Enterprise Architecture tools are often used to
analyze and optimize the portfolio of business strategies, organizational
structures, business processes, tasks and activities, information flows,
applications, systems, and technology infrastructure.Many of these tools have been designed with
different architecture goals such as modeling, storing, managing and sharing
information.
EA Tools serve three primary functions. First, they document an existing
situation. Second, they assist in
analyzing the effects of possible changes. Third, they document plans to change the
existing situation in some way. As a
result they provide the ability to create various types of diagrams. Diagrams
that picture an organization’s current state are often referred to as “As-Is” diagrams. While diagrams that picture how an organization
might be as a result of changes are often termed “To-Be” diagrams.
Some tools are specialized and only assist in the
development of a specific kind of diagram.
Thus, some tools only support process modeling, or the development of a
business or enterprise architecture. On
the other hand, many support numerous different kinds of diagrams and, consequently,
can be used for a variety of different purposes.
Different tools are designed with different
groups of users in mind. Some are
designed to support a specific group of users – say business managers – while
others are intended for more technical users like business analysts or IT
developers.Simulation, for example, can be complex.
Consequently, it is difficult to produce a tool that makes it simple for
managers to create effective simulations.
Thus, there is a natural divide between general purpose process modeling
tools that support some simulation and those tools that are, in essence, designed
for a more technical audience that understands more about simulation and
therefore wants a more sophisticated simulation tool.
Another distinction can be found between modeling
tools that are designed primarily for business managers or business analysts
and those designed to support both business analysts and IT analysts. The
former tend to have a less complicated user interface. This is because they
don’t need to consider all the complexities that the latter must support if
they were to also support software modeling or code generation in addition to
process modeling.
Some tools are generic and can be used for any
type of architecture or process modeling.
Others incorporate support for process or architectural frameworks that
make them easier to use for specific types of analysis and modeling.
There are a few popular methodologies, like
Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma, and Lean, and there are popular notations
described in books by process methodologists like Burlton or Rummler, or by consulting
firms like CSC or Accenture. Most
companies have their own methodologies and notations that they have created by
combining one or more of these public approaches. In a similar fashion, most of the modeling
tools offer proprietary notations in addition to supporting other popular
notations.
At this point it should be obvious that there are
lots of different types of modeling tools that fall within definition. By focusing on specific groups of users, on
specific tasks, and by supporting specific methodologies or frameworks a tool
vendor can tailor its offering to assure that is more useful and therefore more
popular with a niche audience. The
perfect tool for one niche audience – say Six Sigma project teams – may not be
the best tool for another audience.
As for the cost, Pricing for modeling products typically
includes starting pricing for the core tool set and a limited number of users.
In reality, most vendors offer a variety of add-on options for use with their
tools. Consequently, actual pricing will vary considerably, depending on an
organization’s particular business process modeling needs and the number of
end-users licensed.
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