CMM-Based EA: Achieving the Next Level of Enterprise Architecture Capacity and Performance
Typically, organizations start their enterprise architecture (EA) journey using non-integrated point-applications including documents, spreadsheets, and databases. While this approach to EA is initially easy and convenient, it inevitably leads to continuous reconciliation, the inefficient use of scarce resources, and eventual frustration. This is because point application tools lack the power to maintain the consistency of multiple EA models across EA teams and organizations. As a result, accurate cross-enterprise EA analyses are typically time and resource intensive, or are impossible to effectively perform. Moving from point tools EA to the capabilities of Capability Maturity Model (CMM)-based EA is more than a simple technology issue. The purpose of this article is to help organizations understand the potential benefits and dimensions required to implement CMM-based EA effectively. CMM-based EA is flexible enough that it can be successfully applied to the civilian and defense government programs.