Enterprise Architectures

Course	V-746-ENAR
Semester	20243
ETCS	7,5
Core	No

Year	1. year
Semester	Fall 2024
Level of course	N/A
Type of course	Elective
Prerequisites	No prerequisites.
Schedule	No schedule found.
Lecturer	Stephan Aier
Content
The purpose of the course is to understand the necessity for an enterprise-wide approach for planning, designing, and guiding enterprise architecture (EA) development, defining the components of an EA and their interrelations from a business-to-IT perspective, defining enterprise architecture modelling (EAM) processes, methods, and products, specifically EA modeling, EA planning, EA principles, and EA governance. Selecting software tool support for EAM, understanding the context, stakeholders, and application scenarios of EAM are also covered as well as institutionalizing EAM in organizations. Virtually all of today’s large organizations have to cope with the significant complexity of their information systems (IS) landscape. The application architecture of large organizations is often comprised of several hundred to some thousand applications that support business processes. These applications are implemented by an even larger number of software systems, which are run on various generations of information technology (IT) infrastructure. These components and their interrelations represent the architecture of an enterprise, i.e., EA. Changing only one of these EA components often impacts a potentially large number of related components of the organization. Changing several of these components at the same time in a number of projects or programs by division of labor leads to potentially redundant and/or inconsistent processes, applications, software systems, or IT infrastructure components. In other words, it creates misalignment in the EA. The factual short-term consequence of a misaligned EA is a waste of resources. The longer-term consequences are increasing efforts and difficulties to maintain existing IS and lacking resources for innovation. This development is almost inevitable unless explicitly addressed. This course discusses the concepts of EA and of EAM as a means to guide the design and evolution of EA. The course is taught in two blocks. The first block will focus on definitions, concepts, and methods of EA and EAM. The second block will focus on tool support, application, and institutionalization of EAM.
Learning outcome - Objectives
Knowledge: Collection of facts, concepts, theories and techniques acquired by students. The student should: - Understand the necessity for an Enterprise Architecture Modelling (EAM) approach in organizations. - Understand the core components of Enterprise Architectures (EA)/Enterprise Architecture Modelling (EAM) and their interrelations. - Are familiar with EAM processes, methods, and products, specifically EA modeling, EA planning, EA principles, and EA governance. - Understand the context, stakeholders, and application scenarios of EAM. - Know software tools that support EAM. Skills: The ability to apply knowledge to different tasks in the context of enterprise architectures. The student should: - Be able to apply basic EAM methods. - Be able to plan and develop the EA. - Be able to identify conflicts of interests between stakeholders and the need for EA governance. - Be able to apply EAM software tools. Competences: The ability to apply knowledge and skills in the context of enterprise architectures. The student should: - Be able to institutionalize EAM in organizations. - Be able to evaluate the consistency, fit, and effectiveness of EAM initiatives in organizations. - Be able to individually and in teams manage the EA in organizations.
Course assessment
Reading material
No reading material found.
Teaching and learning activities
Language of instruction	English