Abstract
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.
Journal of Enterprise Architecture