3 steps to scale Agile development

using enterprise architecture

Agile and EA have been entangled for many years​

Agile Milestones​ Impact on Enterprise Architecture​

2001​ Agile Manifesto is released. It is built on four Agile methodologies don’t scale to meet enterprise requirements as focus is on software
values and 12 principles for agile software delivery schedule, and not the enterprise. Without guidance, the architectures that Agile is
development. ​ designing could be at odds with the best practices and overall architecture of the organization
(ex: common source of information, integration standards, technology constraints, evolution,
maintenance, etc.).​

2008​ Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is released Agile architecture supports Agile development practices through collaboration, emergent
providing a set of organization and workflow design, intentional architecture, and design simplicity. Architects can prioritize strategic
patterns intended to guide enterprises in initiatives from other initiatives by identifying key but problematic business capabilities using
scaling lean and agile practices. value streams and several measurement techniques. ​

Today​ Almost every company is practicing Agile. 95% A best practice is to embed enterprise architects into Agile teams. The harmonization
of organizations indicate they are practicing between architecture and Agile teams can contribute to the delivery of successful projects
Agile development methods. aligned to corporate strategies.​

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Sources​
• Is Agile the future of Enterprise Architecture​
• Fine tuning SAFe with architecture​
• 14th Annual State of Agile Report May 2020​

2 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

Organizations face varying challenges to optimize their development, IT, and operations

Constant Market Development Silos​ EA and Agile​

Changes​

• Requirements quickly evolve • Development teams work in • Current Enterprise

due to constant market silos on a limited scope
changes losing sight into the entire
project
• Requirements are also not
mapped to architectures and • Development teams are
architecture components are confronted to shorter
slowing down developments deadlines in Agile
environments
Architecture practices may
lose relevance in the face of a
lean and agile culture
• Too often, enterprise
architects are confined in the
IT side, while they can create a
bigger impact on business
transformation initiatives

3 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

Solution
Support Agile developments with a just-in-time intentional architecture
Enterprise architecture is a key component to providing guidance to Agile developments. It starts by architecting business architecture
and planning activities, then designing the intentional architecture that will be used by the development teams to create the
emergent design. The intentional architecture is plan-based and high level, with the objective of aligning cross teams. At some
point, the intentional architecture should be reconciled with the emergent design to follow the changes that happened during the
developments.

Business Emerging
objectives and technologies Value Streams
Enterprise roadmap

Architects Business
Regulatory Technology Capabilities
Requirements Standards
Patterns

PI #1 PI #2 PI #3 PI #4

Solution Intentional
IT Portfolio
Architects Architecture
le

le

le
ci

ci

ci
on

on

on
ec

ec

ec
R

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Local Agile Emergent Emergent Emergent Emergent
developments designs designs designs designs
Dev.teams Architectural
Runway

PI #1 PI #2 PI #3 PI #4

4 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

3-Step methodology to employing intentional architecture with Agile teams​

Capture business Produce reference Keep architecture

1 objectives​ 2 models and intentional 3 aligned​to the strategic
architecture​ vision​

• Capture company’s vision, • Manage a portfolio of • Reconcile the intentional

objectives, strategy, and standard technologies & architecture with the
tactics​ patterns so development emergent design coming
teams use approved from the Agile teams​
• Build a strategic roadmap by
technologies​
planning business capabilities​ • Keep an inventory of
• Design intentional architectures that evolve as
• Tie software development
architecture including developments occur​
projects to business
application and technology
capabilities and value • Use a single platform that
architecture for each phase of
streams​ brings together development
the roadmap​ teams and all stakeholders
• Assess the regulatory
• Provide a complete overview
requirements affecting
of the development projects
projects​
by sharing deliverables to the
development teams​

5 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

 1 Capture business objectives

• Capture company’s vision, objectives, strategy, and tactics​

• Build a strategic roadmap by planning business capabilities​
• Tie software development projects to business capabilities and value streams​
• Assess the regulatory requirements affecting projects​

Business capability map with functionalities (features)​ IT roadmap​

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Build your own Business Capability Map (or Build the IT roadmap by identifying the
import a standard one according to your industry) transformation phases and planning the delivery
and then link the expected functionalities during of the expected functionalities aligned with the
the IT roadmap phase​ business objectives and capability improvements​

6 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

 2 Produce reference models and intentional architecture​

• Manage a portfolio of standard technologies so development teams use approved technologies​

• Design intentional architecture including application and technology architecture for each phase of the enterprise roadmap​
• Provide a complete overview of the development projects by sharing deliverables to the development teams

The enterprise roadmap and its intentional architecture models​

Provide an overview of application system architecture evolutions that are aligned with
strategy and business views for each digital transformation phase​

7 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

 3 Keep architecture aligned to the strategic vision​

• Reconcile the intentional architecture with the emergent design coming from the Agile teams​
• Keep an inventory of architectures that evolve as developments occur​
• Use a single platform that brings together development teams and all stakeholders

Application architecture diagrams​ Project monitoring dashboard​

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Reconcile the intentional with the emergent
architecture (or vice versa) and check that all
expected functionalities are covered by an
application component and service points expose
all the expected service contracts​
Create project portfolios to monitor projects, their
impact on the IT landscape, inter-dependencies,
and status. ​

8 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

Key benefits of using enterprise architecture in Agile developments​

Break down silos​ Avoid rework​ Comply with policies​

• Bring the strategic vision to • Provide guidance and • Development teams use the
development teams so that reference architecture models guardrails set by EA, using
they have greater visibility on so that development teams standard technologies and
the overall project and how can design the right software architectures that integrate
it fits with the company’s from the start​ policies and regulatory
objectives​ constraints​

9 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

Best practice 1
Use a gardening mindset

“Make sure the soil is rich,

the plant is watered, garden it
well and become a gardener
rather than an architect.”
Source: Enterprise Architect working
with Agile teams, Nationwide
Insurance

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10 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture
How enterprise architects can use a gardening mindset

Be a business partner and bring a strategic vision

Prepare
the soil
Integrate regulatory constraints and policies to programs

Take care of Build an intentional architecture that supports Agile developments

the plants
Provide architectural guardrails to teams

Work within dev teams and break down silos

Tend the
garden Facilitate Agile practice adoption rather than being a roadblock

Balance emergent design and intentional architecture

11 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

Best practice 2
Find the right balance to interact with development teams​

• In most Agile-at-scale environments,

organizations might encounter these
shortcomings:
• Too much focus on emergent design to the
expense of the strategic vision brought by
enterprise architecture​
• Too much emphasis on programs rather
than portfolios leading to a misalignment
with strategic goals

• That’s why balancing emergent design and

intentional architecture is key:
• Emergent design is for small, tactical
projects​
• Intentional architecture to bring the bigger
picture

• Enterprise architects need to determine the

best way to interact with dev teams, and
hence improve how to balance intentional
architecture and emergent design

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12 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture
Key Takeaways
The outlook is bright for enterprise architects​

In Agile environments, the role of enterprise architects is important in providing strategic direction
to development teams. Without intentional architecture, emergent design alone cannot handle the
complexity of large-scale system development, and the following problems start to occur:

• Excessive redesign and delays​

• Development silos and lack of collaboration​
• No economies-of-scale and reuse of common components​
• Difficulty to integrate all the developments of the same project

EA’s should work hand-in-hand with the development teams to:

• Produce a variety of reference models including architecture diagrams, UML diagrams, and data
models​
• Manage a portfolio of standard technologies and identify patterns that can be reused​
• Share the strategic roadmap and intentional architecture with dev teams​
• Move governance outside of the EA team and let local teams design their own architecture based
on the defined guardrails​
• Establish defined trade-offs between intentional architecture and emergent design

13 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture

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14 3 steps to scale Agile development using enterprise architecture