Solution Architecture

Deliver solution architectures which support project goals and deliver business outcomes

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iServer365 for Solution Architecture

 

What is Solution Architecture?

A Solution Architecture is an architectural design of a specific solution, typically applying to a single project. Solution Architecture derives strategic direction from a firm's Enterprise Architecture, but the scope of a solution can span many domains at the tactical level. Solutions translate requirements into functionalities, and the solution architecture is one of the key drivers of business value.

All enterprise architecture initiatives incorporate a solution architecture development. Solution architecture addresses how a single change can disrupt, improve, or broadly speaking change part of the enterprise. It aligns various domains to deliver a single plan of action for the architects, and on a strategic level, looks at how specific objects and goals can be realized in the real world and identifying the best path forward.

Key iServer365 Benefits

  • Shared repository for assessing all assets that can be used for each solution
  • Built-in gap reports for quick-and-dirty analysis
  • Modeling parallel design for the same solution and identifying the best option
  • Role based access and notifications to improve communication between solution architects and other members of the EA team

 

iServer365 Repository

Initiate, design, and communicate solutions via a unified environment with the iServer365 repository. It enables the reuse of existing information for new solutions, and architects can develop solution patterns as Word or Visio documents, storing them as reference materials for the wider team. Furthermore, with the iServer365 repository, it’s possible to create a sand-box area that compares all solutions before their implementation.

Document Proposals

Architects can document proposals for a solution through Word, sharing them with colleagues and creating drill downs to previous solutions or related assets for a 360 view right from the start.

 

Design Solutions

iServer365 provides Visio support and enables architects to design detailed solutions with pre-built templates from TOGAF, Archimate, and UML. Architects can generate dynamic heatmaps to stress the most critical areas and release these documents via the user Portal to all stakeholders, and get feedback and approval before any of these go to the implementation phase.

 

Option Assessment

iServer365 enables construction of a sandbox environment that can run comparisons of all solutions and provide insight into their pros and cons. Visio can be used for visualizing design and reporting services, and provide gap analysis on the go. The same data can also be pushed into a Matrix view, showing how different systems communicate and store information, as well as how a new solution will differ from those currently in operation.

Frequently asked questions on Solution Architecture

Solution Architecture is responsible for translating functional requirements into a solution and describing them through a set of architecture and design artifacts.
Solution Architecture is the activity involved in defining the design of a system in the context of a solution or project. Solution architecture is often concerned with the detailed technical designs of a system for the purpose of guiding the implementation of a solution, but it also needs to align with the broader enterprise context. This means solution architecture can span many domains and disciplines as there are often solutions that involve business process reengineering, changing to technical systems and infrastructure, as well as have security implications.

Solution architecture is one of the key processes by which an enterprise architecture is implemented and delivers value to an organization. Key outputs of a well documented solution architecture will include specific viewpoints of the areas of the designed solution with the stakeholders’ perspective in mind. For example, a solution architecture may include a target business process, a proposed infrastructure design and a roadmap for migrating to a new application – all part of a single solution.

Solution architecture outputs are often defined as work packages in implementing transition and target architectures defined in enterprise architecture, and, as such, contain more detail of these designs.