Eetu Niemi
Abstract
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is created, maintained, and managed through EA processes. While the quality of these processes is perceived to ultimately impact the realization of benefits from the EA approach, it has been considered in relatively few studies. Specific aspects of EA processes such as EA frameworks have been extensively studied, but there is no common understanding of the attributes that make up EA processes of high quality. In this exploratory case study, data from 14 themed interviews of EA stakeholders is utilized to identify 15 quality attributes for EA processes. These are then supplemented and validated by comparison to the hitherto existing state of research. The results provide a comprehensive framework for understanding EA process quality. They can be used to identify areas for development and define metrics for further improvement of the EA practice, and as a basis for further research.
Keywords
Enterprise Architecture, Quality, Process, Planning, Governance, Documentation, Management
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Central Finland Regional fund, and Oskar Öflund’s Foundation for funding this research, and Professor Samuli Pekkola for his valuable advice.
About the author
Eetu Niemi is an EA and information security consultant working especially in the finance industry and the public sector. He supports large-scale organizational transformation initiatives by the design and utilization of business-oriented functional architecture blueprints. He is also a doctoral student finalizing a thesis on the EA benefit realization process. He holds an MSc in Economics.
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Journal of Enterprise Architecture