Strange But True

Boo!

Did you survive the EAC? I am almost caught up on my sleep - just a two hour time change plus flight plus daylight savings time and I've turned into Rip Van Winkle. I'm sure I'll be caught up by tomorrow, but still have lots of miscellaneous thoughts swirling around in this head.

About 18 months ago, I gave a presentation at a Canadian Information Processing Conference, titled "Enterprise Architecture - What Have You Done for me Lately?" It was all about Enterprise Architecture Maturity, and convincing folks that EA was far more that hanging up the Framework and letting the holes and gaps emit light.

This past week, I heard so many points over again that I'd made myself and I wondered how this was possible. I guess it's just that this stuff makes sense to those who live and breathe it and there are just so many ways to say it. This week I heard all about the "value in the arrows", or perhaps that's how I perceived it as it was a scribble I'd noted in the presentater's note copy that I returned with.

My speech on EA maturity was about adding the linkages as that was where the value was. I guess this is essentially the same. It's about creating the relationships to add Architecture value. Listing all of the components, technology and hardware only has so much value. It's when you start to measure it and create the numerous amounts of relationships that you see value.

Something else, strange but true, but I noticed that three of the six panelists on the "Ask the Experts" session on the last day were Architect's who were former Data Architects, or had written columns in data magazines I'd followed in the 90's. Well - that's where my roots are and I wondered if all Information Architect's had evolved into EA's. I mean - we were the only ones religious about models in the 80's and 90's, so it probably makes sense now, doesn't it? Boxes and arrows, lines and boxes - whatever it takes to provide value - it's the way we think and there is no changing that.

My last "Strange but true" thought for this Hallowe'en night - thought it was odd how this year's new comment addition to John Zachman's otherwise similar message was that he'd had a complaint about his slides by the conference coordinator. Apparently he'd pointed out to her that he had to continue to return with the same old slides because he had the same old thing to say, and that no one listened to him anyways.

Now - how can one person run around for thirty years trying to get everyone to listen and to follow. Mr. Zachman obviously is tenacious, as he has never given up because he believed. And by the numbers and passion I saw around this subject at this conference, I believe that he will soon be able to retire a very satisfied person.

Well - enough blogging for now. Time to hide the leftover candy and put away the pumpkin.

Boo!