Applications, purchased software, networks, infrastructure, and any IT investment should all be regularly reviewed, at least on an annual basis, to ensure maximum value is being extracted and that original ROI goals are being met. Start with the original requirements and review them to ensure return on investment goals was delivered.
- Examine changes in the business and review new requests to determine whether they fit with the existing systems.
- Consider business reengineering.
- Review embedded processes to determine whether they're consistent with new organizational models and make changes where necessary.
- Review vendor and product features, making sure they still fit within the organization.
Enterprise architecture is organic; it's not once and done. It changes over time. Keeping up with those changes allows for adjustments either at the periphery or by making modifications to existing components. This is an effective way to control overall costs.
