Forming an Enterprise Architecture (EA) Team

This article provides a direction to form an Enterprise Architecture team as per the TOGAF® 10 guidelines.

What is an EA Capability?

An ability of establishing a high-level description of the architectural method to realize a specific solution or aspect.

An Enterprise Architecture Capability is the ability to develop, use, and maintain the architecture of a particular enterprise, and use the architecture to govern change.

Source: TOGAF® 10 Standard

EA Capability Leader play a vital role by overseeing all the related aspects.

EA Capability Leader spearheads the work performed to develop an EA Capability within an organization by aligns to a set of requirements and expectations that are specific to each enterprise adhering to the TOGAF® suggested best practices.

Definition of EA Capability Leader

EA Capability is a managerial aspect of facilitation plans to further improve the ability by enhancing the outcomes enabled by the capability.

Each organization needs to develop it’s own EA Capability rather than following a generic capability to fully realize the benefits for the organization.

Four broad purposes of EA Capability

EA Capability can be broadly classified into four categories:

To support Organization Strategy

• Focus is primarily on providing end-end Target Architecture and to develop roadmaps of change over an extend period
• Spans a programs or portfolios
• Identifies initiatives, synergies, define terms of reference, and govern execution strategy to support portfolio and programs

To Support Portfolio

• Focus on cross-functional, multi-phase, and multi-project initiatives
• Spans a single portfolio
• Identifies projects in the context, define their terms of reference, align their approaches, synergies and govern execution of projects

To support Project

• Focus on project delivery method with the organization
• Spans a single project
• Clarifies the purpose and value of the project, identifies requirements to address synergy and future dependency, assure compliance and architectural governance supports integration and alignment among projects.

To Support Solution Delivery

• Focus on solution deployment
• Spans a single project or a significant part of it
• Defines how a change will be designed and delivered, identifies constraints, project controls, and architecture requirements to design, also acts as a governance framework for the change.

The EA Capability must run efficiently, effectively, and inline with changing operational and financial practices.

EA Capability can be decomposed into 3 segments:

• General Business Capabilities: Business level abilities to carry out the business operations
• Purpose Capabilities: Capabilities that support Strategy, Portfolio, Projects abs Solution Delivery
• Foundational Capabilities: Capabilities that constitute common basic elements

Organization Models

Organizational structures providing the EA Capability can be viewed in 3 variants:

• Function-Centric Model
• IT-Centric Model
• Strategy-Centric Model

Let’s look into each of the models in detail.

Function-Centric Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture is part of each of the functional verticals and one of the teams consolidates all Enterprise Architecture activities.

Also, in other type of function-centric organization structures, Enterprise Architecture could be part of the dominant or key function of the enterprise. In this variant, it may be prudent to draw members of the team providing the EA Capability from each of the functional units having extended responsibility for a common goal, from an HR management perspective, and report to respective functional or regional business leaders.

IT-Centric Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture is normally aligned to the IT organization, irrespective of how it is named. The charter for the team may vary depending upon how IT is structured within the organization.

When IT is aligned to the CFO, the charter for the Enterprise Architecture team may be driving operational efficiency and cost control. When IT is aligned to delivery or marketing, the charter is more likely to focus on agility and efficiency.

When selecting members, the EA Capability Leader emphasize on the context and choose members carefully who has process analysis and cost management expertise or a deep functional knowledge of operations.

Strategy-Centric Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture contributes to sustained growth, operational efficiency, cost reductions, and risk reduction which are key elements of the EA charter through the alignment with corporate strategy, operations and finance units within the organization.