When we think about IT architecture, or talk about it, the desire to draw parallels with building architecture is often irresistible. Since I have just returned from a visit to Italy, I'm drawn to make some observations along these lines.

In Part I of this Executive Update series, we described the four components of the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and how this concept relates to Cutter's annual survey on innovation practices by comparing the results of our 2007 and 2008 surveys. 1 Here in Part II, we continue our examination of the key findings.

In Part I of this Executive Update series, we described the four components of the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and how this concept relates to Cutter's annual survey on innovation practices by comparing the results of our 2007 and 2008 surveys. 1 Here in Part II, we continue our examination of the key findings.

In Part I of this Executive Update series, we described the four components of the enterprise innovation chain (value innovation, management innovation, business model innovation, and invention) and how this concept relates to Cutter's annual survey on innovation practices by comparing the results of our 2007 and 2008 surveys. 1 Here in Part II, we continue our examination of the key findings.

The need to consolidate disparate data warehouses and data marts is a situation that many organizations have been forced to deal with. Based on our latest research, approximately 39% of organizations indicate that they have already conducted, or are involved in carrying out, some type of effort to consolidate data warehousing or data marts. It also appears that this trend has accelerated.

The need to consolidate disparate data warehouses and data marts is a situation that many organizations have been forced to deal with. Based on our latest research, approximately 39% of organizations indicate that they have already conducted, or are involved in carrying out, some type of effort to consolidate data warehousing or data marts. It also appears that this trend has accelerated.

The myth surrounding agile projects goes something like this: a small team of developers who can handle any coding task (database, business logic, user interface, middleware, etc.) works hand-in-hand with the end user who talks with the development team about the details of the work requirements. The small-team-filled-with-generalists model may work for some small projects, but it doesn't scale.

The major BI vendors as well as a number of independent software vendors now offer products that combine the ease of use of Internet-style search engines with the reporting and analysis capabilities of BI tools.

Many service-oriented architecture (SOA) governance initiatives become bogged down in a bureaucracy that militates against the very agility that SOA promises in the first place. Is there a way to achieve agile SOA governance, or is this simply an illusion? Fortunately, our experiences show that there are responsive and practical approaches to SOA governance. As with most things in life, balance is the key.

Many service-oriented architecture (SOA) governance initiatives become bogged down in a bureaucracy that militates against the very agility that SOA promises in the first place. Is there a way to achieve agile SOA governance, or is this simply an illusion? Fortunately, our experiences show that there are responsive and practical approaches to SOA governance. As with most things in life, balance is the key.

Population Estimates of Three Generations of Workers

Generation

Birth Year

Population Estimates of Three Generations of Workers

Generation

Birth Year

Population Estimates of Three Generations of Workers

Generation

Birth Year

As companies become comfortable using agile methods, larger and larger projects are being undertaken. While the myth, "agile is only good for small projects," is being proved wrong every day, there are still a number of issues that need to be addressed in order to scale agile -- in two dimensions, up and out.

With 2009 looming large, ugly, and just around the corner, it's time for the obligatory prognostications. Boy, is this difficult.... Hmmm. What will next year bring? Any wild guesses?

Rather than focus on the dark clouds, I am going to first look for the silver lining ahead.

With 2009 looming large, ugly, and just around the corner, it's time for the obligatory prognostications. Boy, is this difficult.... Hmmm. What will next year bring? Any wild guesses?

Rather than focus on the dark clouds, I am going to first look for the silver lining ahead.

Part I of this series of Executive Updates examined the traditional way in which we develop, distribute, market, and sell software as a number of discrete releases.1 The following five observations were made with respect to the myth of the release:

There's a challenge brewing in the trenches. It's tense, yet full of opportunity. It is bottom-up and top-down. It's personal -- and organizational. It's about power and control. It's therefore complicated and potentially very, very nasty. But, ultimately, it's about survival: we will change, or we will die.

There's a challenge brewing in the trenches. It's tense, yet full of opportunity. It is bottom-up and top-down. It's personal -- and organizational. It's about power and control. It's therefore complicated and potentially very, very nasty. But, ultimately, it's about survival: we will change, or we will die.

There's a challenge brewing in the trenches. It's tense, yet full of opportunity. It is bottom-up and top-down. It's personal -- and organizational. It's about power and control. It's therefore complicated and potentially very, very nasty. But, ultimately, it's about survival: we will change, or we will die.

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." -- Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

In a meeting today with a client, people were talking continually about how the IT organization and business have to improve their collaboration. The business feels a considerable amount of pain about the lack of collaboration with IT, and IT in turn is feeling some pain collaborating with the business during a transition to agile.

I've recently been observing a group of people attempting to develop a local food system for their community. What strikes me is that the principles of enterprise architecture (EA) that I've learned and used over the years are entirely relevant to this endeavor, despite the fact that IT has no role in it whatsoever.

Almost one-quarter of end-user organizations indicate that they currently have operational BI applications deployed and in use.

The debate constantly comes up about the role of an architect and whether or not he or she should write code as part of a project team.

Training and awareness initiatives within organizations are like the dust bunnies hiding under your bed that you never want to think about. However, business leaders would be wise to realize that there is not a more effective information security and privacy defense than informed and aware personnel, as Part I of this three-part Executive Update series shows.