Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results [Hardcover]

Ralph Whittle (Author), Conrad B. Myrick (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0849327881 | ISBN-13: 978-0849327889 | Publication Date: August 27, 2004 | Edition: 1

A critical part of any company's successful strategic planning is the creation of an Enterprise Business Architecture (EBA) with its formal linkages. Strategic research and analysis firms have recognized the importance of an integrated enterprise architecture and they have frequently reported on its increasing value to successful companies. Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results explains the approach needed for the development of a formal but pragmatic EBA.

Part I introduces EBA concepts and terms, and emphasizes the importance of architectures in reaching business goals. This section challenges you to research and analyze the architectural needs of your business. This analysis enables you to understand both your chosen architecture and the behaviors and discipline needed to maximize its potential. Part II illustrates a high-level approach for building the EBA. It provides you with a richly illustrated case study and guidance for relating the value of this approach to your enterprise. Part III provides suggestions derived from successful engagements that implemented the formal EBA approach with integrated enterprise architectures. This section demonstrates that success does not result from a one-time project, but instead emerges from a new EBA-based corporate behavior.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 1 edition (August 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849327881
• ISBN-13: 978-0849327889
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #760,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ralph Whittle is co-author of a book titled, Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results, CRC Press 2004. He is a Strategic Business/IT Consultant and subject matter expert in Enterprise Business Architecture development and implementation. He has built Enterprise Business Architectures in various industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, financial, and technology. He has worked in the IT industry for over 26 years, conducting engagements in enterprise business process modeling, strategic/tactical business planning, enterprise business requirements analysis, enterprise business architecture and IT architecture integration, strategic frameworks integration with systems development methodologies and IT service offering enhancement. He is a co-inventor of a patented Strategic Business/IT Planning framework. You can visit his web site at www.enterprisebusinessarchitecture.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start but Falls Short, May 14, 2009

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Patricia Eilers "Business Process Architect, ... (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results (Hardcover)

In this book the authors have attempted to provide a methodology for developing an Enterprise Business Architecture (EBA). But the book falls short in its ignorance of industry standard modeling notations such as BPMN and UML--thus making the methodology difficult to apply with any of today's modeling tools--and sites very simplistic examples.

The one pearl contained in this book is the focus on business objects (informational and tangible) being exchanged between business processes as a way of understanding dependencies in the architecture.

In my opinion, the content lacks the breadth and depth I would expect to see in a book describing something as significant as a methodology for developing a Business Architecture.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bible for Business Architecture, January 23, 2011

By 

Albert Hemings (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results (Hardcover)

I know Ralph personally and have worked with him professionally and he hit a home run with this book. It is truly business architecture laid out in detail and he shows you the information technology linkages. Written for business people who want to architect their company for success.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Pragmatic Approach to EBA, April 17, 2010

By 

Skip Boettger "Skip Boettger" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Enterprise Business Architecture: The Formal Link between Strategy and Results (Hardcover)

Mr. Whittle's book is very definitive in that it takes James Martin's concepts of Value Streams and supports it by illustrating the behaviors and the relationships within the Value Stream Context of an "end to end set of activities resulting in customer satisfaction".

When I speak at conferences on Enterprise Business Architecture, I make a point of referencing this particular book as a necessity to be on any EA/EBA professional's bookshelf. The Authors did an excellent job in providing a very pragmatic approach to enable Professional Business Driven Architects to understand much more clearly the Business Architecture environment as it fits into the overall Enterprise. Also, the Modeling Language the authors offer in the book is very comprehensive in that it illustrates Value Stream Behavior Characteristics extremely well. Over the last 5 or so years, I have given away many copies of this particular book to Conference Attendees. Likewise, when I work with clients and colleagues, I encourage the reading of this book among others to accomplish a better understanding of a "business driven" enterprise.

It is an important companion to James Martin's "The Great Transition", "Cybercorp - The New Revolution", and Michael Porter's "Competitive Advantage" as well as Mr. Porter's "Competitive Strategy". Having practiced professionally in the Enterprise Architecture disciplines for well over 2 decades, the knowledge and context communicated in this book, "Enterprise Business Architecture - The Formal Link Between Strategy and Results", also provides a very straight forward mapping to ANY framework that is truly 'business driven', and as well it enables one to easily see how the concept and context of Enterprise Business Architecture fits into more involved basic frameworks like Zachman, FEAF, et al.