Understanding the principles and duties
In the previous chapter, we used the elevator metaphor to highlight the importance of the architect's role in connecting strategy to code. The up and down movement of the elevator is analogous to the dual operating system of enterprise architects – the inflow and outflow depicted in the following diagram:
Figure 4.6 – The dual operating system of enterprise architects
As shown in the preceding diagram, Agile enterprise architects consistently need to dedicate time and efforts across both flows of work sufficiently to establish a mutual connection between business and development teams. The inflow delivers IT solutions to realize business strategy. The outflow fulfills emerging business opportunities with innovative technologies and consistently maintains a well-architected, healthy portfolio.
The metaphor of a large cruise ship versus a speed boat is generally used to represent business agility...
