Contribution to the Enterprise Architecture Community. Coproduced the webinar presented at Information Management Forum (IMF) circa May 2010 . Content created along with Srini Kalapala and Hans Raj Nahata.

1. Enterprise Architecture Evolution
at Verizon
Enterprise Architecture Group
Verizon Telecom
Webinar - Presented at Information Management Forum
May 2010

2. How Did This Happen?
2
Siloed Ecosystem ‘trying’ to meet the business needs

3. Verizon EA Evolution
• Similar to most large businesses
• Filled with major events that drive the need for
enterprise architecture
– Mergers & Spin-offs
– New technology & products
– Expansion of business
• Market conditions and business drivers paving the way
for architecture
• Homegrown approaches leading the way to adaptation
of accepted practices
3

4. Verizon Business Units
4
•Federal
•Enterprise
•Wholesale
•Global
•Consumer
•Small
Business
•Consumer
•Business
•enterprise
Wireless Telecom
Business
Partner
Solutions
• Verizon is made up of multiple business units
• All business units have IT groups, business processes, applications
and networks to cater to the needs of their focal areas
• Customers view Verizon
as a single entity and
expect single touch
points
• Common products and
services across business
units

5. Major EA Impacting Events @ Verizon
5
20021997 2000 2004 2006 20102007
Verizon
purchases
Verizon
divestiture
to
OneBill for
customers
with telecom
and wireless
services
All sorts of
bundles
launched
Long Distance
Service
launched
2002
Interactive
Media
Guide
launched
Successful businesses thrive with change. Embrace it to manage it

6. Architecture Team Evolution
6
Evolution driven by business demands
Application Architect
• System level
responsibility
• Focuses on
application and
near-neighbors
• Lack of big picture
leading to
duplications
• high cost of
development and
low speed to
market
• Incoherent
processes
Solutions Architect
• IT wide design
responsibility and
visibility
• end to end design and
implementation
• Lack of full business
understanding
resulting sub optimal
solutions
• This model drives
strategic systems flow
but not strategic
business process
changes
2000 2010
Enterprise Architect
• Business-centric architecture
focused on bottom-line
• Close partnership between
the stake holders
• Provide business and
technical leadership, driving
projects from ideation to
launch
• IT input into business
requirements and business
input into technology
strategy
• Improved speed to market
and reduced cost
IT
PLM
EA
Ops
Ntwk
Mktg
IT
IT
IT
IT
OpsPLM Ntwk OpsPLM Ntwk
IT-SA
Mktg Mktg

7. IT Centric to Business Centric
7
Requirement
review
sessions
Requirement
generation
sessions
Ideation
discussions
Business short
term and long
term strategy
sessions
2000 2010
Partnership

8. Results So Far
• Reduced costs
– Certain aspects of business have seen 30% reduction Y-Y
• Improved speed to market
– Overall duration cut down by half in some cases
• High quality deliverables
– Delivered right the first time
• Business works with EA team from ideation
– All stake holders become part of business process development as well as
systems development
– Holistic solutions that address all aspects of business
• IT is as much a stake holder as everyone else
• Reduced number of systems and processes
– Duplications avoided upfront
• EA team is sought after for driving change and guidance
– Team grew from 4 to 20 people strong
8

9. EA Drivers, Keys to Success,
Frameworks and Tools
9

10. Drivers
10
EA
Speed to
Market
Business
Transformation
Cost Reduction
BSS/OSS
Transformation
New products
& Technologies

11. Success Factors
• Executive Sponsorship
– Success of the EA efforts is closely tied to executive sponsorship
– EA team must be empowered and be seen by others as empowered
• Organizational Positioning
– Organizationally EA team needs to be positioned in such a way that its
seen as neutral
– Perception matters
• Business and technology awareness
– Awareness of current and strategic systems and business processes
– Understanding near and long-term business direction
– Insight and reach into key aspects of business
11

12. Success Factors
• Partnership, understanding and boundaries
– Close partnership with all stake holders
– Winwin spiral
– Must be seen as problem solvers
– Know when to step back
• Process and documentation
– Follow a consistent engagement model
– Deliver clear documentation
– Make the documentation accessible to all stake holders
• Internal knowledge transfer
– Make knowledge transfer part of the job
– Encourage knowledge sharing within and across the teams
12

13. Success Factors
• Success and failure of the EA team depends heavily on the
individual architects and the team leadership
• EA resource common traits
– Strong Leadership
– Excellent negotiation and diplomatic skills
– Balance business and technology needs
– Manage newer technologies and related challenges
– Ability to zoom-in, zoom-out and sectionalize problems
– Confidence driven by knowledge and aptitude
– Domain knowledge
– Develop and nurture professional relationships
– Effectively manage matrix communication and management structures
(must discuss and design on vast scope, with no direct control)
– Leverage the team knowledge
13

14. EA through Framework & Tools
• Adaptation of eTOM framework and
ITIL practices
• VAST – Verizon Architecture and
Strategy Tool
• Homegrown common architecture
portals and business case tools
• Application directory covering all
systems and most interfaces
• SharePoint and other collaboration
tools
• Working towards implementation of
proven frameworks
14

15. Business and EA’s Symbiotic Relationship
15
Business and systems
strategy exercises setting
up 2-3 year plans and
architecture guidance
(2-3 Year Plans)
Annual business case
planning driven by business
and systems strategy
(Annual)
Quarterly business and IT
releases implementing
the changes
(Quarterly)
Metrics and analytics
providing the feedback to
drive change
(Monthly)

16. Avoid Common Pitfalls
• Groupthink
– Stakeholders shifting their responsibilities on EA
– Not being active participants
• Ineffective architects
• Too much IT focus
• Becoming a bottleneck
• Entering forced partnerships than mutually beneficial
• Too many detailed items being put under EA purview
• Using EA for political reasons
• Too large to be effective
16

17. Opportunities
• Adopting proven framework
• Managing resources vs. quality balance
• Wider engagement without compromising the depth of
engagement
• Encouraging the EA thinking at the application level
• Making EA one of the disciplines within the business teams
• Developing business architecture views and driving process
changes
17

18. By Design…
18
Journey from Chaos to Order: EA Reduces Entropy!