A Simplified Approach to IT Architecture with BPMN: A Coherent Methodology for Modeling Every Level of the Enterprise distills the insights a seasoned IT professional gathered over the course of thirty-five years spent studying, designing, deploying, critiquing, and refining IT architectures. This approach, rooted in models, follows a logical process for creating architectures that can unify IT across every level of the enterprise.
David Enstrom, a published author with education and extensive experience in the field, places the Business Process Model and Notation—the title’s BPMN—at the heart of the Unified Architecture Method—UAM—that undergirds this work’s method. The highly structured contents of A Simplified Approach to IT Architecture with BPMN cover an array of topics: the demystification of IT architecture; the description of UAM; how to architect-in IT security; the delineation of Business, Logical, and Technical Perspectives; and the depiction of architectural patterns.
The additions of a bibliography, a glossary, several supplementary sections, and an index supplement the main presentation in A Simplified Approach to IT Architecture with BPMN, rendering it a comprehensive source for IT professionals charged with responsibilities for IT architecture at every level of the enterprise.
The Unified Architecture Method, and the associated book, clarifies what IT architecture is, where it fits within the enterprise, how to produce valid IT architectures, and how to apply the resulting models to advance the goals of the enterprise.
There is a lot of information about the UAM on the web site (unified-am.com), but basically the UAM framework is different (the set of models) from other approaches; and using this framework it separates concerns for the target audiences in two ways:
- Vertically - the top level Perspective is for business people, the next level is a mix (Logical models, where lots of decisions are made both business and technical ... they go together), the Technical Perspective is naturally very much aimed at all the techies involved.
- Horizontally - the Data, Process, Location and People aspects are also aimed/of interest to different sets of stakeholders.
The other important difference is that a methodical and logical approach (process) is used to define IT architectures. It is not hap-hazard or even arbitrary like many methodologies out there! And the architectures are complete ... all interrogatives are addressed.
Finally, this methodology can be applied anywhere within the organization, from EA down to specific systems, and if carefully done all of these architectures are clearly related.
So the book and methodology are of use to everyone involved in the design and implantation of IT.
