Scenario
You are working as an Enterprise Architect within an Enterprise Architecture (EA) team at a large government agency. The agency has multiple divisions.
The agency has a well-established EA practice and follows the TOGAF standard as its method for architecture development. Along with the EA program, the agency also uses various management frameworks, including business planning, project/portfolio management, and operations management. The EA program is sponsored by the Chief Information Officer (CIO), who has actively promoted architecting with agility within the EA department as her preferred approach for projects.
The government has mandated that the agency prepare themselves for an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-first world, which they have called their ''AI-first'' plan. As a result, the agency is looking to determine the impact and role that AI will play moving forward. The CIO has approved a Request for Architecture Work to look at how AI can be used for services across the agency. She has noted that digital platforms will be a priority for investment in order to scale the AI applications planned. Using AI to automate tasks and make things run smoother is seen as a big advantage. Process automation and improved efficiency from manual, repetitive activities have been identified as the key benefits of applying generative AI to their agency's business. This will include back-office automation, for example, for help center agents who receive hundreds of email inquiries. This should also improve services for citizens by making them more efficient and personalized, tailored to each individual's needs.
Many of the agency leaders are worried about relying too much on AI. Some leaders think their employees will need to learn new skills. Some employees are worried they might lose their jobs to AI. Other leaders worry about security and cyber resilience in the digital platforms needed for AI to be successful.
The leader of the Enterprise Architecture team has asked for your suggestions on how to address the concerns, and how to manage the risks of a new architecture for the AI-first project.
Based on the TOGAF standard, which of the following is the best answer?
Comprehensive and Detailed Step-by-Step Explanation
Context of the Scenario
The agency is initiating a strategic ''AI-first'' plan to transform processes using AI and improve efficiency while ensuring service improvements for citizens. Several stakeholder concerns have been raised, such as:
Job security for employees.
Skill development for adapting to new technologies.
Cybersecurity and resilience risks due to reliance on digital platforms.
TOGAF emphasizes the importance of stakeholder management, communication, and risk management to ensure successful adoption and implementation of new architecture. These concerns need to be addressed methodically by gathering requirements, analyzing stakeholder positions, and ensuring proper communication of risks and benefits.
Option Analysis
Option A:
Strengths:
Proposes creating an Organization Map to identify the links between different parts of the agency and the impact of the strategic change.
Suggests holding stakeholder meetings to address concerns.
Includes managing risks as part of Security Architecture development.
Weaknesses:
Focusing solely on creating business models and teaching stakeholders how to interpret them does not directly address cultural and positional concerns about job loss, skill development, and security.
Risk management is addressed as part of Security Architecture development but lacks broader integration into stakeholder requirements.
Conclusion: Incorrect, as it fails to systematically document stakeholder concerns and map them into requirements and architecture decisions.
Option B:
Strengths:
Highlights the importance of formal stakeholder identification and creating a Communication Plan.
Suggests addressing stakeholder concerns through communication and risk management.
Weaknesses:
Does not go into detail on analyzing stakeholder concerns, cultural positions, or specific requirements.
Lacks the inclusion of stakeholder feedback in architecture artifacts like the Architecture Vision or Requirements Specification, which are critical TOGAF outputs.
Conclusion: Incorrect, as it does not include a systematic and structured approach for stakeholder analysis and integration into architecture deliverables.
Option C:
Strengths:
Emphasizes conducting a thorough stakeholder analysis to document concerns, positions, and cultural factors, which aligns with TOGAF's approach in Phase A (Architecture Vision).
Ensures stakeholder views and requirements are recorded in the Architecture Vision document and reflected in the Architecture Requirements Specification.
Includes continuous assessment and feedback, ensuring concerns are addressed and risks managed effectively.
Aligns with TOGAF's principle of involving stakeholders in architecture development to ensure alignment and success.
Weaknesses:
Could further detail how risk management is included across all phases, but this is implied through integration into the Architecture Requirements Specification.
Conclusion: Correct, as it provides a structured and detailed approach for addressing stakeholder concerns and managing risks within TOGAF's framework.
Option D:
Strengths:
Suggests categorizing stakeholders into groups and creating models for each category.
Proposes arranging meetings to verify that concerns have been addressed.
Includes risk management as part of the process.
Weaknesses:
Dividing stakeholders into generic categories (e.g., corporate functions, project team) may not adequately capture specific cultural factors and concerns raised in the scenario.
Lacks integration of stakeholder feedback into architecture deliverables such as the Architecture Vision and Architecture Requirements Specification.
Conclusion: Incorrect, as it provides a generalized and less targeted approach to stakeholder concerns compared to Option C.
TOGAF Reference
Stakeholder Management (Phase A): TOGAF emphasizes analyzing stakeholders' positions, concerns, and issues to shape architecture development and communication (TOGAF 9.2, Section 24.2).
Architecture Vision: Captures high-level requirements and stakeholder views to ensure alignment with business goals (TOGAF 9.2, Section 6.2).
Architecture Requirements Specification: Records detailed requirements, including those related to risk management, to guide the development of target architectures (TOGAF 9.2, Section 35.5).
Iterative Feedback: Regular assessments and feedback loops are critical to ensure stakeholder concerns are addressed effectively throughout the ADM cycle.
By selecting Option C, the approach adheres to TOGAF's principles of stakeholder analysis, communication, and integration of concerns into architecture development.
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