Generating Value Through Information Architecture

Finesse has never been my forte.  I’m a bit more of a brute force, power-through-it, kind of guy.  And yet, I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the value and importance of technique.  Whether it is technique on the sports field, in the kitchen, during a home improvement project, or on an Enterprise or IT architecture endeavor, technique is a critical aspect of how and what you ultimately produce.

Approach vs Method vs Technique

First we need to start by distinguishing a few terms and concepts.  We will begin by defining the output of architecture activities.

• Artifact — a diagram (graphic), matrix (table), or catalog (list) which serves as a model for some aspect of the enterprise
• Deliverable — a formal (maybe even contractual) work product consisting of multiple artifacts which provides a complete view of the system or process in question from one or more perspectives

Next we will define three terms that deal with the creation and management of artifacts / models and deliverables.

• Approach — an inclusive term that encompasses the entire set of techniques the an architecture practitioner is applying to a project along with the process or methodology that is being used for combining these techniques into a cohesive strategy for developing and maintaining artifacts / models and deliverables
• Method (a.k.a. methodology or process) — a set of activities that describe an end-to-end workflow for developing and maintaining one or more deliverables
• Technique — a set of procedures that a practitioner performs in order to produce or manage a tangible artifact / model

Understanding Architecture Techniques

Techniques represent the detailed steps that are architect performs in order to develop or maintain a model of the enterprise.  Some techniques may be very specific to the creation of a particular model, such as the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) which is specifically used in crafting the error-handling strategy for the Application and Technology domains of an architecture.  Some techniques may be specific to a particular phase of the project (or occur at a designated step within the architecture process) such as the Stakeholder Mapping technique from TOGAF which is created early in the process (Preliminary Phase or Architecture Vision Phase) or the Business Process Modeling technique which is also utilized early in a project life cycle.  Other techniques are more utilitarian and thus suitable for use in a variety of contexts and project phases such as Pareto Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, or Mind Mapping.

The architect is ultimately responsible for determining the optimum technique to apply in a given circumstance.  There may even be a need to apply a particular technique multiple times to solve similar problems that appear later in the project or as part of an intentional and iterative elaboration.  A good example of this iterative approach would be the use of Entity Relationship Diagramming to develop the conceptual, logical, and physical models of the enterprise or system’s data.

Connecting Techniques to Methods

Within the context of an overall process or methodology, the architect must carry out narrowly scoped procedures in order to produce artifacts that demonstrate one or more aspects of either the current or future system design.  Typically a technique will be aimed at producing a particular type of artifact, possibly even conforming to a pre-defined template.  Techniques may exist independent of or serve as integral parts of processes / methods.

Whether a technique is specifically called for by a given architecture process or whether the architect has selected that technique for the project at hand, the incorporation of the technique into the architecture process is critical.  The integration between techniques and processes / methods helps to ensure a cohesive and consistent approach to developing and maintaining enterprise models.

Example Techniques

• Business Process Modeling
• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Entity Relationship Diagramming
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Gap Analysis
• Intersection / Set Theory Examination (Venn Diagram)
• Mind Mapping
• Pareto Analysis (Pareto Chart)
• Proto-typing
• Stakeholder Mapping
• Story boarding
• SWOT Analysis
• Wire-framing

Technique Rules of Thumb

Learning, applying, and enhancing your collection of architecture techniques is an essential aspect of improving your architecture knowledge and skills.  Recommendations for new as well as experienced architects is as follows:

• Learn and apply as many techniques as you can find
• Where possible, acquire at least two techniques for creating each artifact
• Ensure that you understand and can perform each technique in the absence of a particular toolset that guides and enables the use of that technique
• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of any techniques that you are familiar with to enable you to make good decisions regarding when to apply a technique
• Be cautious that you not develop a set of pet techniques that you apply to EVERY project

The Value of Technique

Although a lot of attention is given to the concept of architecture methodology, the value of techniques cannot be emphasized enough.  Simply put, no artifacts or models would ever get created without the application of techniques.  An architecture method provides an excellent macro-level flow, but it is the mico-level finesse of techniques that ultimately produces tangible artifacts and eventually completed deliverables.