- The business typically doesn’t see the value of Enterprise Architecture (EA); ROI metrics don’t work well for EA.
- Within IT, EA is frequently perceived as a roadblock: an unneeded layer of bureaucracy that impedes project execution and kills innovation.
- As EA initiatives are frequently perceived as non-contributing to business value and unsuccessful, they have earned their inglorious distinction. Even mentioning EA may evoke prejudice and resistance.
- As a result, corporate IT is unable to secure ongoing business buy-in and executive support for EA.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Identify business imperatives, high-priority business capabilities and initiatives, and understand what value measures are relevant to them. Choose up to a dozen value measures that interest the business the most and can be improved by EA.
- Rebrand EA to match the high-priority business goals or initiatives. Choose EA processes that will contribute the most to the selected business value measures. Establish EA roles and define responsibilities with a RACI chart. Stay away from traditional EA nomenclature and common EA mistakes.
- Craft plausible value statements linking factual business benefits to outcomes of EA with causal clauses. Collect convincing value proof points to support value statements. Build an EA marketing plan and pitch EA value contributions at different levels of the enterprise to both business and IT, through various media at every appropriate opportunity, both formally and informally. Create a charter document to obtain official sign-off and secure funding.
Impact and Result
- Establish an EA practice to help your organization enable its strategic business intent and improve effectiveness, efficiency, and agility.
- Use the proposed covert approach to bypass the prejudice and resistance typically evoked by EA initiatives, due to the negative connotation EA has earned with its repetitive failures.
- Focus on what matters to the business and communicate EA’s contribution to business value to gain ongoing business buy-in and executive support for the EA initiative.
Workshop: Covertly Establish a Business-Centric, Value-Driven EA Capability
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Determine the Values that Resonate with the Business
The Purpose
Analyze stakeholders and determine their value measures. Determine high-priority business capabilities and initiatives. Identify important value measures
Key Benefits Achieved
Gain executive buy-in by applying stakeholder value measures to your EA operating model
Activities
Outputs
Create a business capability map
- Business capability map
Choose up to a dozen high-priority business value measures that EA will contribute to
- Selected business value measures
Module 2: Define a covert, business-centric EA Operating Model
The Purpose
Re-brand EA. Define EA processes, roles, and responsibilities. Establish EA governance.
Key Benefits Achieved
Accelerate the attainment of business goals by choosing a name for EA aligned with those goals.
Activities
Outputs
Tailor EA operating model to optimize EA contribution to business value
- Tailored EA operating model
Create an EA operating model roll-out plan.
- EA operating model roll-out plan
Module 3: Promote EA's Contribution to Business Value
The Purpose
Model EA’s value contribution. Regularly communicate EA contribution to business value along with value proof points. Use selected business value measures as circumstantial evidence.
Key Benefits Achieved
Since hard quantitative metrics don't go well with EA, use value statements supported by value proof points to sell EA's value to the business. Keep business stakeholders informed, invested and engaged with an EA marketing plan.
Activities
Outputs
Craft EA value statements and collect value proof points
- List of EA value statements and supporting proof points
Create an EA marketing plan
- EA Marketing Plan
Create an EA charter
- EA Charter