Keeping Your Enterprise Architecture Plans Relevant and Effective for Today’s Challenges

Most Enterprise Architecture (EA) initiatives are typically motivated through major changes in the IT or technology department and it does not start off from the day-to-day business situation. It may be sparked by the arrival of new management or the need to transform the strategy that is a major part of the IT landscape.

These organisations expect the architects to bring about pivotal changes without giving them proper initiation. Some architects cannot even find the right organisational foundation to begin shaping the IT landscape the way it is expected to.

Most organisations have a dedicated EA department that oversees the entire systems architecture, including business processes and IT infrastructure, and helps establish technology-enabled processes across business units so companies can deliver goods and services effectively. But not all organisations know how to keep their EA strategies relevant and effective for today’s challenges.

Be Clear About Who Is Accountable for EA Decisions

When it comes time to implement new technologies or IT-enabled processes, most companies tend to bring all relevant stakeholders to the table. They assemble leaders in the EA department and members of the finance department and the strategy team, as well as the software-development group, to vet options and come to a decision about which changes to make and how. This approach is useful for ensuring that all perspectives are heard and that all system requirements are accounted for.

Give The EA Department Approval Rights

The perception in many companies is that the EA department can have only limited impact on overarching corporate initiatives, particularly compared with other technology-oriented groups that tend to have bigger budgets and direct responsibility for core operational areas. Companies should give EA departments more responsibility for certain big-picture decisions. For example, approving new IT-related projects or changes to the technology landscape.

Analyse And Measure the Effects of Enterprise Architecture on The Business

In a perfect world, the EA department would be able to show the impact of the work it is doing by relying on a series of key performance indicators that are linked to higher-level profit-and-loss objectives, anchored in operational tasks, and not dependent on contributions from outside the department. In reality, it is difficult for EA groups to determine their direct contribution to overall corporate performance because so much of their day-to-day work depends on input from individual business units, ever-changing strategy and budget decisions, and other interdependencies. There is no simple formula for measuring absolute impact, but one feasible approach might be to analyse the effects of enterprise architecture within a small pilot project, using business-specific metrics that account for interdependencies

The ability to be able to keep the EA strategies relevant will lead to a greater digital capability for the organisations and path a clear transformation roadmap. It will assist organisations in identifying the right element and the right time to adopt the most relevant technologies for the business within digital transformation initiatives.

The digital transformation journey will be much clearer since the organisational needs are taken into consideration and all possible opportunities are identified. Every organisation should consider taking this ‘health check’ to ensure the success of all EA strategies are still aligned towards realising digitally connected enterprise model.

ATD Consulting assist clients to establish their connected Digital Enterprise Architecture as a culture through Digital EA Assessments. The clients will be equipped with the necessary capabilities and competencies to continuously driving digital transformation within the organisation.