IT Architecture from A to Z: Theoretical basis. First Edition

• Project Completion Report.

Keeping records is one of the most important elements of any project. No one likes to write documents… except those who can. Use templates (text, charts, tables and presentations) and deliverables. But before one start to create or fill in templates, the following important questions should be answered:

• What artifacts and documents are needed for your project?

• To what extent do they have to be worked out?

• How compatible is cost of time spent for creating a document to the value of the document?

Generating a bunch of unnecessary documents is an expensive, long and silly process. This is beneficial if the project is estimated by the thickness of the reporting documents. But nobody reads thick documents. They are stored on the most remote shelf and forgotten forever.

Therefore, one need to select the documents required to achieve the project objectives, i.e. results. They should be worked out in the extent necessary to achieve the project objectives. It is logical. But how can one define this line?

I recommend the method of gradual improvement or upon demand, which is the following:

• First select the minimum set of documents.

• Use common sense when filling them out. If something seems redundant, discard it.

• Assess whether you can achieve the desired results having this information.

• If not, include missing sections or documents.

• Refill them and reassess.

• Repeat the above-mentioned steps until results are achieved.

Project Management Tools

How and what project management tools should be chosen? There are dozens of tools on the market within the wide price range. Implementing some of them can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Like choosing the Enterprise Architecture managing tools, I recommend using free or low-cost tools whenever possible.

What are the minimum requirements for tools? What should they help you do?

• Write and edit texts, make charts, tables, presentations, etc.

• Publish them on accessible resource, regulate the access rights to information, and discuss these materials.

Set of tools:

• To compile documents, charts, spreadsheets and presentations, one can use a standard office suite, for example, MS Office containing ready-made document templates. There are extensions for Visio to draw all the necessary flowcharts.

• Joint works requires using a corporate portal, a document management system, a corporate mail system, a corporate messaging system, or a dedicated file share in an organization’s corporate network. The choice of solution will depend on what your company already have got.

Professional project management tools are:

•Microsoft Project 2016 Server / Professional

•JIRA Project Management

For developed organizations or project IT companies, it is preferable to use additional professional systems if they are not part of Project Management systems, such as:

• Work Authorization System;

• Change Control System;

• Configuration Management System.

Key success factors of the project

The chances to implement the project successfully increase if the project is supported by the company’s top management and the scope of work is reduced so that the minimum significant result for the company is achieved in the shortest time and at the lowest cost. In addition, it is worth paying much attention to planning, risks and receiving feedback from external or internal customers.

The following key success factors for a project can be identified:

•Clear and understandable objectives are vital for the project. Moreover, the achievement of these goals should be important for the project sponsor and key stakeholders.

•Quick results should be achieved to ensure short-term goals. It is important to maintain the sponsor’s interest in the project. To do this, one needs to quickly achieve the necessary results for the company to be recorded as an asset. If the nearest results will be in 3 years, then the interest in the project will drop dramatically.

•Intensive work with all interested parties is required within the project to resolve the issues involving top-management, other important and busy people. Find ways to get them involved in the project. Of course, them should not be invited to all meetings or disturbed every day. But their trustees can be involved in the project and informed on the project progress. In addition, you can prepare lists of questions with answers to meet with them.

•Revolutionary changes are attractive on the paper, but difficult to implement. It is better to avoid them. Gradual improvements are often more effective.

•Tracking value of the results is required for every architectural solution to assess benefits, terms, expenses and risks. They must be coordinated with the sponsor and interested parties. Project results should give value to the company.

•Ensuring maximum reuse of the organization’s IT assets is a great opportunity to get fast results with minimal cost. Destroying and reconstruction may be long and expensive. Breaking something that really works is unwise. The information systems and company equipment of the are used for 15—30% of opportunities.

•Architects and project managers should work closely with business and IT projects rather than generate brilliant ideas based on the “best practices”. Working “on site” for many aspiring architects is extremely uncomfortable. They are afraid to seem incompetent. Although the fact that IT specialists know deeper specific technologies than architects is perfectly normal just like the fact that the business knows better the way the company works. Working with people is the only way to achieve results.

•Maximum use and distribution of information is very important since information is a main asset of the architectural project. Access to the information should be as fast and convenient as possible. Everything you know and how it can be used should be shared to everyone.