Hopex IT Architecture usage and best practices

[igoubanabil]

Hi,

We've just started using Hopex IT Architecture and ITPM in our company and I have some questions regarding the best practices.

- What are the steps to start and properly use IT Architecture ?  entreprise/library creation ? top-down or bottom-up approache for architecture design ? 

- Our company has an excel file containing all the applications and flows between them used, I'm still struggling to import all these info to the tool, but the first main need is to be able to have a clear view of all the flows between applications in order analyse application migration impacts. 

- What is the best way to compare architectures using the tool ? or compare different migration scenarios ? 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards

[robinstaylor]

Thanks for the comments.  I am familiar with TOGAF and your comment about modeling issues in ITPM is exactly what I want to prevent!  

[robinstaylor]

Thanks for the thoughts!

[TDucher · Accepted solution]

Difficult to reply to a so big question in a small post I think.

There are of course best practices and/or methodologies to help when starting to work on "IT Architecture" or more widely on "Enterprise architecture" in a company.

My advice, before going in a tool and/or search for precise best practices, would be to take some time to

• clearly define what I consider "IT Architecture" in my particular context
• precisely describe the objectives & goals I want to reach by working on "IT Architecture"

[SergeThorn · Accepted solution]

My reply will be slightly different.😋

First, you need to have a perfect understanding of what is an Enterprise Architecture, including Business Architecture because IT Architecture includes Capability definitions and maps, then Functionalities. TOGAF (as an example) may help you to understand a standard metamodel with classes and relationships. There are “some similarities” with the one from HOPEX even if the latest is far more detailed. Document then your Business Capabilities and Functionalities.

You then will link your application portfolio to the various Business Capabilities, link Functionalities to Business Capabilities and to Applications.

Also, “try” to understand the differences between Application System Environments, Application Systems, Applications/Micro Services, Application Services and Software Technologies. Concepts are IMHO pretty complicated in Hopex and of you do not import your application portfolio correctly, you will face issues in modelling and ITPM.

Next, understand the various approach to ITPM because you may want to rationalise your apllications and/or your business capabilities or simplify your data flows or decrease your IT costs and much more. Make sure that you have a clear understand of what are your objectives in terms of ITPM.

A tool…is a tool…and without a proper understanding of the methodology, the concepts, you will probably not achieve what your management is expecting… You may simply end up with “some documentation”:..which won’t bring much value to the various stakeholders if you don’t consider such an approach. My 2 cents 🙄.

[robinstaylor]

Hi, also interested in this part of your comment, 

We've just started using Hopex IT Architecture and ITPM in our company and I have some questions regarding the best practices.

- What are the steps to start and properly use IT Architecture ?  enterprise/library creation ? top-down or bottom-up approach for architecture design"

[hsoegaard]

It is bit of big question you are asking, and the answer would be "It depends". With ITPM you have the ability to create the Applications and create the interfaces between the applications (Sending and receiving messages) without doing architecture modeling as you would with IT Architecture. When you have created the application inventory with messages, you could try and use the Environment reports on the application to see depencies.

If you identify Applications that you need to study in more detail, you can then use IT Architecture to model those applications.