One of the main jobs of the IT architecture within the area of IT applications portfolio management is a thorough and complete inventory of the applications. The goal of the inventory is to develop the applications portfolio in alignment with the IT strategy of the company.

Therefore, for organizations with several hundred applications, a systematic approach is essential. The meticulous documentation of all applications within the scope of a big project is the last for which the architecture department will receive budget. Hence, it is recommended to start with a typical application, e.g. finance and to refine the method gradually. The goals of the inventory serves here as guardrails:

• Harmonization of redundant applications.
• Annual planning, short-term planning or strategy planning.
• Recognition of the risks which come from an application - outdated technology, exploding operating expenses.
• Mergers and Acquitions

Similar to the process for the assessment of vendors / tools, criteria are also defined here. Typical category elements are an organizational allocation, architecture elements, support, infrastructure, interfaces, contracts and functionality. With the help of these categories, it  becomes quickly evident that the goals of the inventory determine the success and re-use of the inventory. Now on the basis of interviews the owners of the first pilot applications are documented. The goal of the pilot is to optimize the process of the inventory. Later on the process can be applied to other applications.

As usual, the devil is in the details with such projects:

• The stakeholder of the applications are not evident.
• The stakeholder of the  applications refuse to cooperate.
• Who pays for the inventory and which motivation does he have to do so?