Ten Years of EA at Edinburgh

Ten years have passed since we set up the Enterprise Architecture practice here at the University of Edinburgh. It began with just me and a very capable data architect contractor. By the end of the first year, I was able to hire two permanent staff. Now we’ve grown to four architects and the three members of the data warehouse engineering team.

Looking back at our original plans, I see we aimed to set up a trusted data warehouse, to bring in API-based data integration, to create a common CRM platform for the university, and to provide a streamlined user experience for students using our IT systems. We had to adapt these plans over the years as we encountered problems and adopted new priorities, but I’m pleased that we have achieved a good amount of what we set out to do.

We have a data warehouse, which provides trusted data to our partners in the strategic planning team. It doesn’t yet include the range of data that we planned, but more is being continually added.

We have an API-based middleware platform, which is providing a robust integration service and supports over 50 integrations.

We have consolidated CRM usage and established central services to support CRM. We quickly realised that a single platform was not as important as we thought; instead we have adopted a strategy of consolidation within different CRM functions – e.g. prospective students in one system, external partner organisations in another, and alumni in the existing alumni system.

We have a useful, albeit incomplete, repository of information about our central IT systems and integrations. I’d have liked to link this to business capabilities and business processes; that task remains on the to-do list for my successor.
It’s highly satisfying to have seen these initiatives develop from initial plans into working services.

In addition to developing all the above, we have supported many different projects along the way.

Working at the university has never failed to be interesting. It is such a diverse organisation, performing so many functions, that there is always something new to discover.

Ten years on, I’ve decided to retire and so it’s time to pass on the role to someone new.
I’m very pleased that Amy Yeoman is taking over as Head of Enterprise Architecture. Amy brings a different set of EA skills to mine and is well placed to take EA at Edinburgh forward in new directions. I hope she enjoys the experience as much as I have.