Best Practices: Starting Or Restarting An EA Effort

Enterprise architecture (EA) continues to gain recognition as a key practice for maximizing the impact of business' use of technology. An effective EA practice can eliminate business-IT alignment problems and help lead an enterprise to advanced levels of collaboration and innovation. And yet many EA programs crash and burn due to the perception that they lack value. Why? Incorrect EA scope, inappropriate EA priorities, lack of visibility of EA deliverables, and lack of organizational maturity are among the most common problems, to name a few. EA value is very real, but leaders of new EA programs must begin their programs with a carefully planned agenda, and leaders of ongoing programs must regularly reassess their environments to ensure traction and success.