Tag Archives: rationale

Application Architecture

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In a previous post, I described 2 possible breakdowns of IT Architecture. In this post, I would like to elaborate a little on one of these domains: Application Architecture

What is Application Architecture?

An Application Architecture is developed for a specific IT project. This architecture utilizes the Enterprise Architecture (and Solution Architecture, if available) to create a much more detailed architecture for a set or programs collectively referred to as an application.

Why Is Application Architecture Needed?

The Application Architecture enables the development team to work together efficiently to create programs that are maintainable, supportable, and enhanceable subsequent to the project being implemented.

Solution Architecture

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In a previous post, I described 2 possible breakdowns of IT Architecture. In this post, I would like to elaborate a little on one of these domains: Solution Architecture

What is Solution Architecture?

A Solution Architecture is developed for a specific IT program or very large project. This architecture utilizes the Enterprise Architecture to create a much more detailed architecture for a domain. A domain can be technology related (e.g. Network) or business related (e.g. Domestic Banking) or any other domain that is determined to be significant.

Why Is Solution Architecture Needed?

The Enterprise Architecture is usually maintained by a small team and kept at a fairly abstract level. This doesn’t provide the level of architectural detail necessary for developing applications. The Solution Architecture is defined to assist is creation of lower level artifacts, such as the Application Architecture and enable scoping and estimation of the work effort required for development.

Enterprise Architecture

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In a previous post, I described 2 possible breakdowns of IT Architecture. In this post, I would like to elaborate a little on one of these domains: Enterprise Architecture

What is Enterprise Architecture?

The EA is a set of artifacts that describe the IT Systems within an organization (can be a large corporation, government agency, institution, etc.). These artifacts describe the the existing systems, but also describe what is anticipated in the future as well as how things should be done (standards and governance).

Why Is Enterprise Architecture Needed?

In a large organization, there are multiple projects and multiple teams. Without coordinated effort, redundant capabilities will be implemented using disparate technologies. EA brings orderly planning and capability deployment across all projects within the enterprise.

In contrast, a small business such as a car wash or restaurant that does not have a high reliance on Information Technology, has no need for Enterprise Architecture.