IASA

Review - An Enterprise Architecture Framework 3rd Edition

I don't like buying the same thing twice. On first inspection one might think that was what one was doing. This new edition of a book we've already reviewed will look familiar to those who have the previous volume; even the number of pages in each section is similar.

I'm also suspicious of later releases that are substantially bigger than the original work; the previous edition weighs in at 220+ pages while this work has stacked on another 130 pages. Which you would think is a bit of a warning sign, but it wears it surprisingly well. I didn't feel like it was that much of an imposition. In fact, its a feature of the book how already succinct sections have actually been trimmed even further allowing more room for the expansion of the important stuff.

While maintaining the orientation of the original work Grigoriu has addressed the short comings of the previous edition. His framework is now much more securely seated in the foundations of Zachman and Spewak without losing that business process and organizational focus that made the original work  stand out.  Something that's not easy to achieve.

While the book takes a cursory look at the usual framework suspects it does so mainly to establish its own credentials. The bulk of the new material is not surprisingly an elaboration of Function, Flow Layer and Views (FFLV) Framework and the result is coming of age, a framework that can punch it out with the best of them! The bar has been raised and if you're not one of the TOGAF mind slaves the FFLV has to be a serious contender. Accept its business process focus and use something else for the more abstract end of business strategy, but for the mechanics of execution this could be it.

I think it's fair to say that this is the book that Grigoriu always wanted to write and that its production has been a bit of a journey, but the best things always take time. I criticized the previous edition for not being as complete as it should have been, well that's been answered and while nothing is ever perfect I found myself thinking I've got to get a copy of this!

This is not a book for managers. This is a book for architects. It's a good set of alternative views in an alarmingly increasingly monoclonal world. This book will extend most architects' horizons, experienced or novice and is a worthy successor to the previous edition. It's time to upgrade your library. This could be the “little black book of EA”.

Grigoriu, Adrian (2009), An Enterprise Architecture Development Framework 3^rd Edition , Trafford Publishing, Victoria, British Columbia.

ISBN 141208665-5

Average (0 Votes)