10.27.09
You Do What?
In my first book, Deadlines and Duct Tape, I told stories about my personal “duct tape” experiences as a manager in IT. It is amazing how much goes on behind the cloak of invisibility worn by IT. This is a clear case where knowledge is power and IT has the technical knowledge and consequently holds the power.
For those that can go behind the scene and actually see what is going on, they have to ask: “You did what?” which is usually followed by some, “It’s not my fault”, justification. Excuses are given such as the need to meet a deadline or management refused to purchase the software we needed. It is always someone else’s fault.
Those like me that perform in the role of Enterprise Architect are advocates for the business. We see that this control of IT over the business must shift back to the business. Now keep in mind, Enterprise Architects have a clear understanding of the complexity of technology. We know that this complexity must be controlled by senior technical staff. So, the control that needs to shift is not the technical complexity, but rather the control of the business application of the technologies.
In my second book, Enterprise Architects: Masters of the Unseen City, I refer to those that manage and maintain the technical complexity of technology as the Lords of the Underworld. I did this to emphasis their importance. They have the difficult task of guaranteeing the performance of their technology services. Talking to these guys, for any business manager, would be like going into the underworld where people speak strange languages. In the Underworld, orders are given by the Lords and they must be followed to the letter or else chaos would reign.
The business should establish performance goals for the Lords of the Underworld, but not interfere in how they accomplish their goals. If they are not meeting their goals, then get someone else. Today, management has more options to select from. Options such as cloud computing are available to carry the heavy burden of high-performance infrastructure.
Just like in a city, we want our utilities underground. In a city, we can access the water, sewer, electric, and communication services at the surface with well-defined outlets. In information technology, we should be able to tap in without needing to understand the underlying technologies. Having this access gives the business management access to the business information and processes.
So how can this be accomplished? Is there a magic wand? Is there a software package available? The answer is Enterprise Architecture. It is not magic and it is not a package. It is basic hard work to establish the service layer at the city level. To do this will require Enterprise Architects.
So do not be scared. Do not venture into the underworld. Call upon an Enterprise Architect to change the unseen city to a city that can be seen. Learn how by reading my latest book.
