Key initiatives in Foundational EA
- The right team. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for an integrated team of business, application, data and technology architects.
- With the right tools. A centralized EA repository enables enterprise-wide visibility into systems, dependencies, and risks.
- Doing the right things. Governance ensures that EA strategies aren’t just models on paper — but actionable frameworks that drive results.
Business impact of Foundational EA
- Eliminates inefficiencies by reducing redundant IT investments.
- Provides clarity into the technology landscape, helping leaders make better decisions.
- Enhances IT-business alignment, ensuring that technology supports corporate strategy.
The question isn’t whether EA should play a strategic role — it’s whether the foundation is strong enough to support it. With this foundation in place, EA can evolve from governance and documentation to driving real business impact.
Stage 2: Operational EA – Delivering business optimization and agility
Once the foundational structure is established, EA can shift from static documentation to active execution. At this stage, EA plays a key role in digital transformation initiatives, enabling business agility, cost optimization and faster time-to-market.
Common pitfalls without Operational EA
Many organizations stop at Foundational EA, treating architecture as a passive support function rather than an enabler of execution. The result?
