Get the Business Engaged in Enterprise Architecture Processes
Keep the “E” in “EA.”
- In many organizations, business participation in Enterprise Architecture (EA) is negligible. These organizations miss roughly half of the benefits associated with EA.
- Business managers and leaders view EA as an IT function, failing to recognize the value that comes from analytical methods and modeling techniques. EA, like its counterpart in building design and construction, involves diagrams and drawings using standard notations. However, for business leaders unfamiliar with applying architectural science to an enterprise, EA seems like it was invented by IT solely for IT purposes.
- Business leader attention is further confused by other business analysis methods such as Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Six Sigma, or Lean Production.
- EA demands a significant commitment from business management who struggle to understand the value in dedicating scarce resources to formal analysis of business activities.
- This research will recommend ways to communicate the value of EA and gain business support and commitment to EA.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Business engagement in enterprise architecture is important. Business participation in EA processes doubles the likelihood of experiencing EA benefits.
- In most cases, avoid the temptation to use IT discretionary funding to pay for an EA initiative. When the business pays for it, it is more likely to engage in it down the road.
- Don’t think it’s your job to introduce business leaders to the practice of modeling: that’s what they learn to do in business school. Business models may not look like EA models, but you have to find the link between the two paradigms to engage business leadership.
Impact and Result
- Optimize business engagement for your own situation.
- Use Info-Tech’s tactics to build business engagement in the appropriate processes.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
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Contributors
- ARB Consulting
- Barnhardt Manufacturing Company
- Canadian Space Agency
- City of London
- Cognizant Technology Solutions
- Resource Interactive
- National University of Singapore
- Wipro
- Pragmatic EA Ltd.
- An additional ten companies contributed to this research. Due to the sensitivity of the information, their identities will be kept confidential.