By Michael D. Stark.  As Enterprise Architects we talk a lot about the mythical target state.  But do we ever get to this target state, and would we actually want to be there if we did.  Perhaps nature can teach us much about how we ought to think about the target state.  We return to…

By Michael D. Stark. Most of us have had exposure to the remains of some system replacement that didn’t quite finish decommissioning the legacy system.  Perhaps it still performs some current functions, or is simply used to access historic or run off data. We often feel this is problematic and the result of a lack…

By Michael D. Stark. Complexity is often public enemy number 1 for technologists in large corporations, and rightly so.  Lets forget about good versus bad complexity, and focus on the latter.  Okay, so I often use other peoples quotes, but here is an original (as far as I know): “Complexity is highly resilient and therefore…

By Michael D. Stark. How much energy do we spend as Enterprise Architects getting frustrated about strategies and road-maps not being funded and implemented as we envision?  If you find yourself behaving more like a salesmen than a visionary and trusted adviser, then perhaps a famous ancient Chinese philosophical text called the Tao Te Ching…

By Michael D. Stark. If you need to be sure about which door to walk through (or which to send your company through), then enterprise architecture is going to be a tough gig.  Enterprise Architects need uncertainty because this is the oil that keeps our trade viable, we just need to embrace it.