Home / Summaries / Strategic Enterprise Architecture Management Challenges, Best Practices, and Future Developments / eam-business-cxo

The EAM agenda for the CxO - The architecture impact

4 important questions on The EAM agenda for the CxO - The architecture impact

What is the impact of enterprise architecture and how can it's added value be sustained?

Organisations start applying EA philosophy either bottom-up (from IT) or top-down (from management). Getting the organisation business and technology 'think tanks' united will regain added value. This can be sustained by 3 themes:

achieving a balance between standards and versatility,
embedding the strategic and business imperatives and
using improved insight

Why should a CxO achieve a balance between standards and versatility?

Not all tasks in an end-to-end process can or should be standardised. But by standardisation one finds the flexibility. Businesses need to define the level of standardisation which best supports their strategy.

How can the strategic and business imperatives be embedded?

First of all by senior management sponsorship, which is a critical success factor for a successful EAM. The architectural work (7 steps) should take no more than 12 months. So timeboxing the basis EAM activities is to be considered.

What is a CxO gaining from improved insight?

EAM significantly improves the knowledge of what drives business change. From that insight a CxO has to manage the gap between current and future assets and capabilities. Top-level involvement will accomplish a major EAM benefit: efficient, goal-directed allocation of time, people and money.