Enterprise architecture is (also) about 'storytelling'

We believe in 'story telling'. If you tell someone an interesting story, he is fascinated and will listen to you. It doesn't really matter whether it's about a spoken story or a written story. The most important thing is that it is interesting enough and that people want to hear more. The main purpose of a story can be to convey knowledge. In the past myths (stories) were the most important way to transfer knowledge. A story can also be used to influence people. Architects should therefore be storytellers.

The trick is to tell the right story. That depends on the purpose of your story. Ultimately, however, the aim of all stories should be to describe the "truth". The truth brings knowledge as well as insights on how the current situation can be improved. It provides insight into valuable cause-effect relationships.

In Archimate telling the truth is to model the 'IST' situation. The story about the solution is the 'SOLL'situation. In case an improvement is needed for a problem in the organization, the first step is often that the problem is recognized buy the management. In that case you design a complete deifferent 'view' then when we explain the same problem to  an application developer. This while the story is about exaclty the same subject. 

That's why we will often make different views (on the same subject) in archimate for the diversity of target groups. We want to influence our audience, so we have to align our communication with the interests of that particular group.

To tell a story with an architecture view we could keep the following aspects in mind:

• What is the subject
• What is the goal of my story (expressed in a view)
• What is my audience?

A best practice for this is to start with the writing of the 'colophon' on your view. This makes sure you think about this.

Then the following aspect turn to mind:

Before:

• What does yor audience think, feel, know before they experience your story?
• What are the interests of your audience?

Set the scene:

• What do you need to introduce?
• What should be explained bij you 'view'

Making your point:

• Create the audiences 'aha-moment'.
• Emphasize your solution in your 'view' by marking it with a different color or freeshape

Conclusion

• The conclsuion of your story
• What is your 'call to action'?
• How can the audience contribute to the 'solution'?

After

• Evaluate what your audience think
• Ask feedback on your 'plan' / story
• What do they think, feel, know and want now they have experienced your story

We would very much like to hear your experiences with story telling. Do you have a good examples where it it worked. Or an example where it failed, because we often learn more from mistakes then from succes story's.