Create a Right-Sized Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
Focus on process standardization, repeatability, and sustainability.
- EA governance is perceived as an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy because business benefits are poorly communicated.
- The organization doesn’t have a formalized EA practice.
- Where an EA practice exists, employees are unsure of EA’s roles and responsibilities.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Enterprise architecture is not a technical function – it should be business-value driven and forward looking, positioning organizational assets in favor of long-term strategy rather than short-term tactics.
Impact and Result
- Value-focused. Focus EA governance on helping the organization achieve business benefits. Promote EA’s contribution in realizing business value.
- Right-sized. Re-use existing process checkpoints rather than creating new ones. Clearly define EA governance inclusion criteria for projects.
- Defined and measured process. Define metrics to measure EA’s performance and integrate EA governance with other governance processes such as project governance. Also clearly define the EA governing bodies’ composition, domain, inputs, and outputs.
- Strike the right balance. Adopt architecture principles that strikes the right balance between business and technology.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.0/10
Overall Impact
$10,000
Average $ Saved
5
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
ARM Pension Managers (PFA) Limited
Guided Implementation
9/10
$10,000
5
The experience was very good as I was able to discuss real time challenges and i went away with practical suggestions on how to get a resolution. A... Read More
Delta Dental Washington
Guided Implementation
10/10
$12,733
N/A
I appreciated hearing about experiences implementing TOGAF and the recommendation to look elsewhere.
FirstRand Bank Ltd.
Guided Implementation
9/10
$64,999
20
The tools and engaging with the InfoTech expertise has helped to fast track some of our processes and inputs that we required on building the busin... Read More
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Guided Implementation
8/10
$25,000
20
Best: The rich collection of relevant EA and ARB materials. Understanding the importance of the awareness and communication elements for implementi... Read More
Workshop: Create a Right-Sized Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
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: Current State of EA governance (Pre-workshop)
The Purpose
- Conduct stakeholder interviews to understand current state of EA practice and prioritize gaps for EA governance based on organizational complexity.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Prioritized list of actions to arrive at the target state based on the complexity of the organization
Activities
Outputs
Determine organizational complexity.
- Organizational complexity score
Conduct an assessment of the EA governance components.
- EA governance current state and prioritized list of EA governance component gaps
Identify and prioritize gaps.
Conduct senior management interviews.
- Stakeholder perception of the EA practice
Module 2: EA Fundamentals and Engagement Model
The Purpose
- Refine EA fundamentals to align the EA practice with the organization and identify EA touchpoints to provide guidance for projects.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Alignment of EA goals and objectives with the goals and objectives of the organization
- Early involvement of EA in the IT operating model
Activities
Outputs
Review the output of the organizational complexity and EA assessment tools.
Craft the EA vision and mission.
- EA vision and mission statement
Develop the EA principles.
- EA principles
Identify the EA goals.
- EA goals and measures
Identify EA engagement touchpoints within the IT operating model.
- Identified EA engagement touchpoints and EA level of involvement
Module 3: EA Governing Bodies
The Purpose
- Set up EA governing bodies to provide guidance and foster a collaborative environment by identifying the correct number of EA governing bodies, defining the game plan to initialize the governing bodies and creating an architecture review process.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Business benefits are maximized and solution design is within the options set forth by the architectural reference models while no additional layers of bureaucracy are introduced
Activities
Outputs
Identify the number of governing bodies.
- Architecture board structure and coverage
Define the game plan to initialize the governing bodies.
Define the architecture review process.
- Identified architecture review template
Module 4: EA Policy
The Purpose
- Create an EA policy to provide a set of guidelines designed to direct and constrain the architecture actions of the organization in the pursuit of its goals in order to improve architecture compliance and drive business value.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Improved architecture compliance, which ties investments to business value and provides guidance to architecture practitioners
Activities
Outputs
Define the scope.
- Defined scope
Identify the target audience.
Determine the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria for project review
Craft an assessment checklist.
- Architecture assessment checklist
Module 5: Architectural Standards and Communication Plan
The Purpose
- Define architecture standards to facilitate information exchange, improve collaboration, and provide stability.
- Craft a communication plan to implement the new EA governance framework in order to maximize the chances of success.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Consistent development of architecture, increased information exchange between stakeholders
- Improved process transparency
- Improved stakeholder engagement
Activities
Outputs
Identify and standardize EA work products.
- Identified set of EA work products to standardize
Classifying the architectural standards.
- Architecture information taxonomy
Identifying the custodian of standards.
- Identified set of custodian of standards
Update the standards.
- Standard update process
List the changes identified in the EA governance initiative
- List of EA governance initiatives
Create a communication plan.
- Communication plan for EA governance initiatives
Create a Right-Sized Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
Focus on process standardization, repeatability, and sustainability.
ANALYST PERSPECTIVE
"Enterprise architecture is not a technology concept, rather it is the foundation on which businesses orient themselves to create and capture value in the marketplace. Designing architecture is not a simple task and creating organizations for the future requires forward thinking and rigorous planning.
Architecture processes that are supposed to help facilitate discussions and drive option analysis are often seen as an unnecessary overhead. The negative perception is due to enterprise architecture groups being overly prescriptive rather than providing a set of options that guide and constrain solutions at the same time.
EA groups should do away with the direct and control mindset and change to a collaborate and mentor mindset. As part of the architecture governance, EA teams should provide an option set that constrains design choices, and also be open to changes to standards or best practices. "
Gopi Bheemavarapu, Sr. Manager, CIO Advisory Info-Tech Research Group
Our understanding of the problem
This Research Is Designed For:
- CIO
- IT Leaders
- Business Leaders
- Head of Enterprise Architecture
- Enterprise Architects
- Domain Architects
- Solution Architects
This Research Will Help You:
- Understand the importance of enterprise architecture (EA) governance and how to apply it to guide architectural decisions.
- Enhance your understanding of the organization’s current EA governance and identify areas for improvement.
- Optimize your EA engagement model to maximize value creation.
- Learn how to set up the optimal number of governance bodies in order to avoid bureaucratizing the organization.
This Research Will Also Assist:
- Business Relationship Managers
- Business Analysts
- IT Managers
- Project Managers
- IT Analysts
- Quality Assurance Leads
- Software Developers
This Research Will Help Them:
- Give an overview of enterprise architecture governance
- Clarity on the role of enterprise architecture team
Executive summary
Situation
- Deployed solutions do not meet business objectives resulting in expensive and extensive rework.
- Each department acts independently without any regular EA touchpoints.
- Organizations practice project-level architecture as opposed to enterprise architecture.
Complication
- EA governance is perceived as an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy because business benefits are poorly communicated.
- The organization doesn’t have a formalized EA practice.
- Where an EA practice exists, employees are unsure of EA’s roles and responsibilities.
Resolution
- Value-focused. Focus EA governance on helping the organization achieve business benefits. Promote EA’s contribution in realizing business value.
- Right-sized. Re-use existing process checkpoints, rather than creating new ones. Clearly define EA governance inclusion criteria for projects.
- Defined and measured process. Define metrics to measure EA’s performance and integrate EA governance with other governance processes such as project governance. Also clearly define the EA governing bodies’ composition, domain, inputs, and outputs.
- Strike the right balance. Adopt architecture principles that strikes the right balance between business and technology imperatives.
Info-Tech Insight
Enterprise architecture is critical to ensuring that an organization has the solid IT foundation it needs to efficiently enable the achievement of its current and future strategic goals rather than focusing on short-term tactical gains.
What is enterprise architecture governance?
An architecture governance process is the set of activities an organization executes to ensure that decisions are made and accountability is enforced during the execution of its architecture strategy. (Hopkins, “The Essential EA Toolkit.”)
EA governance includes the following:
- Implement a system of controls over the creation and monitoring of all architectural components.
- Ensure effective introduction, implementation, and evolution of architectures within the organization.
- Implement a system to ensure compliance with internal and external standards and regulatory obligations.
- Develop practices that ensure accountability to a clearly identified stakeholder community, both inside and outside the organization.
(TOGAF)
IT governance sets direction through prioritization and decision making, and monitors overall IT performance.
EA governance ensures that optimal architectural design choices are being made that focus on long-term value creation.
Harness the benefits of an optimized EA governance
Core benefits of EA governance are seen through:
Value creation
Effective EA governance ensures alignment between organizational investments and corporate strategic goals and objectives.
Cost reduction
Architecture standards provide guidance to identify opportunities for reuse and eliminate redundancies in an organization.
Risk optimization
Architecture review processes and assessment checklists ensure that solutions are within the acceptable risk levels of the organization.
EA governance is difficult to structure appropriately, but having an effective structure will allow you to:
- Achieve business strategy through faster time-to-market innovations and capabilities.
- Reduced transaction costs with more consistent business processes and information across business units.
- Lower IT costs due to better traceability, faster design, and lower risk.
- Link IT investments to organizational strategies and objectives
- Integrate and institutionalizes IT best practices.
- Enable the organization to take full advantage of its information, infrastructure, and hardware and software assets.
- Support regulatory as well as best practice requirements such as auditability, security, responsibility, and accountability.
Organizations that have implemented EA governance realize greater benefits from their EA programs
Modern day CIOs of high-performing organizations use EA as a strategic planning discipline to improve business-IT alignment, enable innovation, and link business and IT strategies to execution.
Recent Info-Tech research found that organizations that establish EA governance realize greater benefits from their EA initiatives.
(Info-Tech Research Group, N=89)
Measure EA governance implementation effectiveness
Define key operational measures for internal use by IT and EA practitioners. Also, define business value measures that communicate and demonstrate the value of EA as an “enabler” of business outcomes to senior executives.
| EA performance measures (lead, operational) | EA value measures (lag) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application of EA management process | EA’s contribution to IT performance | EA’s contribution to business value |
Enterprise Architecture Management
- Number of months since the last review of target state EA blueprints.
IT Investment Portfolio Management
- Percentage of projects that were identified and proposed by EA.
Solution Development
- Number of projects that passed EA reviews.
- Number of building blocks reused.
Operations Management
- Reduction in the number of applications with overlapping functionality.
Business Value
- Lower non-discretionary IT spend.
- Decreased time to production.
- Higher satisfaction of IT-enabled services.
An insurance provider adopts a value-focused, right-sized EA governance program
CASE STUDY
Industry Insurance
Source Info-Tech
Situation
The insurance sector has been undergoing major changes, and as a reaction, businesses within the sector have been embracing technology to provide innovative solutions.
The head of EA in a major insurance provider (henceforth to be referred to as “INSPRO01”) was given the mandate to ensure that solutions are architected right the first time to maximize reuse and reduce technology debt. The EA group was at a critical point – to demonstrate business value or become irrelevant.
Complication
The project management office had been accountable for solution architecture and had placed emphasis on short-term project cost savings at the expense of long term durability.
There was a lack of awareness of the Enterprise Architecture group within INSPRO01, and people misunderstood the roles and responsibilities of the EA team.
Result
Info-Tech helped define the responsibilities of the EA team and clarify the differences between the role of a Solution Architect vs. Enterprise Architect.
The EA team was able to make the case for change in the project management practices to ensure architectures are reviewed and approved prior to implementation.
As a result, INSPRO01 saw substantial increases in reuse opportunities and thereby derived more value from its technology investments.
Success factors for EA governance
The success of any EA governance initiative revolves around adopting best practices, setting up repeatable processes, and establishing appropriate controls.
- Develop best practices for managing architecture policies, procedures, roles, skills, and organizational structures.
- Establish organizational responsibilities and structures to support the architecture governance processes.
- Management of criteria for the control of the architecture governance processes, dispensations, compliance assessments, and SLAs.
Info-Tech’s approach to EA governance
Our best-practice approach is grounded in TOGAF and enhanced by the insights and guidance from our analysts, industry experts, and our clients.
Value-focused. Focus EA governance on helping the organization achieve business benefits. Promote EA’s contribution in realizing business value.
Right-sized. Insert EA governance into existing process checkpoints rather than creating new ones. Clearly define EA governance inclusion criteria for projects.
Measured. Define metrics to measure EA’s performance, and integrate EA governance with other governance processes such as project governance. Also clearly define the EA governing bodies’ composition, domain, inputs, and outputs.
Balanced. Adopt architecture principles that strikes the right balance between business and technology.
Info-Tech’s EA governance framework
Info-Tech’s architectural governance framework provides a value-focused, right-sized approach with a strong emphasis on process standardization, repeatability, and sustainability.
- Current state of EA governance
- EA fundamentals
- Engagement model
- EA governing bodies
- EA policy
- Architectural standards
- Communication Plan
Use Info-Tech’s templates to complete this project
- Current state of EA governance
- EA Capability - Risk and Complexity Assessment Tool
- EA Governance Assessment Tool
- EA fundamentals
- EA Vision and Mission Template
- EA Goals and Measures Template
- EA Principles Template
- Engagement model
- EA Engagement Model Template
- EA governing bodies
- Architecture Board Charter Template
- Architecture Review Process Template
- EA policy
- EA Policy Template
- Architecture Assessment Checklist Template
- Compliance Waiver Process Template
- Compliance Waiver Form Template
- Architectural standards
- Architecture Standards Update Process Template
- Communication Plan
- EA Governance Communication Plan Template
- EA Governance Framework Template
As you move through the project, capture your progress with a summary in the EA Governance Framework Template.
Download the EA Governance Framework Template document for use throughout this project.
Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”
Guided Implementation
“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
EA governance framework – phase-by-phase outline (1/2)
| Current state of EA governance | EA Fundamentals | Engagement Model | EA Governing Bodies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best-Practice Toolkit |
1.1 Determine organizational complexity 1.2 Conduct an assessment of the EA governance components 1.3 Identify and prioritize gaps |
2.1 Craft the EA vision and mission 2.2 Develop the EA principles 2.3 Identify the EA goals |
3.1 Build the case for EA engagement 3.2 Identify engagement touchpoints within the IT operating model |
4.1 Identify the number of governing bodies 4.2 Define the game plan to initialize the governing bodies 4.3 Define the architecture review process |
| Guided Implementations |
|
|
|
|
|
Phase 1 Results:
|
Phase 2 Results:
|
Phase 3 Results:
|
Phase 4 Results:
|
EA governance framework – phase-by-phase outline (2/2)
| EA Policy | Architectural Standards | Communication Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-Practice Toolkit |
5.1 Define the scope of EA policy 5.2 Identify the target audience 5.3 Determine the inclusion and exclusion criteria 5.4 Craft an assessment checklist |
6.1 Identify and standardize EA work products 6.2 Classify the architectural standards 6.3 Identify the custodian of standards 6.4 Update the standards |
7.1 List the changes identified in the EA governance initiative 7.2 Identify stakeholders 7.3 Create a communication plan |
| Guided Implementations |
|
|
|
|
Phase 5 Results:
|
Phase 6 Results:
|
Phase 7 Results:
|
Workshop overview
Contact your account representative or email Workshops@InfoTech.com for more information.
| Pre-workshop | Workshop Day 1 | Workshop Day 2 | Workshop Day 3 | Workshop Day 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activities | Current state of EA governance | EA fundamentals and engagement model | EA governing bodies | EA policy | Architectural standards and communication plan |
1.1 Determine organizational complexity 1.2 Conduct an assessment of the EA governance components 1.3 Identify and prioritize gaps 1.4 Senior management interviews |
|
|
|
| |
| Deliverables |
|
|
|
|
|
Phase 1
Current State of EA Governance
Create a Right-Sized Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
Current State of EA Governance
- Current State of EA Governance
- EA Fundamentals
- Engagement Model
- EA Governing Bodies
- EA Policy
- Architectural Standards
- Communication Plan
This phase will walk you through the following activities:
- Determine organizational complexity
- Conduct an assessment of the EA governance components
- Identify and prioritize gaps
This step involves the following participants:
- CIO
- IT Leaders
- Business Leaders
- Head of Enterprise Architecture
- Enterprise Architects
- Domain Architects
- Solution Architects
Outcomes of this step
- Prioritized list of gaps
Info-Tech Insight
Correlation is not causation – an apparent problem might be a symptom rather than a cause. Assess the organization’s current EA governance to discover the root cause and go beyond the symptoms.
Phase 1 guided implementation outline
Call 1-888-670-8889 or email GuidedImplementations@InfoTech.com for more information.Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.
Guided Implementation 1: Current State of EA Governance
Proposed Time to Completion: 2 weeks
Step 1.1: Determine organizational complexity
Start with an analyst kick-off call:
- Discuss how to use Info-Tech’s EA Capability – Risk and Complexity Assessment Tool.
- Discuss how to complete the inputs on the EA Governance Assessment Tool.
Then complete these activities…
- Conduct an assessment of your organization to determine its complexity.
- Assess the state of EA governance within your organization.
With these tools & templates:
- EA Capability – Risk and Complexity Assessment Tool
- EA Governance Assessment Tool
Step 1.2: Assess current state of EA governance
Start with an analyst kick-off call:
- Review the output of the EA governance assessment and gather feedback on your goals for the EA practice.
Then complete these activities…
- Discuss whether you are ready to proceed with the project.
- Review the list of tasks and plan your next steps.
With these tools & templates:
- EA Governance Assessment Tool
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.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
- Call 1: Current state of EA governance
Assess current state of EA governance.
- Call 2: EA Fundamentals
Develop and review the EA fundamentals.
- Call 3: Engagement Model
Review the current IT operating model, and determine the target engagement model.
- Call 4: EA Governing Bodies
Identify architecture boards and develop charters; develop an architecture review process.
- Call 5: EA Policy
Develop EA policy, assessment checklists, and decision types; create compliance waivers.
- Call 6: Architectural Standards
Understand architectural standards; develop EA repository and update standards.
- Call 7: Communication Plan
Create a communication plan, and review the communication plan.
Contributors
- Alan Mitchell, Senior Manager Global Cities Centre of Excellence, KPMG Canada
- Ian Gilmour, Associate Partner, EA Advisory Services, KPMG Canada
- Djamel Djemaoun Hamidson, Senior Enterprise Architect, CBC/Radio-Canada
- Sterling Bjorndahl, Director of Operations, eHealth Saskatchewan
- Huw Morgan, IT Research Executive, Enterprise Architect
- Serge Parisien, Manager Enterprise Architecture, Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation
- Alex Coleman, Chief Information Officer, Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board
- L.C. (Skip) Lumley, post-career, formerly Senior Principle at KPMG Canada
- Tim Gangwish, Enterprise Architect, Elavon
- Darryl Garmon, Senior Vice President, Elavon
- Steve Ranaghan, EMEIA business engagement, Fujitsu
Design an Enterprise Architecture Strategy
Agile Enterprise Architecture Operating Model
Define Your Cloud Vision
Document Your Cloud Strategy
Map Your Business Architecture to Define Your Strategy
Drive Digital Transformation With Platform Strategies
Create a Right-Sized Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework
Excel Through COVID-19 With a Focused Business Architecture
Create Stakeholder-Centric Architecture Governance
Enterprise Architecture Trends