In my last post I showed the Enterprise Architecture Capability Model (EACM). This was developed for a very specific purpose for my Enterprise Architecture organization. It allowed my to articulate the entire landscape of Enterprise Architecture to enable key conversations. After I had created it, I took a step back and saw that this could be used for so much more. Not only for my EA organization but for others as well. So it came to now that we had created the Enterprise Architecture Capability Model (EACM), what do we do with it?
Here are a few usage patterns that the EACM can be applied to:
Maturity Model – This is the most obvious and common usage of EA capabilities as they are known today. Unfortunately, I haven’t found many other references out there for EA Capabilities quite like how I have defined them. The referenced Maturity Model in the image below comes from the NASCIO where they use characteristics rather than capabilities. The approach is the same though. The challenge with current EA maturity models is they are incomplete and ad-hoc in their assessments. There isn’t one industry standard model that is universally accepted. The Open Group doesn’t have one and the assessments in the public sector is still evolving.
Communications Tool – If used effectively the EACM can be a highly powerful tool to use as a collaboration and communication tool. This can aid an Enterprise Architect in his/her interactions with either IT or the business unit representatives. It facilitates the conversation around: describing the services, activities, maturity, roles, key definitions and vocabulary, context setting or facilitate and resolve conflict over what EA does and doesn’t do.
Planning Tool – Determining what EA does is hard enough, but layering on that to what it should do can be a down right impossible task. The EACM combined with a maturity assessment can deliver a tool to guide the EA planning process. EACM provides a baseline for all in which EA does. If there are missing capabilities in your organization that are on the model they can be easily mapped and planned.
Enhance & Validate Services – Along with planning what new and augmented capabilities are needed you may want to also have a life cycle around not only you organization but also your EA office as well. EACM provides a good baseline to always go back to. Also, your organization may also be doing things that complement or extend the EACM. When you have a life cycle it isn’t just a one way street. You may find yourself modifying the EACM as well. These life cycle processes provide a controlled and predicable way of updating the EACM.
Those are a few of a potential many ways to leverage the EACM. There are many more but I have seen these as some of the bigger ticket usage patterns.
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