The ABACUS Enterprise

Architecture Methodology

7 Steps to Delivering Successful Enterprise

Architecture

This paper sets out a seven step methodology:

a structure which can be adopted and adapted to guide
delivery of successful enterprise architecture programs.

Version 1.4

Published December 2017

 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Expert Enterprise Architecture

ABACUS is designed to deliver market-leading enterprise architecture, modeling and

analysis. Increased demand for architectural intelligence and analysis means
practitioners need to streamline the work of managing complex, interconnected and
continuously evolving systems and infrastructure.
Time to Value:
76% of companies
deploy ABACUS in By importing and centralizing your data with little fuss using ABACUS’ adapters, you
under 3 months,
94% in less than 6 can be delivering analysis, roadmaps and reports quickly.
months.
Source: Gartner Peer
Insights Quick Time-to-Value

• Import data using the ABACUS REST API plus integrations with Excel, Visio,
SharePoint, Technopedia, ServiceNow, CMDBs etc.
• Select one of 100+ frameworks available in ABACUS incl. TOGAF, DoDAF and
FEAF. Simply adjust the framework as needed.
• Collaborate on shared projects across geographies and time-zones. ABACUS
scales easily to support thousands of users.

Import Model Analyze Roadmap Report

Import data in minutes Build models using Run analytics to Map out and text Report with rich visuals
from SharePoint, Excel, ‘Drag and Drop’ in measure Cost, Risk, ROI future IT and company (heat maps, treemaps,
Visio and other sources different personas and other KPIs structures diagrams etc)

The ABACUS Methodology: Delivering Quick Analysis and Dependable Architecture

Step 1: Mapping out Goal and Objectives

Goals and objectives should be closely aligned with the strategies of the organization
as a whole. These will guide the analytics you run and the deliverables your team
produces.

Examples of Business-Responsive Enterprise Architecture Goals

• Managing systems and processes efficiently

• Selecting applications and technology to serve the enterprise, minimizing
functional overlap and excess cost

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

• Responding quickly to business opportunities and customer needs

• Planning in order to mitigate risks arising from technical debt and legacy
systems and security and compliance challenges.

What data do you need to make your case and guide decisions?

Use analysis techniques and algorithms available in ABACUS to provide the

For detail on analytics
in ABACUS, download:
quantitative data which guides your decision making and the recommendations
"The Power of you make to the business. For instance, if a project is budget-sensitive, use cost
Enterprise Architecture
Algorithms." analysis to determine which strategies yield the best return on investment.

Step 2: Setting your Scope and Stakeholders

Setting priorities, and understanding the extent of each project and its
stakeholders, will provide you with a strong foundation for success.

This scoping step will determine what data is needed, the level of data quality
required and what degree of processing is needed to transform the data into
useful information.

Often the scope is determined by selecting all organizational units and

projects that could be included in the scope and ranking them according to a
chosen criteria. This may include project stage, organizational maturity, drivers,
measurability and organizational value.

“Typically, the scope of an Lifecycle Stage

architecture is first
expressed in terms of
Outcome
breadth, depth, and time. Focus / Drivers
(Low, Critical,
Once these dimensions are (Business or IT)
understood, a suitable Common
combination of architecture
Scope
domains can be selected
that are appropriate to the
problem being addressed”.
Measurability 4 P’s: Principles,
- TOGAF 9.1 (Low to High) People, Process,

(Common scope criteria for EA projects)

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Step 3: Configure in a Day

Selecting a suitable metamodel at the outset is often crucial for stakeholder buy-in and
effective collaboration.

ABACUS users have a wide range of options:

• Choose from many industry metamodels, provided as-standard in

ABACUS. From login, ABACUS offers over 100+ frameworks and metamodels
including BPMN, BIAN, BizBOK, DoDAF, FEAF, ITIL, PeaF, SAP EAF, UML,
Zachman, etc. ABACUS is also the only EA tool certified to provide 100%
out-of-the box support for TOGAF 9.1 and ArchiMate 3.0.
• Design or adapt a metamodel, tailored to your enterprise. This
configurability is possible because ABACUS is built on an agile, open and flexible
XML-based hierarchical repository.
• We also provide an ABACUS metamodel, which has been built as a
hybrid of industry best-practice frameworks from the Object Management
Group and the Open Group.

While configurable, your metamodel can also be ‘locked down’ with permissions,
allowing organizations to mandate a consistent metamodel.

Importantly, all metamodels can be can be modified very easily at any stage of the
architectural process without having to configure ABACUS (i.e. no coding needed). This
feature allows you to future-proof your practice, and be adaptable as your enterprise
itself evolves.

Step 4: Streamlined Data Audit and Bulk Upload

The architecture team is now ready to locate and import the data needed to build their
repository. The team needs to be confident that the data on which they are basing
their recommendations is accurate, and can be maintained.
For detail on
ABACUS data
exchange options ABACUS now provides the most comprehensive range of integrations available in any
visit "Adapters and enterprise architecture tool, to streamline data-import:
Data Integrations"
on our website.
• Your team can configure the ABACUS repository to set up bulk data uploads
from ServiceNow, SharePoint, Excel, Visio, Google Sheets, CMDBs and other
sources.
• The ABACUS Technopedia adapter allows your team to swiftly update data on
vendor, versioning, product lifecycle and end-of-life dates on over 2 million
software and hardware technologies.

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

As you work through this process, ensure that you build relationships with the
custodians of required information. In addition, it is worth maintaining solid records
of where data was obtained.

Step 5: Modeling and Roadmapping

“Avolution is
particularly good for As data is bought into the tool, diagrams, charts and other visual methods can be built
EA teams with multiple
to gain insight into the company’s architecture and infrastructure and identify any gaps
scenarios”
-The Forrester Wave and missing information.

Architects and digital business managers can also use these diagrams and visuals to
spot risks, opportunities and design roadmaps for execution of company strategy.

As well as best-in-class roadmapping functionality, ABACUS is the only EA tool to offer

the ability to assess a range of scenarios using Multiple Architecture Analysis. This
approach yields a mature and robust roadmap, supported by detailed quantitative data,
allowing your business to create, compare and save current and future-states
alternatives, then select an optimal course.

Artifacts such as a trade-off diagrams which are generated at this step can be used to
assess the risks and benefits of possible solutions. The roadmaps for alternative
solutions can be included in your reports, either as options, or as appendices detailing
the process followed to reach your recommendation.

2D diagram Chord diagram demonstrating

demonstrating relationships

For an in-depth guide to Roadmapping styles, download our Roadmapping Whitepaper

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Step 6: Analysis, Metrics and Roadmapping

Once a detailed architectural repository has been built, architects can select metrics
and run analysis to guide roadmaps and decisions.

Techniques such as impact-analysis and gap-analysis can be powerful tools for many
architectural programs. Enterprise architects are uniquely placed to take advantage
algorithmic analysis.

In ABACUS, algorithms are available to provide quantitative data and insights on IT and
business architectures. Our proprietary algorithms have been developed and refined
over 25 years of industry usage.

Use them to analyze:

• Financial metrics – calculate the year-on-year and total cost of a system, over
a given lifetime, taking into account hardware, software, and human resource
costs. TCO is calculated using Activity-Based Costing, Lifecycle Costing and other
techniques.

• Performance – the ability of the system to handle specified

volumes of data or transactions (calculated using discrete event simulation).

• Reliability – a measure of the availability of systems as well as reliability over

specified time periods. Users can also calculate recovery time for systems with
dependencies on other systems.

• Openness – the ability of the system to handle replacement of components

with minimal impact.

• Complexity – the more complex a system, the more dependencies, the more
likely performance will suffer.

These technical metrics can be used to derive business metrics using techniques such
as Balanced Scorecard and SixSigma.

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Step 7: Report using Dynamic Dashboards and Visualizations

Successful communication is the key to successful enterprise architecture. In ABACUS,

architects can assemble reports and dashboards to present tailored viewpoints to the
CIO, heads of business units and other teams.

This information needs to be presented in a way that allows you to outline plans,
highlight opportunities and risks and discuss the merits of alternative scenarios —
supported by data from your analysis.

The artifacts produced during the Steps outlined in this document can be
marshalled to communicate your architectural analysis and recommendations.

Rich, Responsive Visualizations: Architects can report using 2D diagrams, 3D

diagrams, catalogues, matrices and charts.

Visualizations available including heat maps and interactive 3D fly-throughs.

Responsive tree maps allow users to quickly compare proportions of data hierarchies.
Information architects can “drill down” into each branch to determine contributing
factors to the value of the business.

Dashboards can be assembled from dock-able and navigable ‘portlets’ and provide key
people with real-time data via the cloud.

Executive-Friendly Iconography: Experienced architects need to configure their

reports for maximum stakeholder impact. Select from a library of executive-friendly
icon options in ABACUS as you prepare your diagrams and reports.

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 The ABACUS Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Automated Reporting: This reporting process can be streamlined and automated

using ABACUS Report Builder. Reports can include deliverables, artifacts and custom
imagery. Architects have access to a wide range of charts and graphical aids for
presenting roadmaps and IT lifecycles.

ABACUS Publisher allows artifacts to be published to a secure web portal or exported to

a variety of common formats, such as bitmaps, SVGs and Excel spreadsheets.

Enterprise Architecture Productivity with ABACUS

The ABACUS platform is designed to enable enterprise architecture practitioners to

move quickly, taking data feeds from key enterprise data sources, and using these to
pull together and communicate a detailed understanding of the company’s IT and
business architecture.

Architects can work collaboratively to document and plan their architectures, both
centrally and at business-unit levels.

You can model and analyze links between technologies, applications and infrastructure.
Plus, explain the essential details of how people and process mesh with these in
complex, evolving systems.

Our methodology, outlined here, is designed to provide an adaptable, iterative

structure which you can tailor to your own requirements.

For examples of the practical value enterprise architecture teams have demonstrated to
their stakeholders using ABACUS please read our Case Studies or contact our team for a
more detailed discussion.

If you would to try ABACUS for yourself, please sign up for a free
30-day trial by visiting www.avolutionsoftware.com

If you would like a demonstration from one of our expert

consultants, email demo@avolutionsoftware.com

Or contact one of our offices to discuss ABACUS or for pricing.

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 sales@avolutionsoftware.com
www.avolutionsoftware.com

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