The presentations from this Conference are freely
available only to members of The Open Group and conference attendees. A
Proceedings CD-ROM containing all the presentations made available at
the Dublin IT Architecture Practitioners Conference, together with a
specially written index, is available for purchase at www.opengroup.org/bookstore/catalog/t051.htm.
Objective of Meeting
The three-day IT Architecture Practitioners' Conference at Dublin was
a conference organized by architecture practitioners, for architecture
practitioners, and for those directly involved in the management and
oversight of IT Architecture. It was a conference about best practice in
IT Architecture today, with members and non-members alike coming
together to share insights and perspectives on how to improve the
practice and profession of IT Architecture.
IT Architecture is fast becoming an essential function in many
organizations, providing strategic context for the evolution of
information technology, in response to the changing needs of the
business environment.
The IT Architect defines solutions to business problems through the
reasoned application of information technology. Those solutions are
manifested as architectures, and can include systems, applications, and
process components.
Like a building architect, much of the IT Architect's work is focused
on the front end of the solution lifecycle: listening to clients,
understanding their business requirements, and systematically forming
increasingly more detailed definitions of the information technology
solution – an architecture. The IT Architect may also be involved
during the construction of a solution as an advocate for the client, as
the ultimate authority on the architecture that was produced to address
the client's business problem, and to provide technical leadership and
guidance to the construction team.
The Open Group IT Architecture Practitioners Conference at Dublin
focused on the increasingly pressing need to define the role of the IT
Architect. It examined the core competencies that enable the IT
Architect to view both the business need and the solution implementation
side of a problem. The conference also sought to define the bigger
picture view which allows IT Architects to ensure that solutions fit
within the organization’s business direction, comply with their IT
standards, and support the enterprise architecture.
The sessions at Dublin provided experience-based insight into the
approaches and methods that have proved most effective for developing
architectures around the world, and helped to clarify the limitations
that exist in this emerging field.
The conference took a highly practical, hands-on approach, combining
presentations and discussions on best practices with interactive
workshops, case study reviews, and demonstrations of the latest tools.
The conference underlined the role of The Open Group Architecture
Forum in providing a truly global forum in which IT Architects from all
sectors of the industry can come together to discuss best practice in IT
Architecture, hone their skills, share experiences, and learn from each
other.
Summary
The agenda for the Architecture Practitioners' Conference covered 77
individual sessions, structured into 13 tracks across 3 parallel
streams. The event provided a wealth of current case study and tutorial
material, summarized below.
Plenary Track: The Profession and Practice of IT Architecture
Welcome Address : The IT Architect - The New Professional Allen Brown, President & CEO, The Open Group
Keynote Address Minister of State, Tom Kitt, T.D., Department of the Taoiseach,
Republic of Ireland
The IT Architecture Profession - A National Perspective
Colm Butler, Principal Officer, Information Society Policy Unit,
Department of the Taoiseach, Republic of Ireland
The Enterprise Architecture of a Large Portuguese Public
Hospital José Tribolet PhD, Full Professor of Information
Systems, University of Lisbon & Link Consulting , SA, and
Pedro Sousa PhD, Associated Professor, University of Lisbon &
Senior EA Consultant, Link Consulting, SA
Managing Complexity within Architectures - Applying the
Concept of Exploration and Refinement in NASA's Space Exploration
Program Mike Gordon, STASYS Limited (UK)
The presentations, tutorials, and workshops at the meeting, and the
associated discussions and panel sessions, all provided participants
with a wealth of experience-based insight into current best practice in
IT Architecture, from leading experts and practitioners around the
world.
Participants at this unique event were able to:
Participate in highly practical workshops and tutorials teaching
best IT architecture practices
Review case studies from organizations who have put theory into
practice, and learn from them what works and what doesn't
See demonstrations and presentations on leading tools supporting
open architecture methods
Network with leading architecture experts, vendors, and peers in
the IT architecture field
Next Steps
This Fourth IT Architecture Practitioners' Conference was a
tremendous success, breaking all previous records both for attendance
and the number of presenters, and it confirmed the need for this unique
event on both sides of the Atlantic.
If you are interested in presenting or participating at the
New York IT Architecture Practitioners' Conference? Contact
John Spencer, Director of The Open Group Architecture Forum.
