Enterprise architecture plans provide little value unless they present information that is clear, relevant, and easily understood by decision makers. User-centric enterprise architecture synthesizes an organization's key business and technical information to support better decision making. It captures and communicates data about performance, processes, requirements, systems, technologies and security. This information is packaged so users can understand the current and future states of IT, as well as the roadmap to get there. However, the information is only useful if presented in a way that is understandable, accessible, and allows easy navigation, such as through profiles, inventories, and models that illustrate relationships in a visual format.

1. Advice+Dissent
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VIEWPOINT
The Long View
Enterprise Before agencies were required to adopt enterprise
architecture architecture planning, they lacked a defined, systematic
plans are approach for tying technology investments to perform-
useless ance, business and information requirements. They
without failed to link information technology resources to mis-
clear, sions, instead often making decisions by instinct and
intuition. Unfortunately, enterprise architecture has
relevant
been focused more on creating information rather than
information. on the value of that information.
BY ANDREW N. When it works, enterprise architecture centers on its
BLUMENTHAL users—agency managers—with information that is rele-
vant, easy to understand and readily available. It provides
executives with the information they need, eliminates
stovepipe applications and enables standardized, cost-
effective solutions that do away with redundancy. It also
promotes performance measurement and assures infor-
mation confidentiality, availability and integrity.
User-centric EA synthesizes the organization’s key
business and technical information to support better I Models illuminate relationships between infor-
decision-making. It captures, analyzes and communi- mation, typically using graphics that show how
cates information about performance measures, business processes work, how information flows in the organi-
processes, information requirements, application sys- zation, or how systems are connected to each other.
tems, technologies and IT security. The data is packaged I Inventories provide descriptive information, usu-
in such a way that the user can understand not only the ally in a spreadsheet or database format. For example,
current state of agency information technology but also an application’s inventory provides a comprehensive
its future direction and the roadmap for getting there. list of every major application in the agency together
IT investment and portfolio management is another with descriptive information.
function that benefits from enterprise architecture. It One way to ensure that managers can easily obtain
ensures that critical investment dollars are allocated to needed information is to launch an EA knowledge cen-
priority mission and business needs, rather than to pur- ter on the agency’s intranet. An EA Web site also can
chases based on gut feeling, bias or technology for tech- facilitate a sound process for program and project man-
nology’s sake. agers initiating IT projects, acquiring products and
The problem is EA information often is unintelligi- establishing standards.
ble. The necessary data might be there, but the presen- Ultimately, all agencies will incorporate enterprise
tation is so poor that the decision-maker’s ability to use architecture into their business strategies. But it requires
it is impaired. If information is not understandable, getting out of the ivory tower and engaging the people
accessible and easily navigable, then it quickly becomes in the trenches to understand organizational require-
“shelfware,” meaning it sits on a shelf collecting dust. ments and needs and to create information products that
Of course, the result is unsatisfied stakeholders. are useful and usable. It is up to an agency’s enterprise
A key feature of user-centric EA is it presents infor- architect to facilitate this communication.
mation in a manner that allows users to drill down from Though enterprise architecture is typically a func-
the summary to more detailed views, through three tiers tion of the chief information officer, its goal is not just
of information: better technology, but better decision-making across
I Profiles use visualization to convey a great deal of the organization. Ω
data in a condensed format, usually a graphic or chart.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. For Andrew N. Blumenthal is director of enterprise
CORBIS
example, a profile might demonstrate how an agency’s architecture at the Coast Guard. The views expressed
applications support its core mission functions. are his own and not necessarily those of the agency.
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GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE