Understanding the potential value of EA and settling on a common definition is an important step.
Enterprise Architecture (EA) has gained widespread acceptance throughout the IT industry as an essential tool for managing complex IT environments. Yet there is still a lot of confusion about what an EA looks like, how it is used and how it adds value. I define EA as follows: an EA is a holistic set of models that represent an enterprise and its environment in order to manage change.
As the term “holistic” indicates, EAs are composed of a set of complementary models that are interdependent, and where the focus is on the whole of the enterprise rather than the individual parts.
This is really the key to delivering EA value: an EA allows a company to take a holistic view that links business strategy to IT strategy, IT strategy to IT architecture, and IT architecture to IT delivery. Ultimately, it ensures that the delivery of IT services is aligned to the goals of the business. Without an EA approach there is no way to ensure that the services provided by your IT environment are actually providing benefit to the business.
As this definition also shows, the primary role of an EA is in managing change. In an environment that is not exposed to change there is no need for an EA. Conversely, as the impact of change becomes greater, then so does the need for an EA to manage that change. Furthermore, a sophisticated EA can be used to leverage this change as a tool for gaining competitive advantage [see my article “The Art of Guerrilla IT” T&B, June 2006, which describes how to use EA to gain competitive advantage].
In fact EA provides value in two ways. An EA can provide internal improvements within your IT environment by optimising service delivery, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. However, an EA can also operate externally to make the business more effective by driving innovation and enabling new ways of operating. How an EA is used in your organisation will depend on the nature of the industry you are in and the positioning of your IT department within
your organisation.
Understanding the potential value of EA and settling on a common definition is an important step for any IT leader considering an EA program. The next step is to sell the concept to the business and IT stakeholders who will be required to provide input into the development of an EA. To this end, you may want to think about what you will actually call your program: the term Enterprise Architecture may not be the best descriptor to use at your organisation. Terms used to describe EA programs vary widely from “Information Technology Architecture” to “IT Vision”. Gartner suggests the term “Navigator” is one emerging name that may be
well accepted.
Of course, whatever name you choose and whatever approach you take, the crucial element is to ensure that the program is tailored to your environment. Every organisation is different and every EA program that I’ve been involved in has been completely unique. Thus, the EA proponents that make categorical statements along the lines of “we can do a standard EA program in six weeks” are clearly missing the point. Unless the EA program is designed to take into account the goals of your business and unless it takes into account the current state of your IT environment, then it is doomed to failure. When it comes to EA we are all individuals!
Gerald Khoury consults, lectures and writes in IT strategy and planning and currently works as research director at Gartner. Contact him at gerald.khoury@gartner.com
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