Article

Enterprise Architecture has been identified as one of the core solutions for enterprise success. The essence of Enterprise Architecture is to document the current and future states of an enterprise and to institute a reasonable transition process from current to future state so that any enterprise can sustain in vibrant environment. Varied nature of human thinking process and cultures has created and is creating new types of enterprise structures that need to function with least entropy and thus achieving its goals through strategic management of its resources. This has lead to creation of various tailor made Enterprise Architecture frameworks to cater to various enterprise models and varying needs of strategic information resource management. The current state of enterprise development and success points to current and future trends such as virtualization, visualization, service-orientation and personal enterprise architectures.

Federal Agencies and Private companies have many strategic initiatives they pursue in order to realize their visions. Due to the complexity of these initiatives, there is a growing need for research on how enterprise architects and leaders should go about leading modernization and transformational programs while executing strategic initiatives. Enterprise Architecture (EA) provides a foundation for high-performing organizations in driving transformation. However, little is said in the literature about how to do this. This article primarily examines the use of enterprise architecture concepts in transformational initiatives and captured the top key enablers, and challenges identified by transformational teams in both the private and federal government sectors by conducting a combination of interviews, surveys and review of documentation. Analysis of empirical data identified key enablers and challenges organizations face when using EA concepts in transformation. These are further classified under three categories: communications, process, and management support and structure. Based on the outcome, we provide a list of suggestions to consider before undertaking transformational initiatives using enterprise architecture. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of similarities and differences in enablers and challenges between federal government and private sectors which provide additional insight for transformational teams.

While Enterprise Architecture (EA) continues to move forward in its recognition as a meta-approach to understanding and documenting enterprises of various types in all dimensions (strategic, business, and technology). This article discusses the elements of a complete approach to EA, focusing on the documentation element. Examples of EA documentation from the EA3 ‘Cube’ approach are presented to show how various types of models and other artifacts are needed to fully cover the associated EA framework. Two new types of composite artifacts are also introduced – the ‘storyboard’ that shows all aspects of a service or process, and a ‘horse blanket’ that holistically depicts an enterprise-wide architecture. The article concludes with a call for more standards for EA documentation and more advanced types of EA models.

Available in July 2009, the new book, Coherency Management: Architecting the Enterprise for Alignment, Agility and Assurance discusses a more outcome-oriented way to envision the practice of Enterprise Architecture (EA). The book is edited by Gary Doucet, John Gøtze, Pallab Saha and Scott Bernard, and commenced with the publication of an article in the May 2008 edition of JEA that captured the essential elements of what Coherency Management is all about. This article also formed the basis of a solicitation that went out to Enterprise Architecture leaders throughout the world as the editors looked for others to contribute to the book. The result is a work that covers a wide spectrum of current EA theory and practice throughout the world, with Coherency Management as an organizing principal.

This article discusses two important improvements that are needed in Enterprise Architecture (EA) programs: (1) formalization in EA approaches and (2) auditing of EA programs. Formalization occurs through the implementation of six elements that are foundational to any EA approach: governance, methodology, framework, artifacts, repository, and best practices. Auditing is accomplished through an approach-neutral process that evaluates completeness, consistency and utilization to promote transparency, accountability, maturity, and value. The article provides context through a discussion of the background of EA, the growing popularity of EA programs in the public and private sectors, and the mixed record of value the EA programs have produced for different stakeholder groups, some of whom tend to view a formalized architecture as expensive to develop, light on returns, and a threat to project or system-specific interests. Auditing is discussed as a best practice that should be considered as an essential aspect of any EA program, just as auditing is integral to most quality assurance approaches and is the impetus for several influential federal laws that seek to improve accountability, accuracy, and service delivery. The article concludes with an introduction of the EA Audit Model (EA2M) as a method to support the formalization and maturation of EA programs.

This article discusses a number of common causes of Enterprise Architecture (EA) Program failures, which in total may be as high as 40% of all public and private sector efforts, due in general to poor execution and a failure to deliver value to the business. The author cites seven areas to address in restarting an EA Program after initial failure, which include: not understanding what EA is; unclear leadership; insufficient resources; the scope is too big; lack of perceived value; lack of use; and competition with other best practices. By mapping the positive and negative results of a failed initial EA Program to the seven common failure areas, an organization can develop an “Organization-Specific EA Implementation Strategy” (OSEAIS) to guide a restart. The OSEAIS provides a comprehensive vehicle for ensuring a common understanding, communication, training, committed leadership, resources, governance, and value delivery. When combined with a mature, proven EA framework and approach, the OSEAIS can provide a reliable method for ensuring the successful re-start of an EA Program.