Incremental Software Architecture

Part TwoEnd-State Architecture Discovery and Analysis

When pursuing the discovery and analysis of an enterprise architecture, there are a few vital steps to accomplish. The chief aim of such an exercise is to study and understand the strategy of the proposed architecture, and fully grasp the design and technological means it employs to propose enterprise solutions.

For that reason, the process of end-state discovery and analysis must answer fundamental questions pertaining to the essential keywords: problems, requirements, and solutions:

• What enterprise business and/or technological problems are an end-state architecture devised to resolve?
• What are the business and technical requirements for the end-state architecture?
• What are the enterprise technological solutions that an end-state architecture proposes?
• What architecture assets (such as systems and their related applications, components, and middleware) does the end-state architecture encompass to offer enterprise solutions?
• How are the end-state architecture building blocks devised to solve organizational problems?

The end-state architecture discovery and analysis process should yield critical decisions that could immensely affect business operations and the capability to offer products and services to consumers. Various conclusions can be drawn from such a process. Some of these would support those who are adamant about abandoning the design proposition and canceling the impending project. Others, on the other hand, ...