Business as usual

Enterprise architecture (EA) is more relevant today than ever before - considering the accelerating pace of technology adoption, many new and disruptive market forces, hypercompetitive environments, and rapidly changing business models.

Together, these present a burning requirement for many organisations to digitally transform the enterprise.

EA supports the organisation to develop a holistic representation of the business, its information and technology. This provides a business tool for managing complexity and change.

The myriad benefits from successful EA practices include:

* Competitive advantage - with so few companies getting it right, having a business-appropriate and sustainable EA function allows the company to respond to change with greater speed, and derive huge competitive advantage.
* Corporate and IT governance - EA acts as the crucial linchpin between corporate governance and IT governance.
* Business transformation - EA supports major business transformations, by clearly understanding the current state, and clearly articulating the desired end-state. In this way, EA provides a clear roadmap for transformation.
* Portfolio rationalisation - a structured approach to EA helps with reducing the size and complexity of the organisation's technology estate, and removing any duplications within the application and technology portfolio.
* In-house professional services - professional EA consulting services provide support services to many critical functions within the enterprise - such as strategic planning, governance, risk and compliance, and solution architecture.

In essence, EA facilitates the fusion between business and technology based on the fact that if the company cannot change its systems, it cannot change its business. New entrants are often more digitally agile: they have the ability - for example - to embrace new cloud platforms without being tied to a millstone of legacy systems and processes.

The strategic theme that underpins the EA practice, and helps guard against failure, is that of running the EA practice like a business, with a clearly-defined solution offering.

Keeping this philosophy top-of-mind - across the entire ambit of people, tools, process, content, and products/services - is fundamental to ensuring the company's EA practice is business-appropriate, sustainable, and ultimately, successful. By running EA as if it is a business in its own right, in support of the enterprise's strategic goals, the EA capability is positioned to evolve in scope and importance, and add increasing value to the enterprise over time.

However, so many EA programmes fail to achieve meaningful results. More often than not, they either end up on the scrapheap of failed IT programmes and wasted investments, or limp along with limited and isolated impact within the broader organisation.

So, why do EA programmes so often fail?

In this series of Industry Insights, I will explore the most common reasons for EA programmes to fail, and provide a guidebook on how to avoid these issues. I'll look at the issues that can occur across a number of areas, including:

* Chief architect
* Core EA team
* EA vision, strategy and direction
* Organisational positioning of the EA function
* Ivory towers
* Executive sponsorship
* Collaboration
* Change leadership and communication
* EA tools
* EA processes
* EA content

Analysts confirm the single biggest reason for failed EA programmes is lack of leadership skills within the core elements of the guiding coalition and the EA team. At the nucleus, the chief architect is required to lead by example and inspire others, while remaining acutely tuned in to the business' needs.

Acting as the keystone in the EA structures being built, the chief architect must be flexible enough to continually adapt the business case for EA, but remain unwavering in the eventual vision - that of modernising and optimising the way the company functions.

The resilience of the EA function ultimately depends on the strengths of the chief architect.

As EA inevitably takes some time to generate sustainable returns, the chief architect must maintain the enthusiasm of executive stakeholders and business partners, while dealing with the ever-present threat that some individuals may revert to old habits, divert funds to other projects, or focus on short-term wins.

This is a delicate balance, and the skills that qualify someone as a great architect don't necessarily make him/her a strong leader. The most essential attributes include business acumen, the ability to translate technology into simple business outcomes, the ability to listen, communicate, present to groups, articulate the vision of the EA function, and inject enthusiasm for the EA practice.

EA facilitates the fusion between business and technology.

It goes without saying the chief architect must also possess the right technical skills that allow him/her to guide and govern the EA portfolio. In staffing the EA function, companies should consider candidates in the context of defined career ladders and skills assessments. It is only with the right skills background that the chief architect will be in a position to enhance the strategic importance of the EA function. If s/he does not add value within the first year of his/her tenure, the practice is at risk of dissipating.

Leadership also includes aligning the differing EA visions held by the various business units and stakeholders. Everyone has a slightly different spin on what EA should achieve, and how the company will achieve it. While keeping stakeholders involved in the project, the chief architect must influence, guide, and delicately meld these visions into a single, cohesive EA strategy.

Finally, the EA practice is at risk if the chief architect and his/her team are not skilled in communicating with key stakeholders across both business and technology domains and at multiple levels within the company. Results need to be clearly measured and demonstrated to the business. The EA vision must be constantly reinforced throughout the programme as the practice develops in maturity.

In my next Industry Insight, I will look at the broader EA team that executes on the vision of the chief architect - and ways the team can collaborate to ensure EA success.