The main goal of this presentation is to propose EA as a holistic architecture approach to overcome the challenge of redundant effort in silo culture by adapting the "Zen" philosophy to define EA from the essence of EA goals rather from title of “Enterprise Architecture”

1. What is Enterprise Architecture?
by
John Chi-Zong Wu
E-main : peaitce@yahoo.com
Website :www.liteea.com
Date 1/30/2015
EA is a holistic architecture method.

2. Presentation Goal
 The main goal of this presentation is to propose EA as a holistic
architecture approach to overcome the challenge of redundant
effort in silo culture.
 To clarify the confusion of EA and enable EA to become an
emerging paradigm.
 To use both part of Left/Right brain, to see the whole and know the
parts.
 To integrate the Eastern holistic culture and Western atomistic
culture by adapting
 The philosophy of “Zen” to define EA from the essence of EA goals rather from
title of “Enterprise Architecture”
 The “Wu-Xing” schema from the Holistic culture in China to support the Organic
Enterprise.
 It is essential to comprehend this presentation with an open mind
and tie your seat belt for a paradigm shift.

3. The tough question of “What is EA?”
 For the EA community, “What is EA?” has been a tough
question to answer.
 It has been the most popular discussion on many
Enterprise Network discussions.
 Robert McIlree have collected the various definition in
2007
 Enterprise Architecture Definition Collection – Part I
 Enterprise Architecture Definition Collection – Part II
 And the debate going on without a consensus.

4.  Similar to the story of the blind
man and the elephant, every EA
experts define EA base on the
parts they have touched. They
claim:
 EA is all about IT because it is
initiated in information age.
 EA is nothing new but a large scale
solution architecture.
 EA is about business because the
word of enterprise.
 EA to architect the Enterprise.
The big elephant of EA
Source : The blind man and the Zoo
By: Jenna Hasson

5.  EA is going no where without a consensus on the
definition of EA.
 Scott Ambler, in Enterprise Architecture: Reality over Rhetoric,
says ”the reality of enterprise architecture is nowhere close to
fulfilling some of the rhetoric around it. “
 Ian Rowland says in
Why Isn’t Enterprise Architecture In The Big Time? “Let’s
confess, then, what we really know in our heart of hearts …
Enterprise Architecture is a discipline that hasn’t really made it to
the big time. If that’s the case, what are the causes? Is EA a
rocket that hasn’t got off the launch pad, or a firework that has
fizzled? “
EA is going no where without a consensus

6. The problem is defining EA by the title
Define EA by the title of “Enterprise Architecture” contribute to the
confusion of EA .
First of all, “Enterprise Architecture” is a weak title. EA has not evolved
as expected because of the weak title.
Define around the word of “Architecture”
 EA as Enterprise wide IT architecture because for the IT oriented EA community,
“Architecture” is narrowly defined as “IT architecture”
 EA is about understanding all of the different elements that go to make up the
enterprise and how those elements interrelate.”
 EA to architect the enterprise.
Confusion often arises from the evolving nature of the term "enterprise".
It is defined as boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit;
ingenuity or a company organized for commercial purposes; business
firm. EA is frequently defined as a business effort.

7. Define EA based on the goals of EA
 This presentation adapt the “Zen”
philosophy to define EA by the goals rather
than based on touch or presentation.
 Zen is a school of Buddhism that
developed in China during the 6th century.
It emphasizes insight into the essence of a
subject instead of chasing after different
phenomenon.
 Zen and its culture are unique to the East,
and until recently the West knew little
about them.
 Western culture is oriented primarily
toward Being; Eastern culture, toward non-
Being.

8. The goals of EA
 EA was to align IT and business and overcome the
challenge of redundant effort in silo approach, the
goals of EA are:
 Align IT to Business.
 To enable enterprise agility in adapting to change via
interoperability, reuse and sharing.
 Adapting to change.

9. Define EA to satisfy the EA goals
 Enterprise Architecture is the holistic Architecture in
contrast to Silo architecture approach to align IT with
Business, overcome the challenge of redundant effort.
 It is defined as:
 “Enterprise Architecture is a holistic architecture method to
achieve the EA goal Alignment, Agility and Adaptive via enable
common people to see the whole and know the parts. “
 “Enterprise” means “the whole”, “Architecture” is the
proper arrangement of the parts.

10. Define EA by title miss the goal of EA
 The EA community have defined EA base the title of “Enterprise
Architecture”
 Microsoft's Michael Platt define “enterprise architecture (EA) is a conceptual
blueprint that defines the structure and operation of an organization. The intent
of an enterprise architecture is to determine how an organization can most
effectively achieve its current and future objectives.
 Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David C. Robertson, Enterprise Architecture As
Strategy, Harvard Business School Press, 2006. Posted October 3, 2006.
define The enterprise architecture is the organizing logic for business
processes and IT infrastructure, reflecting the integration and standardization
requirements of the company's operating model.
 Define Enterprise Architecture by the title does not fully address
the goals of EA to align IT with business, enable enterprise agility
via reuse and adapting to change.

11. EA is more valuable as a method
 EA is a method rather than an enterprise blueprint in a
big bang approach.
 EA as a method is more valuable than EA as a blueprint
as said in:
 "
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day; teach him how to fish, and he'll
Anne Isabella Ritchie, in 1885. (phrases.org.uk)

12. See the whole and know the parts
 Holistic Architecture to see the whole and
know the parts to use the both part of
human brain.
 According to the left-brain and right-brain
theory by Roger W. Sperry in 1981, the
human brain has two very different ways
of thinking as shown on the right.
 Most people only use one side of their
brain, the right brain people see the
whole first and left brain people see the
parts.
 EA as the holistic architecture method is
a training for people use both side of their
brain to see the whole and also know the
parts.
One (the right brain) is visual and
processes information in an intuitive
and simultaneous way, looking first
at the whole picture then the details.
The other (the left brain) is verbal
and processes information in an
analytical and sequential way,
looking first at the pieces then
putting them together to get the who

13. Model with Zackman framework and pyramd
 Suggest to model EA with both Zackman framework and the
architecture pyramid.
 Model EA solely in pyramid model leads to the confusion
between EA and solution architecture.

14. Zachman Framework as holistic thinking tool
 Silo architecture method is business process centric by model business
function, design process and automate the process.
 It is designed from the perception of owner view.
 Zachman framework as holistic thinking tool to design the system holistically
from the six attributes of 5W and H and six level of roles as shown in the
following figure.

15. The definition of Architecture
 Architecture is defined as the proper arrangement of
parts in many dictionaries.
 Gartner define ‘architecture’ as follows;
 1. The grand design or overall concept employed in creating a
system, as in the architecture of a city or a customer information
system; also “an abstraction or design of a system, its structure,
components and how they interrelate”
 2. A family of guidelines (concepts, policies, principles, rules,
patterns, interfaces and standards) to use when building a new
IT capability.

16. Pyramid model architecture
 Zachman framework as holistic thinking tool from the six
attributes of 5W and H and six level of roles.
 The holistic architecture method is represented via the
Zachman framework and pyramid architecture model.
 Model EA solely in pyramid model is not sufficient to
represent the concept of EA, it lead the confusion
between EA and solution architecture.


17. But EA is not all about Architectue
 The EA community have focused on “Architecture” as shown on the
NIST EA model.
 Popular EA method such as FEAF, TOGAF, PEAF, DODAF and
MODAF also emphasize on “Architecture”
 The architecture centric approach have contributed to the confusion
of EA because it is difficult to tell the difference between EA and
Silo architecture approach.
 EA is a emerging paradigm rather than to design an enterprise
scale silo.

18. The key of EA is “Enterprise”
 EA is an emerging paradigm, “Enterprise” is the key to distinguish
EA from silo architecture.
 “Architecture” , on the other hand, is the common denominator
between EA and Silo architecture.
 However, Confusion often arises from the evolving nature of the
term "enterprise".
 Instead of preaching to the choir by elaborating what is
“architecture”, this presentation make special effort to define
enterprise.

19. Define “Enterprise” with visualization
 A practical approach to define
“Enterprise” is by visualize the
enterprise.
 By saying the various definition of
EA as a whole or as an
organization is not enough.
 A frequent challenge is “Show me
the Enterprise!”
 Seeing is believing, the best way
to explain what is “Enterprise” is to
visualize the enterprise.
 LEA developed the Enterprise Map
to visualize the “Enterprise”

20. “Enterprise” is “Organization” for convience
In dictionary, “Enterprise” is defined as a business or company.
business, company, firm, venture, organization, operation, concern,
corporation, establishment, partnership.
The Open Group defines ‘enterprise’ as follows: “An ‘enterprise’ is any
collection of organizations that has a common set of goals and/or a single
bottom line. In that sense, an enterprise can be a government agency, a
whole corporation, a division of a corporation, a single department, or a chain
of geographically distant organizations linked together by common
ownership.”

21. “Enterprise” really means “holistic”
 Enterprise is organic, the word of “Enterprise” really means holistic.
 Holism is the idea that natural systems (physical, biological,
chemical, social, economic, mental, linguistic, etc.) and their
properties, should be viewed as wholes, not as collections of parts.
 Holism and Atomism has been major part of human culture,
Atomism have dominate the western culture and Holism has been
the primary philosophy in Eastern culture.
 EA is the fusion of Western and Eastern culture.
 The whole is much bigger than the sum of its parts.
 “Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from
seeing the whole” - from "Mouse Moral“.

22. Enterprise does not means “Large”
 Enterprise does not means large, any
functional whole is consider as enterprise
based on the Macro and Microcosm
philosophy in holism.
 Macrocosm and microcosm is an
ancient Greek Neo-Platonic schema of
seeing the same patterns reproduced in all
levels of the cosmos, from the largest scale
(macrocosm or universe-level) all the way
down to the smallest scale (microcosm or
sub-sub-atomic or even metaphysical-
level).However, In the context of EA,
“Enterprise” means the functional whole.
 EA is not only for large organization, it
applies to all functional whole such as the
entire corporation, company, section or
branches as show on the right.

23. Enterprise is Organic
 The holistic architecture consist of the
Organic whole and Mechanic whole as shown
in the right.
 It is the first step to introduce the concept of
the whole from the mechanical aspect via the
Zachman framework.
 However, the mechanical whole concept does
not quite support to support the organic
enterprise.
 Light EA overcome this challenge by adapting
the “Wu-Xing” concept from the holistic
culture in China.

24. Organic is Reality rather than Rhetoric
 The term of “Organic” is new to the scientist and engineers in the atomistic
culture. It is a reality rather than rhetoric.
 In 1926, Mr. Jan Smuts in Holism and Evolution stated that “Nineteenth-century science
went wrong mostly because of the hard and narrow concept of causation which dominated
it. It was a fixed dogma that there could be no more in the effect than there was in the
cause; hence creativeness and real progress became impossible.
 In 1998, Mr. Val Dusek In The holistic Inspiration of Physics: The Underground History of
Electromagnetic Theory , says “In the twentieth century, the atomic model has undergone
major supplementation and transformation. Fields were added to the particle model and
particles and fields have become aspects of a perplexing physical reality. The
straightforward mechanical causality that was part of the earlier atomic model was
replaced by indeterminacy and statistical causality in quantum theory”

25. Chinese Wu-Xing model the organic whole
 Enterprise, as a complex
system is organic.
 Chinese have model the
organic whole with Wu-Xing
2000 years ago.
 The Wu-Xing model is not
static balance, it describe the
organic cycle with Five
element by incorporating :
 Fields theory
 Time dimension.
 And Coherence

26. Architect organic enterprise with organic EA
 Enterprise is Organic which can not be architected solely in a
mechanical EA approach.
 This presentation suggest to Architect the organic Enterprise via a
organic EA approach by taking Wu-Xing into consideration.

27.  EA as a holistic architecture method deliver significant and
unique value to stakeholders.
 It is much easier to explain EA as the counter part of silo
architecture approach as part of the relativity theory.
 EA as holistic methodology is a shift paradigm, it clearly
distinguish EA as a emerging paradigm rather than an enterprise
scale silo architecture.
 EA as a method is not all about Information Technology, silo
system approach is not unique in IT.
 EA as holistic architecture to support organic enterprise.
 EA as a method overcome the EA bottleneck and provide
significant for EA evolution.
Conclusion