Module 4 Reflection

“BA will continue to evolve and change as state agencies identify and improve business operations” (CEAF, 2008).  As I read the California Enterprise Architectural Framework I remembered the economic theory of Creative Destruction.  As business and the general economy move forward, the old processes must be destroyed in favor of new, more efficient ones.  Current and Future State Business Architecture utilizes the auspices in creative destruction to move practices forward.

Education does not exist in a vacuum.  If anything, education is a microcosm of the community it serves.  Societal advances are reflected in the needs of our students.  In order to best serve our students we need to have an accurate accounting of the district in it’s current state; and how we best serve our students.  Current state architecture shows us how to manage the district on a daily basis.

Creative destruction sounds like a bad thing, but it’s actually very good.  During the industrial revolution the outdated mills and single person shops disappeared in favor of larger scale factories with assembly lines.  In essence, the basis for the United States economy.

Progress doesn’t usually happen by accident.  Future state planning is an essential component of any business architecture.  As in lesson planning, you envision the end goal (Future State).  What is it you want to accomplish?  Your students are assessed on their current knowledge to identify gaps or areas of focus (what don’t they know), and then you plan the scaffolding to get the students to understand the concepts (steps to address the gap).

As I have said before, as we move along the semester, I am beginning to understand more how business concepts are applicable to education.  I will, however, hold firm that the educational environment is not a business, while the structures for efficiency may be applicable, students are not quantifiable “products” that can be measured and evaluated like carbon copy items rolling along a conveyor belt.

(2008). California Enterprise Architecture Framework. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.cio.ca.gov/Publications/pubs/Appendix_A.pdf.
(2008). Creative Destruction - Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/CreativeDestruction.html