Enterprise strategic direction plan and governance is the most remunerative consulting area in the market at present. Various consulting management companies and research organizations such as the Butler Group, Forrester Research, and Gartner have on offer numerous analyses on the enterprise strategy plan and governance. A search for this topic on Google will also yield innumerable results. However, these sources do not present the accurate picture. The concepts of strategy and governance have been grossly modified and confined to represent the management, based on the assumption that the board of directors alone has the experience to control the business climate of the enterprise and manage traditional risks. Such a thought confuses cultural transparencies with the leadership qualities it takes to manage an enterprise’s intellectual capital and information. In this week’s issue, we will highlight the concepts of governance and analyze them to reveal their true essence.

It is a universally accepted fact that a fundamental process is necessary for a stable foundation. Even nature follows a systematic algorithm, right from the genetic biorhythm to human evolution. The enterprise is not alien to this concept. In fact, the success of an enterprise is governed by a unified process. However, a common problem in industries is the absence of a process that is aligned with enterprise recommendations and has architecture-centric, technology-driven project delivery models. Most industries adopt an easy and fast Return on Investment (RoI) policy whose theoretical or conceptual foundations are infected and inadequate. This can be remedied with a refactoring of IT strategies, architectures and policies. In this issue, we will learn more about an enterprise process that aligns the enterprise with its architectural foundations. The Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) can reduce enterprise health hazards and help maintain a balance within the enterprise.

The term 'financial performance analysis' often crops up in the context of organizational economic quantification. With the help of management consulting experts, several organizations go through multi-million dollar economic transformation programs that span many years. However, before entering into the lucrative jargon trap, understanding the economic benefits of the proposed enterprise integration effort is a fundamental necessity for any enterprise. Since ancient times, people have been using numbers without understanding the mathematics behind them. To get better quantification, we require more art and less math. Therefore, the economic benefit analysis of an Enterprise Architecture Integration program is vital to the success of an Enterprise Architecture program. The Enterprise Integration program should be tightly aligned with business effectiveness through technology innovation.

Since childhood, we have heard about the benefits of positive influences on mental growth. For example, a proper farming plan is a must for better agricultural production. The enterprise is not an exception to the proverb, ‘Morning shows the day’. Enterprise Architecture is a journey, not a destination. This journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step called the Enterprise Master Plan. Depending upon business requirements, the management’s SWOT analysis and a forecast of the economic climate, the Enterprise Master Plan can vary. Moreover, the type of the industry, its functional variance (ISV versus Consulting versus. Product Show Case) and the size of its units also influence the creation of an Enterprise Master Plan...

Last week, we introduced different business planning terms. This week, we will introduce the Enterprise Master Plan concept, the first step in strategic planning and orientation towards enterprise governance. The Enterprise Master Plan is the master key that guides an enterprise towards the organizational operational process workflow. Its implementation represents the project/service/consulting project opportunity that enables business effectiveness whilst utilizing technology innovation. The Enterprise Master Plan is the strategic abstraction of the philosophy in practice. The PERA Master plan is one of the basic requirements for any successful enterprise architecture program implementation.