The IT Architecture Group and Enterprise Architecture

Owned by Louis King
Last updated: Mar 19, 2021
2 min read

Members of the IT Architecture Group are professionals within ITS who focus on the IT architecture planning, design, and remediation needed in their respective departments. To be effective, these individuals also maintain a holistic view of the entire enterprise’s architecture and influence its design and evolution. To that end, a portion of each architect’s time is spent building that viewpoint through collaboration with architects across ITS and IT Partners.

A typical member will spend approximately ten percent of their effort every year (160 hours) to participate in the following EA activities. The specific deliverables are determined annually between the departmental architect and their immediate supervisor in consultation with the Enterprise Architecture team. Departments may plan for this work to fall into the following categories and estimate of effort.

It should be noted that most of the candidate members of the architecture group are already committing 80-100 hours to this effort based upon their current job responsibilities. The primary benefit of having the group coordinated through Enterprise Architecture is that this effort is made consistent and has the potential to leverage a particular professional’s talents to serve a broader need within ITS.

  1. Technology Architecture Committee (TAC) (1.5h+prep/every other week | 50 total hours)
    A forum to govern, advise, discuss, and develop Yale's Enterprise IT Architecture. Activities include IT solution architecture reviews, IT architecture standard reviews, expert collaboration, and professional development.
    Outcomes: Improved and documented design. Architectural standards. Enhanced workforce.

  2. Technology Road Maps (2-5 roadmaps | 35 total hours)
    Plan and document the technical evolution of services by developing three-year technology roadmaps that provide ample lead-time for managing change.
    Outcomes: Improved agility. Improved planning.

  3. Architecture Standards Development and Adoption and Participation in TAST (2-3 standards | 35 total hours)
    Work with teams within the department to develop technology architecture standards that document standard principles, technologies, and processes of the service. Also, serve in a rotational fashion as a member of the TAST advisory committee that helps identify and prioritize the nature and creation of said standards.
    Outcomes: Repeatable and documented processes.

  4. Expert Consultation (by request | 30 total hours)
    Provide expert architectural consultation if and when expertise gaps are discovered across ITS as needed. This activity allows strong architecture team members to assist groups with less mature design capabilities.
    Outcomes: Removed project blockers. Improved solution designs. Improved knowledge exchange.

  5. Root Cause Architectural Analysis (by request | 10 total hours)
    Participate in complex root cause analyses that require departmental expertise to identify architectural problems and to propose effective remediation.
    Outcomes: Identified and remediated architectural defects.