Background
In the August 2007 iNews article Reorganized Information Technology Architecture Committee (ITAC), I described the initial activities of the reorganized Information Technology Architecture Committee (ITAC).
In this article, I will update the campus on the status of the work in various areas, including:
- Development of IT enterprise architecture roadmaps
- Development of core technology guidelines for the campus
- Development of a process to review IT project proposals against the architecture roadmaps and core technology guidelines.
Vision and strategies for IT enterprise architecture roadmaps
ITAC has agreed to use a standard framework for the development of roadmaps for information management, applications development, business process management, and IT infrastructure. This standard framework includes the following key building blocks:
- Vision
- Strategy
- Governance
- Organization
- New/Changed processes
- Cultural change management
- Reference technology architecture
- Technology skills assessment
- Success/Impact metrics
The document The Building Blocks of Actionable Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps [PDF] describes these key building blocks.
ITAC members have worked on the most important building blocks, Vision and Strategy, during the last few months and have adopted vision and strategy statements for consideration of the Campus Technology Council (CTC). These statements can be found in the document Vision and Strategy for Campus Enterprise Architecture Roadmaps [PDF].
Campus managers and technologists should familiarize themselves with these statements as they intend to represent where the campus wants to go in terms of its use of technology to support the campus mission. Technology proposals coming forward to ITAC for evaluation will be judged on how they move the campus toward the stated vision or implement the suggested strategies.
Enterprise technology life cycle
ITAC will be making many technology assessments both now and in the years to come. These assessments will be made by associating each evaluated technology with the stages of the enterprise technology life cycle from cradle (Watch and Research) to grave (Disinvest and Obsolete). The key stage of the life cycle is Invest, which indicates a point in time that a new technology is ready for deployment in campus enterprise or mission-critical systems. The stages of the enterprise technology life cycle are:
- Watch
- Research
- Pilot
- Invest
- Invest with Caution
- Current Technology Stack / Maintain
- Disinvest
- Obsolete
- Vetoed
ITAC has developed and adopted the document Enterprise Technology Life Cycle at UC Berkeley [PDF] which describes these life-cycle stages and how they relate to campus enterprise and mission-critical systems.
Process to review new projects and proposals against campus technology guidelines
ITAC will be performing technical reviews of new project proposals coming to the CTC for potential funding. ITAC has developed a process to evaluate these proposals against the vision and strategies of our architectural roadmaps as well as against our developing technology life-cycle assessments and guidelines. The document A Process for the Architecture Standards Review of Enterprise and/or Mission Critical Technologies of Projects at UC Berkeley [PDF] describes the process to evaluate IT projects and proposals against core technology guidelines.
It is important for campus IT managers and technologists to become familiar with this process. As part of the FY 2008–09 IT Funding Request evaluation process, these individuals are being asked to identify the core technologies that are part of their proposal. ITAC will use this information to make assessments and provide feedback to the CTC about how these technology choices fit within the technical life-cycle assessments being developed by ITAC.
Questions about ITAC's work?
If you have any questions about the documents adopted or currently being developed by ITAC, or to become involved in the work this committee is pursuing, please contact me at or 642-6365.