The IT Architecture Practitioners Conference at New York 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 Open Group members and non-members alike coming together to share insights and perspectives on how to improve the practice and profession of IT Architecture.
The Conference addressed the key issues and challenges that enterprise IT architects and executives overseeing enterprise architecture face today. Some of the foremost experts on IT and enterprise architecture came together to discuss IT architecture as an emerging profession, to clarify
the role of the IT architect, and to examine the competencies, expertise, and experience that the IT architect needs to be able to effectively support the enterprise.
The opening day plenary at New York 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. Days 2 and 3 of the conference 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.
All the sessions at New York 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 69 individual sessions, structured into 13 tracks across 3 parallel streams. The event provided a wealth of current case study and tutorial material, summarized below.
The presentations
below are freely available only to members of The Open Group and
conference attendees. However, a CD-Rom containing all the presentations
made available at the conference, together with a specially written
index, is available for purchase: IT
Architecture Practitioners' Conference New York 2005 Proceedings.
Opening Plenary Track: The Profession and Practice of IT Architecture
The opening-day plenary track saw some superb presentations by leading figures in the IT industry. It also saw the official launch of The Open Group IT Architect Certification program, and the announcement of two additional sponsor members of The Open Group.
Welcome Address
Allen Brown, President and CEO, The Open Group
CASE STUDY: Selecting a Framework/Methodology
Donald Michie, Manager, Operations & Standards for Architecture
Governance & Execution, Intel Corporation
Modelling the TOGAF ADM in SPEM
Simon Dalziel, Principal Consultant, Architecting-The-Enterprise
Ltd.
Chris Armstrong, President, Armstrong Process Group, Inc. (US)
ITIL and Architecture
Aidan Lawes, Chief Executive Officer, itSMF UK & International
Outputs
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 Fifth IT Architecture Practitioners Conference was a tremendous success, confirming the need for this unique event on both sides of the Atlantic.
Are you interested in presenting or participating
at the Barcelona IT Architecture Practitioners' Conference? Contact John
Spencer, Director of The Open Group Architecture Forum.
