Covertly Establish a Business-Centric, Value-Driven EA Capability

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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.

Covertly Establish a Business-Centric, Value-Driven EA Capability Research & Tools

1. Lay the foundation for successful EA

Secure ongoing business buy-in and executive support to increase the likelihood of EA success.

2. Determine value measures that resonate with the business

Verify that business capabilities and initiatives are aligned with business imperatives.

3. Define a covert, business-centric EA operating model

Create an EA capability roll-out plan.

4. Promote EA’s contribution to business value

Create an EA charter document and obtain sign-off.

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

1.1

Create a business capability map

Business capability map

1.2

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

2.1

Tailor EA operating model to optimize EA contribution to business value

Tailored EA operating model

2.2

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

3.1

Craft EA value statements and collect value proof points

List of EA value statements and supporting proof points

3.2

Create an EA marketing plan

EA Marketing Plan

3.3

Create an EA charter

EA Charter

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.

Table of Contents

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 5 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Call 1: Identify and prioritize value measures

An analyst will assist with identifying key stakeholders, prioritizing value measures, and establishing metrics.
Call 2: Define EA operating model and roll-out plan

An analyst will help you refine your EA operating model, refine your RACI chart, and optimize your capability roll-out plan.
Call 3: Refine EA value statements and proof points

An analyst will review your value statements and proof points and make suggestions to improve them.
Call 4: Get the most from the marketing plan

An analyst will review the first draft of your marketing plan and recommend improvements before you submit it.
Call 5: Get sign-off for your EA charter

Before you distribute the EA charter, an analyst will read the draft and recommend improvements. We can also help you to address stakeholder concerns once the charter has been issued for sign-off.