Rating: 
Summary: Agile Architecture: How and Why
Review: According to the authors of "A Practical Guide to Enterprise Architecture", many organizations are "still in the cottage industry stage of industrialization" and IT application development is the least computerized part of that organization.This group of distinguished software architects have compiled an omnibus of enterprise architecture standards and practices to try and put some order into this chaotic situation. McGovern et al define what they call "agile architecture". Traditional forms of architecture have been overly complex, expensive and inextensible. Agile methods hope to cure that problem by using minimalist forms of the standard tools described in the book. The authors warn that their primary audience is composed of experienced software developers and architects, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book to newer entrants to the field. This makes a very good overview of modern IT architectural practices. Various chapters contain thumbnail sketches of such techniques as: SOA, web services, UML, SEI/CMM, the Zachman Framework, MDA, and RUP. Most importantly, they examine the benefits and drawbacks of these techniques and how they can be modified to fit the "agile architecture" model. On a minor note, the book is beautifully produced on high-quality paper, using a clear font and just enough diagrams to add meaning to the text. Considering how much information has been packed into one book, the clear layout really helps to make it usable both for reading from beginning to end, and also for referring to later.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful
Review: Confused about getting your message across to the geek next door? Confused even about what (s)he does? Wonder why it takes six months to change the color of a button on a web page, or how to get data from one part of your business to another? Then this book is for you! Enterprise Architecture is not going to make you into a developer (and why would you want to be one, in the first place? For the pizza and sugar-filled drinks?) but the book provides a congent explanation of the tasks that should go behind the development of enterprise-wide systems. This is of particular value if your work requires that you interact with architects and technical leads - you can gain a solid understanding of their concerns, the technical pressures with which they live, and their goals. Of course, there's the caveat: the book describes ideal development, or at least what its authors believe to be ideal development of large-scale systems. Too many of my experiences have been in businesses that would have profited from their CTOs having read Enterprise Architecture - perhaps if more do, there will be fewer late nights! I give this book 5 stars as a review, and as a value to the manager. Were I in the trenches, I might reconsider - the work concentrates on breadth, not depth. To the authors' credit, of course, they make that fairly clear from the start, and there are guidelines as to where to search for more. Who knows how long they'll last, or how long this book will remain current, but for now, it's the best book I've found on the subject, and instead of using it to prop up a shaky table, I have it as reference when I'm speaking to engineers by phone!
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable for non-technical managers of technical people!
Review: Confused about getting your message across to the geek next door? Confused even about what (s)he does? Wonder why it takes six months to change the color of a button on a web page, or how to get data from one part of your business to another? Then this book is for you! Enterprise Architecture is not going to make you into a developer (and why would you want to be one, in the first place? For the pizza and sugar-filled drinks?) but the book provides a congent explanation of the tasks that should go behind the development of enterprise-wide systems. This is of particular value if your work requires that you interact with architects and technical leads - you can gain a solid understanding of their concerns, the technical pressures with which they live, and their goals. Of course, there's the caveat: the book describes ideal development, or at least what its authors believe to be ideal development of large-scale systems. Too many of my experiences have been in businesses that would have profited from their CTOs having read Enterprise Architecture - perhaps if more do, there will be fewer late nights! I give this book 5 stars as a review, and as a value to the manager. Were I in the trenches, I might reconsider - the work concentrates on breadth, not depth. To the authors' credit, of course, they make that fairly clear from the start, and there are guidelines as to where to search for more. Who knows how long they'll last, or how long this book will remain current, but for now, it's the best book I've found on the subject, and instead of using it to prop up a shaky table, I have it as reference when I'm speaking to engineers by phone!
Rating:
Summary: Enterprise Architecture
Review: I have been waiting for a book like this for several years. There are many books on enterprise architecture that cover the Zachman framework and reiterate principles from SEI, but none that look at enterprise architecture from a practical perspective. This book provides a framework for thinking about how software development should occur within the enterprise and presents strategies and techniques for improving individual and team performance.
Rating: 
Summary: You've got to be kidding me
Review: I picked this book up at a local bookstore and quickly returned
it. The fact that it is a "collaboration" between several authors
contributes to the disjointed flow between chapters. It is more
like a collection of small essays than a concise book on EA. You'd be better off finding another book on RUP (Rational Unified
Process). The treatment in this book is incomplete and will leave
the beginner confused. I found the editing to be substandard---but
perhaps the editor had no experience with RUP and those issues
slid on by. You might want to find another source for RUP information. ... Caveat emptor.
Rating: 
Summary: Major disappointment
Review: I purchased this book because Scott Ambler was listed as a coauthor. What I received is a book that is uneven in editing and content, and next to worthless as a "Practical Guide". There are some areas in the book that are worthwhile, but on the whole this book is out of touch with contemporary practices in enterprise architecture and how to approach it. My advice is to avoid this book. A more realistic, realworld and practical approach to architecture can be found in "IT Architecture Toolkit" by Jane A. Carbone, ISBN 0131473794.
Rating:
Summary: Enterprise Architecture
Review: Overall I was impressed with the quality of this book. The authors took a fresh look at enterprise architecture as traditionally practiced. I would only recommend this book if you are an experienced architect. If you don't have a few large-scale type projects under your belt, you won't think many of the suggestions are useful, applicable, or even necessary. If you do, though, reading this book will be well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Enterprise Architecture without the hype
Review: The text covers several EA topics and issues in a simple, relatively non-technical manner. This book is aimed at architects and executives who need to wrestle with the demands of actually building an enterprise architecture.
Rating:
Summary: A waste of money
Review: This book does not systematically introduce you to the topic. The language it uses is vague, unclear. I read the first 2 chapters and find that I cannot continue reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely helpful
Review: This book was extremely helpful in grappling with company wide information architecture issues. A must have for all IT managers.
| 
