The Preliminary Phase
The main objective of the preliminary phase is to provide the definition of how an organisation will develop its architecture. A key objective within the Preliminary Phase is to get the buy-in of all the relevant stakeholders.
Other objectives within the Preliminary Phase are:
- Developing an “Architecture Footprint” which consists of the people who will be performing the architectural work, their specific responsibilities and their location.
- Defining and understanding the scope and any assumptions that are being made
- Define the method and any frameworks that will be utilised throughout the ADM
- Confirmation of any support framework that will be used and also to confirm a governance
- Selection and implementation of any supporting tools that may be used
- Define any architecture principles that may limit the architecture work.
The Preliminary Phase should be thought of in terms of defining the following in the enterprise:
- Where
- What
- Why
- Who
- How
The key aspects when approaching the Preliminary Phase are:
- Evaluating the architecture maturity of the enterprise
- Defining any relationships that exist between management frameworks
- Defining the framework that will be utilised
- Defining architecture principles that will drive the architecture work
- Define the actual requirements for the architecture work
- Defining the Enterprise
- Identifying key elements and drivers in the context of the organisation.