requirements
  Activity: Define architecture requirements based on a scenario or your own real-life scenario
• Components of an Architecture
• Determine What to Leverage
• Create Artifacts (Static or Dynamic, Granularity Level)
  Activity: Based on the previous scenario, which artifacts and components would you create?
• Inventory for Reuse
• Apply Tools and Techniques
• Needed Reviews and Approvals
  Activity: Build a roles and responsibility chart for the creation of ongoing changes for the architecture
• Architecture Development Roadmap (High-Level Plan)
• Architecture Transition Roadmap (Iterations to Future State)

3. Looking for Opportunities

Regardless of your role, everyone should be making problems visible and looking for opportunities. But where do you look and how do you know one when you see one? Yes, getting the right data may take some time and money. But how do we know we are making the right decisions as executives? According to LEAN principles, we need to focus on creating value, eliminate waste, make problems visible, embrace scientific problem solving and don't forget about the people! If we embrace these principles we can adapt to change and make the right decisions.

• Opportunities to Improve Business and Enterprise Architecture
  Activity: Given an extract from various models, what opportunities do you see?
• Checking the Business and Technology Domains
  Activity: Given an artifact extract, what problems can you identify or what questions might you ask?
• Problem Identification and Visibility
  Activity: Given a set a problems, how would you analyze them and what opportunities do you see?

4. Analysis at the Enterprise Level

Here we exploit business analysis activities. We start with eliciting high-level requirements for the solution by facilitating the future state and uncovering the solution scope boundaries. Further high-level solution idea generation and solution assessment will help us to provide an initial estimate.

• Uncover Business Requirements
  Activity: How would you present this opportunity to the following executives?
• Assess Impacts
• Use Benchmarks and Surveys
• Define System Under Discussion (SUD) Characteristics
  Activity: Define which SUD characteristics drive specific methods and techniques
• Generate and Assess Solution Alternatives
  Activity: Apply one technique to assess solution alternatives based on a scenario

5. Justifying and Communicating the Solution

At the enterprise level, some justification is necessary to obtain funding and resources in addition to providing a method to equally compare and prioritize the businesses portfolios. The opportunity assessments and analysis conducted in previous workshop sessions will provide the necessary information to justify moving forward.

• Creating a Business Case and Feasibility Study
  Activity: Which of these scenarios should have a feasibility study conducted?
• Organizational Acceptance of the Solution
• Tracking Business Value
• Assisting in Prioritization Efforts
  Activity: Define the right criteria for the situation

6. Ongoing Iterations to Architectures

Architectures must adapt to the changing business and technical environment in order to support innovation and competition. Walls must be broken down to keep architectures valuable to the enterprise by being dynamic in ways that allow flexibility and scalability.

• Portfolio Management
• Business Drivers
• Architecture Dependencies
• External Triggers
• Value Chain Impacts
• Planning for Flexibility
  Activity: Based on selected architecture, you will flowchart a change-control process

7. Practice, Practice, Practice

You will not walk away without trying out the approaches and techniques as discussed through the previous session. Teams will be structured and provided with different opportunities to select from. Based on the scenario, each team will be required to:

• Identify Their Approach (review with instructor before continuing)
• Define High-Level Requirements and Scope
• Identify Solution Alternatives and a Recommended Solution
• Evaluate the Value Chain for Impacts
• Assess Impact to Architectures
• Present to the Executive Committee for Approval to Move Forward

Course Labs