Confessions of an Enterprise Architect

The book goes a long way toward raising the profile of the invaluable role enterprise architects play in major software initiatives. For this reason, I have confidence that if organizations take these insights to heart and leverage them effectively, they will begin to deliver consistent, real returns on their IT investments. Will this book make a difference? Time will tell, but my sense is that it very well can.—William M. Ulrich, President at Tactical Strategy Group, Inc.

Confessions of an Enterprise Architect is the insider’s track on how to succeed as an enterprise architect despite the politics, budgets, setbacks, personnel issues, and technological challenges. It includes theoretical and pragmatic discussions about the discipline, imparts constructive recommendations born of personal experience, and presents a set of best practices for developing professional-caliber architectures that deliver professional-caliber systems.

The book also features numerous ‘"Confessions," which are practical tips, warnings, and guidance from a practicing enterprise architect garnered over a career of independent practice. A sample of confessions includes:

• Accommodating change is the sole constant in the professional life of an enterprise architect
• Many enterprise architects don’t appreciate that their decisions not only affect system design but also impact the development environment and influence the structure of project teams
• In many cases, initial project estimates are so inaccurate that approvers would be better off developing their own assessments
• In many project teams, the user is the last consideration

The insights contained in this book, typified by its "Confessions" and "Pro Tips," offer organizations a way forward with enterprise architecture. This book also explains how enterprise architects can engage senior business leaders as effectively and as fluently as engaging business analysts, developers, business professionals, program managers, and fellow architects. In addition, it demonstrates how to communicate sophisticated, leading-edge concepts in clean, simple ways that facilitate buy-in at every level. Most importantly, the book makes the case that a professional enterprise architect—and, by extension, a professional-caliber enterprise architecture—sets the foundation for continued success in an industry accustomed to failure.