Business Architecture: A Practical Guide

by Jonathan Whelan, Graham Meaden

Organizations today exist in an environment of unprecedented change. They do so against a backdrop of a global, competitive marketplace, the fast-paced enablement of technology, amplified regulation and accelerating organizational complexity. Many organizations are addressing change in a sub-optimal way and they are operating without a clear view of where their operational risks lie. It is these dynamics that are leading organizations to recognise and embrace Business Architecture. Despite this environment, Business Architecture can be a difficult ’sell’ - it is often perceived to be abstract and lacking in tangible delivery. To succeed, Business Architecture must be pragmatic and, to be sustainable, it must focus on achieving long-term value and, at the same time, recognise the shorter-term tactical needs of the organisation. With these challenges in mind, this book provides a practical guide on how to employ Business Architecture and how to build a balanced proposition that delivers value to a broad range of stakeholders. As the book states, Business Architecture should not be practised in isolation, nor should it be thought of as a one-off process; it needs to be woven into the fabric of the organization. And so the authors illustrate the opportunities for weaving the Business Architecture Practice into this fabric through the various stakeholders and life cycles that exist, both formally and informally, within an organization. Whilst recognizing best practice, this book explores a new, inspirational level of Business Architecture whilst acknowledging that the best way to realize the vision is one step at a time.

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on what business architecture is, and what a business architect does.

It has also pointed me towards to other books to read next.

[Fg]

$42.40 - 4.5 out of 5 stars 2 customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent overview of BA for established professionals and executives
February 3, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
This is one of my best go-to book for the year 2013-14, specially the lucid and clear style of writing, the presentation of the subjects, and scope of this fast developing area. As an IT professional with a background in business administration, I always felt the existence of big gap and friction between the business and technology strategies in enterprises (big and small). With the relatively recent formalization of the knowledge areas of Enterprise Architecture and now Business architecture, that parallel and quite distinct lifelines of business and technology have finally started to merge. And this book goes a long way in formulating the co-existence, and harmony of the two distinct areas, starting with design thinking for business.

I have already read it a couple of times, though each time I read it, there are new insights that I discover. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Technology strategy, Enterprise architecture, and of course everyone in the Business architecture field. Hope every CIO has a copy of this excellent book, even though there are lots of areas that still need to be explored, but as the authors mention, we are still in Business Architecture 1.0 level.