NOVEMBER 201719MANUFACTURINGTECHNOLOGYINSIGHTSElevating and Demystifying Enterprise Architecture to Maximize Business ImpactBy Cameron Ahler, Executive Director, Enterprise Architecture and Solution Delivery, Bridgestone AmericasCXO INSIGHTSI recently attended an Enterprise Architecture (EA) conference to get a pulse for how businesses perceive their EA teams. While the keynote speakers were strategic, technologically forward-facing and business outcome focused, many attendees I interacted with shared a different reality. When asked about their daily activities, most enterprise architects revealed their typical day consists of documenting current state designs and providing oversight for every IT project that crosses their desks. When they did have time to create future facing roadmaps, they were often met with business partners who felt this was slowing down progress of the business and adding costs. Sounds familiar? This can be frustrating, but it doesn't have to be your reality. Here are a few suggestions for achieving better alignment and providing long-term value.Stop the madnessAn EA department is generally built around a strategic aspiration, but the vanguards of tomorrow are almost always dominated by the urgent needs of the day. This is impractical for teams responsible for impacting the future. How can anyone that deep in the weeds innovate and solve business problems when they are constantly being asked to provide immediate relief.IT leaders must examine what their enterprise architects are actually accomplishing and help prioritize their time. IT leaders should provide some insulation, so they have the opportunity to flourish. Your team will thank you for it.Create an environment that drives theright behaviorsThe ideal enterprise architect is a trusted advisor who expertly balances delivering long-range technical plans with the business, while ensuring projects and ongoing operations support this plan with minimal technical debt.This is much easier said than done, so I recommend taking a moment to align with a maturity model, or short circuit one that exists. Look to TOGAF or Gartner maturity models as a reference, or co-create a vision and ask your team what is required to start stop and continue.Once you have a baseline, create balanced goals and incentive structures, so the EA team is providing the right mix of strategic value and supporting quality handoffs with other teams. Quickly eliminate goals that create a moral hazard (e.g. if they are incented purely on project estimation variances, they will be inclined to babysit the speed of each of their projects daily).Finally, and most importantly, hire the right people, foster an environment built on trust and empower them to have the autonomy to deliver on these priorities. Continue toward that vision state with a strong drive and purpose.Speak the language of the businessIt's no wonder business partners resist bringing IT to the table. To some audiences, IT can be a highly technical and sometimes boring. One EA I met told me his leader required they use EA-Cameron Ahler
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