Five Goals of an Architecture Review Board
Before covering the five goals of an enterprise architecture review board, we need to dispel some dangerous myths.
Myths so dangerous that following them leads to enterprise architecture teams being rebooted.
Architecture Review Board Myths
We need to dispel a few myths about an Architecture Review Board
- The architecture review board is not about technology selection and implementation
- The architecture review board does not pursue traditional IT issues and preferences
- The architecture review board is not focused on software development
- The architecture review board is not filled with technologists discussing technology
Boards based on these myths fail. They fail spectacularly in modern agile enterprise. Even from an IT perspective, they fail, as they actively work against the benefits of good agile-based software development methods.
This article explains goals of an modern dynamic modern Architecture Review Board. Read these articles for how to stand-up an ARB, the basics of architecture governance, what an ARB is, or the key architecture governance processes - target architecture approval and implementation governance.
Let's move on to the real goals of an enterprise architecture review board.
Five Goals for an Architecture Review Board
We need our architecture review board to maintain enterprise agility. Digital enterprises must be able to react to unexpected opportunities and threats.
The five goals for a successful Architecture Review Boards are:
- Ensure the enterprise architecture team is focused on your enterprise architecture use case
- Ensure the target architecture addresses your organizational shortfalls
- Ensuring the right decision-makers approved the target architecture using the target architecture checklist
- Ensuring implementation teams deliver the expected benefits and stayed within their constraints using the implementation governance checklist
- Ensure the architecture review process functions efficiently
Going Deeper into the Five Goals for an Architecture Review Board
Ensure focus on your enterprise architecture use case
Your enterprise architecture team does the work to analyze your enterprise. They find the source of the deficiency and identify ways to improve your organization.
They need to be structured, training and enabled to succeed. This includes ensuring they have the right enterprise architecture management tool and use successful methods and process.
Ensure the target architecture addresses your organizational shortfalls
This is the central goal - does your architecture guide effective change? Or not?
Your architecture needs to find where your organization falls short of performance expectations. Does not operate within constraints. Has exceeded the risk appetite.
Then your target needs to identify changes that will address the shortfalls.
Ensure stakeholders approved the target architecture
Here is the challenge for an architecture review board. Knowing who can approve a target. Then ensuring the right decision maker approved the target.
This requires a dynamic, governance focused architecture review board.
Ensure implementers followed direction
The core of governance is direction and control. Direction tells someone what is expected, what constraints they need to accept, and the acceptable risk appetite. Controls provide evidence the directions were followed.
Great architecture review boards leverage existing management and reporting processes to ensure implementers followed directions.
Ensure the enterprise architecture governance process functions efficiently
The architecture review board needs to enable decentralized decision making.
The simple definition of governance is how "an organization is directed, overseen and held accountable for achieving its defined purpose.”
This requires delegated decentralized decision making and reporting.
The governance process needs to govern:
The architecture review board ensures the entire enterprise architecture process serves the stakeholders. The architecture review board performs a vital function in enterprise architecture governance directing and holding to account advisors and implementers.
Go Further with Best Practice Enterprise Architecture Process and Method
Best practice enterprise architecture from Conexiam Navigate
Best Practices to Implement Enterprise Architecture Management Tools
Best Practices to Implement Enterprise Architecture Management Tools Enterprise Architecture Management Tools are designed to support the planning, design, analysis, and execution of enterprise architecture. They enable enterprise architects to examine the need for change […]
Enterprise Architecture Framework Comparison: Which Is Right for You?
Enterprise Architecture Framework Comparison: Which Is Right for You? There’s no one-size-fits-all in business. Nor in enterprise architecture frameworks. Compare the merits of popular frameworks to deletermine what optimized framework is right for you. While […]
Enterprise Architecture Work Management
Enterprise Architecture Work Management Enterprise Architecture Work Management is crucial to the day-to-day success of an Enterprise Architecture Team. Architects must deliver useful guidance before stakeholders make informed decisions. Enterprise architects need to translate the […]
Standing-up a Modern Architecture Review Board
Standing-up a Modern Architecture Review Board Standing-up an modern architecture review board requires creating a dynamic governance process and establishing a top-level back-stop decision-making body. The objective is to establish effective architecture governance without bureaucracy. […]
Making Smarter Choices: Why Your Business Needs Architectural Decisions
Making Smarter Choices: Why Your Business Needs Architectural Decisions Enterprises are constantly confronted with the challenge of making crucial decisions. Every day, decisions, including operational practices and technology selections, have a significant impact on a […]
How to Define Enterprise Architecture Principles
How to Define Enterprise Architecture Principles To Define Enterprise Architecture Principles start with understanding what a principle is and how to apply them. Then we can develop strong architecture principles that help improve our organization. […]
Enterprise Architecture Roadmap as Design
Enterprise Architecture Roadmap as Design An Architecture Roadmap is a planning tool that helps an organization’s decision-makers. A dynamic Architecture Roadmap is designed to help them develop and travel the best path forward. It also […]
Understanding Enterprise Architecture and Agile
Understanding Enterprise Architecture and Agile Both agile and enterprise architecture are designed to reduce risk. Agile software development excels at building something that we have never had before and do not know how to build. […]
Discover the Power of Enterprise Architecture Patterns
Discovering the Power of Enterprise Architecture Patterns: A Comprehensive Guide Every organization wants to improve. Streamline their operations. Enhance their enterprise agility. Align change with their strategies. Succeed at digital transformation. Enterprise Architecture, a discipline […]
Unlocking the Power of Capability-Based Planning: A Quick Guide
Unlocking the Power of Capability-Based Planning: A Quick Guide Are you looking for a more effective way to plan and execute your business strategy? Look no further than capability-based planning. Identifying and using your organization’s […]
Conclusion of Five Goals for an Architecture Review Board
When your architecture review board is focused on the five goals it is focused on successfully using enterprise architecture.
Every enterprise architect can help meet the five goals of a successful architecture review board:
- Understand the type of shortfalls our organization needs to focus on.
Understand our planning and execution time frames
Focus on your primary work on your EA use case. Architecture to support Strategy, Architecture to Support Portfolio, Architecture to support Project, and Architecture to support Solution Delivery. - Do your job. Deliver an architecture project focused on the problem at hand, working to the performance expectations, constraints and risk appetite you have been told. Use architecture views to ensure you analyzed the architecture to your stakeholders concerns.
- Use the target architecture governance checklist.
It checks that:- you had the right stakeholders
- you performed quality analysis
- your recommendation is based on the analysis
- your communication explained in terms of criteria and risk
- Use the implementation governance checklist.
It starts with the key question - did the implementer reasonably interpret the architecture?
If so, your job stops.
If not, the rest of the checklist drives you to a get well recommendation. - Use existing enterprise processes. The best enterprise architecture process fits in and fill-out. Where there is a solid process adopt it. Where your organization has a gap, bridge it.
You have formal and informal authority. Step-in and act. You know the process requirements. Proactively work to ensure smooth enterprise architecture governance.
