- The enterprise architecture (EA) team is constantly challenged to articulate the value of its function.
- The CIO has asked the EA team to help articulate the business value the team brings.
- Traceability from the business goals and vision to the EA contributions often does not exist.
- Also, clients often struggle with complexity, priorities, and agile execution.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- EA can deliver many benefits to an organization. However, to increase the likelihood of success, the EA group needs to deliver value to the business and cannot be seen solely as IT.
- Support from the organization is needed.
- An EA strategy anchored in a value proposition will ensure that EA focuses on driving the most critical outcomes in support of the organization’s enterprise strategy.
- As agility is not just for project execution, architects need to understand ways to deliver their guidance to influence project execution in real time, to enable the enterprise agility, and to enhance their responsiveness to changing conditions.
Impact and Result
- Create an EA value proposition based on enterprise needs that clearly articulates the expected contributions of the EA function.
- Establish the EA fundamentals (vision and mission statement, goals and objectives, and principles) needed to position the EA function to deliver the promised value proposition.
- Identify the services that EA has to provide to the organization to deliver on the promised value proposition.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.4/10
Overall Impact
$66,352
Average $ Saved
34
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
DPHI – Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure
Guided Implementation
9/10
$13,759
10
Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology
Workshop
10/10
$64,999
120
The best part was having a new understanding of what my Ministry should be trying to accomplish and replicate to other Ministries and Departments a... Read More
Halifax Port Authority
Guided Implementation
8/10
$50,000
20
Nitin provided an excellent overview of Info-Tech's Enterprise Architecture strategy blueprint, including the advisory service, workshops, and cons... Read More
General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc
Workshop
9/10
$12,999
5
Overall the experience was excellent. The best part was working on the EA Services RACI and Roadmap. The worst part was we could have used more t... Read More
California Department of Toxic Substances Control
Guided Implementation
10/10
$2,599
50
Nitin is an excellent consultant and advisor, he definitely has added value and insight in DTSC's creation of an EA strategy.
Kentucky Fried Chicken UK
Guided Implementation
10/10
$3,280
5
Community Health Choice, Inc.
Workshop
10/10
$129K
100
The workshop was very enlighten to the entire team as we had a misconception of what the responsibilities of an EA. We all enjoyed everything abou... Read More
Amey
Guided Implementation
10/10
$4,920
3
US Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service
Workshop
9/10
$1.04M
100
The first workshop was not what FWS expected, however once they received feedback they delivered what we had hoped on the first go around.
NSW Police
Workshop
10/10
$21,499
10
Excellent engagement during workshop, and Gerald provided myself and the EA team with a clear direction on how to move forward with some of our key... Read More
BRP Group
Workshop
10/10
$129K
50
Best part was lots of engagement from the team members.
Langara College
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
90
Infotech has a clear structured approach and experience with the work we needed help with. Having them to validate our issues and advise on the ne... Read More
Toll Brothers Inc
Guided Implementation
9/10
$12,999
14
Good discussion, needed more time. Will plan to book additional time and discuss possible workshop.
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics
Guided Implementation
9/10
$5,199
2
It was a pleasure engaging with Milena over the two sessions. She is clearly very experienced with Enterprise architecture and she was able to adap... Read More
Kuvare US Holdings
Workshop
10/10
$129K
85
Andy is a joy to work with. He immediately comes across to participants as an inspiring expert they can trust. Since this workshop involved all IT ... Read More
Immanuel
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
2
This was my response. I am very happy with this engagement. Milena, It was wonderful to meet you. Your knowledge of EA was tremendously clea... Read More
Pacific Blue Cross
Guided Implementation
8/10
N/A
2
Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey
Guided Implementation
9/10
$25,829
120
The best part of the experience was the ability Milena had to tailored the InfoTech delivery template to produce session outputs in the appropriate... Read More
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Guided Implementation
10/10
$10,000
20
Milena is very knowledgeable and insightful.
Louisiana Health Service & Indemnity Company d/b/a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Workshop
10/10
$64,999
50
Reddy is an excellent facilitator. His knowledge on the subject matter is apparent. The entire department indicated that they learned a great dea... Read More
Cascades, Centre des Technologies
Guided Implementation
9/10
$10,000
2
Napier City Council
Guided Implementation
8/10
$7,559
3
Good to get this initial phase done - thanks Anu
Washington Technology Solutions
Guided Implementation
9/10
N/A
N/A
Best - framework that we can adopt to assess our own maturity. Worst - not enough time :D
Loto-Québec
Guided Implementation
10/10
$50,000
10
Choice Hotels International Services Corp.
Guided Implementation
10/10
$62,999
50
No worst parts. Milena helps to validate my thinking and push me beyond my current level of understanding on the EA space. I consider her a trusted... Read More
The Regional Municipality of Peel
Guided Implementation
10/10
$1,900
5
Afreximbank
Workshop
9/10
$75,000
60
Very insightful as we are moving into the stage of developing the Business Architecture.
Federated Co-operatives Limited
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
This was an introductory meeting to review the Enterprise Architecture Strategy collateral. No decisions have been made nor direction established. ... Read More
University of Kansas Hospital Authority
Workshop
10/10
$28,599
95
Jean was a fantastic facilitator and able to give real-world experiences and guidance that helped us find alignment in our EA practice/roadmap.
Cross Country Mortgage, Inc.
Guided Implementation
10/10
$22,049
9
Enterprise Architecture
EA teams need to understand the dynamic relationship between organizational complexity, operational maturity, and stakeholder value. This relationship forms the foundation for building value-driven roadmaps anchored in stakeholder needs..
This course makes up part of the Service Planning & Architecture Certificate.
- Course Modules: 4
- Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour
- Featured Analysts:
- Gord Harrison, SVP Research & Advisory
- Arif Mustafa, Research Director, Enterprise Architecture
Workshop: Design an Enterprise Architecture Strategy
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Map the EA Contributions to Business Goals
The Purpose
Show an example of traceability.
Key Benefits Achieved
Members have a real-world example of traceability between business goals and EA contributions.
Activities
Outputs
Start from the business goals of the organization.
- Business goals documented.
Document business and IT drivers.
- Business and IT drivers documented.
Identify EA contributions that help achieve the business goals.
- Identified EA contributions and traced them to business goals.
Module 2: Determine the Role of the Architect in the Agile Ceremonies of the Organization
The Purpose
Create an understanding about role of architect in Agile ceremonies.
Key Benefits Achieved
Understanding of the role of the EA architect in Agile ceremonies.
Activities
Outputs
Document the Agile ceremony used in the organization (based on SAFe or other Agile approaches).
- Documented the Agile ceremonial used in the organization (based on SAFe or other Agile approaches).
Determine which ceremonies the system architect will participate in.
- Determined which ceremonies the system architect will participate in.
Determine which ceremonies the solution architect will participate in.
- Determined which ceremonies the solution architect will participate in.
Determine which ceremonies the enterprise architect will participate in.
- Determined which ceremonies the enterprise architect will participate in.
Determine architect syncs, etc.
- Determined architect syncs, etc.
Design an Enterprise Architecture Strategy
Develop a strategy that fits the organization’s maturity and remains adaptable to unforeseen future changes.
EXECUTIVE BRIEF
Build a right-size enterprise architecture strategy
Enterprise Architecture Strategy |
|||
Business & IT Strategy
|
|
|
Unlock the Value of Architecture
|
Current Environment
|
Enterprise Architecture – Thought Model
Enterprise Architecture Capabilities
Analyst Perspective
Enterprise architecture (EA) needs to be right-sized for the needs of the organization.
Enterprise architecture is NOT a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It needs to be right-sized to the needs of the organization.
Enterprise architects are boots on the ground and part of the solution; in addition, they need to have a good understanding of the corporate strategy, vision, and goals and have a vested interest on the optimization of the outcomes for the enterprise. They also need to anticipate the moves ahead, to be able to determine future trends and how they will impact the enterprise.
Milena Litoiu
Principal/Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture
Info-Tech Research Group
Analyst Perspective
EA provides business options based on a deep understanding of the organization.
“Enterprise architects need to think about and consider different areas of expertise when formulating potential business options. By understanding the context, the puzzle pieces can combine to create a positive business outcome that aligns with the organization’s strategies. Sometimes there will be missing pieces; leveraging what you know to create an outline of the pieces and collaborating with others can provide a general direction.”
Jean Bujold
Senior Workshop Delivery Director
Info-Tech Research Group
“The role of enterprise architecture is to eliminate misalignment between the business and IT and create value for the organization.”
Reddy Doddipalli
Senior Workshop Director, Research
Info-Tech Research Group
“Every transformation journey is an opportunity to learn: ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’ Benjamin Franklin.”
Graham Smith
Senior Lead Enterprise Architect and Independent Consultant
Develop an enterprise architecture strategy that:
- Helps the organization make decisions that are hard to change in a complex environment.
- Fits the current organization’s maturity and remains flexible and adaptable to unforeseen future changes.
Executive Summary
Your Challenge
We need to make decisions today for an unknown future. Decisions are influenced by:
- Changes in the environment you operate in.
- Complexity of both the business and IT landscapes.
- IT’s difficulty in keeping up with business demands and remaining agile.
- Program/project delivery pressure and long-term planning needs.
- Other internal and external factors affecting your enterprise.
Common Obstacles
Decisions are often made:
- Without a clear understanding of the business goals.
- Without a holistic understanding; sometimes in conflict with one another.
- That hinder the continuity of the organization.
- That prevent value optimization at the enterprise level.
The more complex an organization, the more players involved, the more difficult it is to overcome these obstacles.
Info-Tech’s Approach
- Is a holistic, top-down approach, from the business goals all the way to implementation.
- Has EA act as the canary in the coal mine. EA will identify and mitigate risks in the organization.
- Enables EA to provide an essential service rather than be an isolated kingdom or an ivory tower.
- Acknowledges that EA is a balancing act among competing demands.
- Makes decisions using guiding principles and guardrails, to create a flexible architecture that can evolve and expand, enabling enterprise agility.
Info-Tech Insight
There is no “right architecture” for organizations of all sizes, maturities, and cultural contexts. The value of enterprise architecture can only be measured against the business goals of a single organization. Enterprise architecture needs to be right-sized for your organization.
Info-Tech insight summary on arch. agility
Continuous innovation is of paramount importance in achieving and maintaining competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Business engagement
It is important to trace architectural decisions to business goals. As business goals evolve, architecture should evolve as well. As new business input is provided during Agile cycles, architecture is continuously evolving. |
EA fundamentals
EA fundamentals will shape how enterprise architects think and act, how they engage with the organization, what decisions they make, etc. Start small and lean and evolve as needed. Continuously align strategy with delivery and operations. Architects should establish themselves as business partners as well as implementation/delivery leaders. |
Enterprise services
Definitions of enterprise services should start from the business goals of the organization and the capabilities IT needs to perform for the organization to survive in the marketplace. Continuous delivery and continuous innovation are the two facets of architecture. |
Tactical insight
Your current maturity should be reflected as a baseline in the strategy. |
Tactical insight
Take Agile/opportunistic steps toward your strategic North star. |
Tactical insight
EA services differ based on goals, maturity, and the Agile appetite of the enterprise. |
From the best industry experts
“The trick to getting value from enterprise architecture is to commit to the long haul.”
Jeanne W. Ross, MIT CISR
Co-author of Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution,
Harvard Business Press, 2006.
Typical EA maturity stages
Enterprise Architecture maturity
![]() |
|
Info-Tech Insight
There is no “absolute maturity” for organizations of all sizes, maturities, and cultural contexts. The maturity of enterprise architecture can only be measured against the business goals of the organization.
Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
DIY Toolkit |
Guided Implementation |
Workshop |
Consulting |
"Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful." | "Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track." | "We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place." | "Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project." |
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
Workshop Overview
Contact your account representative for more information.
workshops@infotech.com1-888-670-8889
Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5 | |
Activities |
Identify organizational needs and landscape1.0 Interview stakeholders to identify business and technology needs 1.1 Review organization perspective, including business needs, challenges, and strategic directions 1.2 Conduct PESTLE analysis to identify business and technology trends 1.3 Conduct SWOT analysis to identify business and technology internal perspective |
Create the EA value proposition2.1 Identify and prioritize EA stakeholders 2.2 Create business and technology drivers from needs 2.3 Define the EA value proposition 2.4 Identify EA maturity and target |
Define the EA fundamentals3.1 Define the EA goals and objectives 3.2 Determine EA scope 3.3 Create a set of EA principles 3.4. Define the need of a methodology/agility 3.5 Create the EA vision and mission statement |
Identify the EA framework and communicate the EA strategy4.1 Define initial EA operating model and governance mechanism 4.2 Define the activities and services the EA function will provide, derived from business goals 4.3 Determine effectiveness measures 4.4 Create EA roadmap and next steps 4.5 Build communication plan for stakeholders |
Next Steps and Wrap-Up (offsite)5.1 Generate workshop report 5.2 Set up review time for workshop report and to discuss next steps |
Outcomes |
|
|
|
|
|
Guided Implementation
A Guided Implementation (GI) is a series of calls with an Info-Tech analyst to help implement our best practices in your organization.
A typical GI is 8 to 12 calls over the course of 4 to 6 months.
While variations depend on the maturity of the organization as well as its aspirations, these are some typical steps:
- Call #1: Explore the role of EA in your organization.
- Call #2: Identify and prioritize stakeholders.
- Call #3: Use a PESTLE analysis to identify business and technology needs.
- Call #4: Prepare for stakeholder interviews.
- Call #5: Discuss your EA value proposition.
- Call #5: Understand the importance of EA fundamentals.
- Call #6: Define the relevant EA services and their contributions to the organization.
- Call #7: Measure EA effectiveness.
- Call #8: Build your EA roadmap and communication plan.
- Call #9: Discuss the EA role relative to agility.
- Call #10: Summarize results and plan next steps.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
Design an Enterprise Architecture Strategy
Phase 1
Explore the Role of Enterprise Architecture
Phase 1
|
Phase 2
|
||
Phase 3
|
Phase 4
|
This phase will walk you through the following activities:
Define the role of the group and different roles inside the enterprise architecture competency.
This phase involves the following participants:
- CIO
- IT Leaders
- Business Leaders
Enterprise architecture optimizes the outcomes of the entire organization
Corporate Strategy –› Enterprise Architecture Strategy
Info-Tech Insight
Enterprise architecture needs to have input from the corporate strategy of the organization. Similarly, EA governance needs to be informed by corporate governance. If this is not the case, it is like planning and governing with your eyes closed.
Existing EA functions vary in the value they achieve due to their level of maturity
EA Functions |
Operationalized
|
–––› | Common EA value | |
Decreased cost | Reduced risk | |||
Emerging
|
–x–› | Cut through complexity | Increased agility |
Benefits of enterprise architecture
- Focuses on business outcomes (business centricity)
- Provides traceability of architectural decisions to/from business goals
- Provides ways to measure results
- Provides consistency across different lines of business: establishes a common vocabulary, reducing inconsistencies
- Reduces duplications, creating additional efficiencies at the enterprise level
- Presents an actionable migration to the strategy/vision, through short-term milestones/steps
Benefits of enterprise architecture continued
- Done right, increases agility
- Done right, reduces costs
- Done right, mitigates risks
- Done right, stimulates innovation
- Done right, helps achieve the stated business goals (e.g. customer satisfaction) and improves the enterprise agility.
- Done right, enhances competitive advantage of the enterprise