“The Times They Are a Changin’” was an iconic song in its day.
It might also have a resonance for today’s enterprise architects (EAs), given the emergence of game-changing technologies around digital transformation and artificial intelligence to name a couple.
This realization has led many an industry expert to take note of how best EAs can respond to the change. One such analyst report focused on EA tools and the qualities that they should possess.
One of the most important qualities seemed to be, as Henry David Thoreau said – “Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand.”
The best EA tools have the ability to paint a picture for the intended audience, according to the experts. While EAs may be able to interpret the data, executives, for example, will benefit from superior graphics that communicate the meaning of the data.
Another quality designed to provide a clearer picture is one that brings meaning and context to data through mapping and modeling. This will help address the needs of the digital business and provide for all-important customer centricity.
Of course, the bottom line should be appreciated as well, which is why many experts want tools that go beyond IT and embrace the overall business. Like a team player, such tools must support and integrate with other business intelligence concepts and tools, leading to a more holistic analysis.
In addition, tools that recognize time to value and those that anticipate change will hold the most value to EAs, according to Jeff Ellerbee, solutions marketing manager at Planview.
One industry expert credited Planview for the work it was doing, noting that it has improved its position by producing and clarifying a strategic roadmap with the end-goal being an integrated offering.
It also homed in on its strong vision for work and resource management.
“What they found,” according to Ellerbee, “is that Planview has adjusted from creating a planning-focused tool market to one that considers how that planning is being executed, or strategy to execution.”
