Introduction 

This survey asks a series of questions about your organization and the role of Enterprise Architecture in your institution.  Enterprise Architecture may go by a different title on your campus such as:  Information Technology Architecture (I.T. Architecture) or Infrastructure Architecture.  The EA group actions are usually broader than a given project.  The EA group will translate business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating and improving the key principles and models that describe the enterprise's future state and enable its evolution.

Please answer for the group that plays the role that most closely matches Enterprise Architect.

There are short series of questions about your institution itself.  We have noticed that these facets impact the role and implementation of Enterprise Architecture on campuses.

The second part of the survey focuses on Enterprise Architecture at your institution.

This survey is being done by ITANA (I.T. Architects in Academia) - a peer group for I.T. Architects at higher education institutions.  ITANA is supported by EDUCAUSE and Internet2.  For more information, please see our web site at http://www.itana.org.

Bio/Demo Questions:

What institution are you answering for? ________________________

May we contact you for further input?  

  • If yes, enter your email address _____________ and your name _____________________

Other aspects that might affect positioning and organization models

  • Do you build or buy software - as a general rule is your institutions preference to build or buy (Build Mostly - Even Build/Buy Mix - Buy Mostly)
  • Do you outsource activities (like development, hosting of services) (Significant Outsourcing - Some Outsourcing - Little Outsourcing - No Outsourcing)
  • Do many of your programming activities include use of open source software (OSS) products? (Significant portion are OSS based - Some portion are OSS - a few - none)
  • Do you have a Project Management Office (Yes and it is mature, Yes but just getting started, No but we are starting one, No and no plans for one)
  • Do you have Portfolio Management Process (Yes and it is mature, Yes but just getting started, No but we are starting one, No and no plans for one)

Are you Public or Private?

Do you have professional schools (Executive MBA, Professional Engineering, etc)?

Do you have a Medical School?

How many undergraduate and graduate students (Full time) do you have?  Less than 5000; 5000-10,000;  10-20,000; 20-30,000; 30-40,000; more than 40,000

How would you describe your institutions overall Information Technology budget, priority and decision making processes:  (Very Top-Down, Centrally Controlled=1; very decentralized little central control = 5)

Are there other facets about your institution that you think affect the way that Enterprise Architecture is/is not implemented on your campus?  ____________________ 

Facets that describe Enterprise Architecture at a given institution:

Do you have an Enterprise Architecture / Information Technology Architecture / Infrastructure Architecture group (EA Group)?

  • Yes - continue with the questions below (1. below)
  • No - skip to question (2. below)

1. YES QUESTIONS START HERE: 

How long have you had an Enterprise Architecture group? Less than 1 year, 1 - 3 years, 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, more than 10 years.

What is the title of Group: Enterprise Architecture, I.T. Architecture, Infrastructure Architecture, other: __________________ 

Which Organizational Models of Enterprise Architecture best fits your institution

  • Informal/ Ad hoc architecture - no formal architecture group.  Individuals acting as ad hoc architects in their areas
  • Isolated Architecture - a "more formal" architecture group but that group is focused on one or two departments
  • Limited Central Architecture - a central architecture group but with limited interaction in select areas and projects across campus
  • Federated Architecture - Architecture groups or individuals around campus working together to form a "enterprise architecture" group
  • Head Architect with Domain Architects - like federated but with a central lead architect(s) orchestrating the federation
  • Central Architecture - a core group of architects that review all projects in the enterprise
  • Other:  __________ please describe in a few words

Facets that describe how architecture engages with the rest of the enterprise

  • Where does your EA group report:

    • Manager

      Director

      CIO

      Provost

  • What is their range of effect:  Projects in

    • A group

      Department

      Multiple Departments

      Some Projects Across Campus

      All Projects on campus

  • When do they engage with projects

    • At inception

      During requirements gathering

      During Construction

      During Roll-out

      After Launch

      Along the whole lifecycle

  • How would you best describe their method of engagement

    • Making Recommendations

      Adding/Reviewing Requirements

      Project Review

      Project Gate (i.e. can stop a project)

Movement around Enterprise/I.T. Architecture

How would you best describe the growth or change in the view of Enterprise/I.T. Architecture on your campus:

  • It is viewed the same as has been for the past three years
  • It has lost importance over the past three years
  • It has gained importance over the past three years

 What do you think is the most important factor that is driving the change in EA on your campus:

  • Budget
  • Complexity of I.T. systems
  • Rate of change of I.T.
  • Personnel Issues
  • Increased business silos
  • Decreased business silos
  • Security
  • Privacy
  • Risk management/reduction
  • Large projects
  • other...

In which areas do you think EA has been most effective (select all that apply):

  • Identity and Access Management
  • ERP implementations
  • Business Process improvements 
  • Security / Information Protection
  • Portfolio Management (helping to understand and/or manage the I.T. portfolio)
  • Complexity Management (helping understand and/or reduce the complexity) 
  • other...

In which areas do you think it has been least effective 

As a CIO, if EA could have one effect on your campus; what would that effect be? ________

2. NO JUMPS TO HERE

Are you planning to implement an Enterprise Architecture group within the next year or two? Yes or No

3. YES and NO ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS

Architecture Review Board

An IT Architecture Review Board is a group of IT architects and/or  other senior technical personnel, formally convened in order to provide input on project plans and/or on specific domain architectures designed for your institution.

  • Do you have an Architectural Review Board?
  • If yes, how does it engage:

    • Making Recommendations

      Adding/Reviewing Requirements

      Project Review

      Project Gate

  • What is its range of engagement:

    • A group

      Department

      Multiple Departments

      Some Projects Across Campus

      All Projects on campus

Project Management Office

  • Do you have a Project Management Office or formal Project / Portfolio Management Process?
  • If yes,
    • Does EA work closely with this office or process?
    • Does the Project / Portfolio process help reinforce EA? 

Organization's Operating Model

Which model most closely matches your organizations operating model (taken from[ Enterprise Architecture as Strategy by Ross, Weill and Robertson|http://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Architecture-Strategy-Foundation-Execution/dp/1591398398])

  • Distributed (few common business processes and little data integration) - Your institution has many silos which operation independently.  Each silo has its own business process and they share little data between the silos. 
  • Replicated (common business processes with little data integration) - Your institution has many silos which operation independently.  Each silo follows a common set of business process but they share little data between the silos.
  • Coordinated (few common business processes with high data integration) - Your institution has many silos which operate together.  Each silo follows a its own set of business process but there are high levels of shared data between the silos.
  • Unified (common business process with high data integration) - Your institution operates as a mostly unified enterprise.  There is a common set of business process and there are high levels of shared data between the various parts of the institution.
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