Every once in a while I'm painfully reminded of the old admonition to be careful of what you wish for.
I recenly pointed out to a CIO that they had no Enterprise Architecture plan and that they really needed to develop one. He agreed and assigned me to create one.
Dang. Now I'm screwed.
I really hate the concept of Enterprise Architecture. The idea that you can create a document that describes EVERYTHING and yet can still be specific enough to mean anything is a stretch for me.
The vast majority of EA projects that I've worked on eventually devolved into a navel gazing, mom and apple pie, we all love each other kind of discussion. White papers that talk about what "should" happen don't really help drive change in an organization.
I really prefer a structured planning process that lets the organization adapt to change and implement new systems quickly. In my mind, it's about process and discipline, not about the one magic document that describes EVERYTHING.
So, if you will excuse me, I have a CIO that I have to talk down off the cliff....
Wish me luck.
