Enterprise architecture put to the test: ready for digital challenges?
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Enterprise architecture has become one of the central tools for companies. How did this happen?
When an organisation attempts to respond to the growing demands of a dynamic market with rigid structures and outdated methods, most such transformation projects are doomed to failure – and the IT landscape is often the reason why.
But why is the old EA model no longer fit for purpose? Excessive standardisation, rigid blueprints and blind faith in frameworks mean that architectures often fail to meet actual needs. An IT landscape that does not meet business objectives promotes inflexibility and makes companies cumbersome – exactly the opposite of what is needed today.
EA needs to reinvent itself, and that is exactly what this guide is about. How can enterprise architecture master the balancing act between continuity and agility? Which old methods need to be discarded, and what defines modern EA? Join us as we take a look at how enterprise architecture is evolving from a theoretical discipline into a practical and indispensable tool for digital success.
What requirements do companies have for enterprise architecture today?
Against the backdrop of current trends in the economy and society, this very consideration – ‘why’ and “how” something is done – is once again coming to the fore. The final implementation options (i.e. the ‘what’) can then be adapted as necessary due to potentially changing conditions and requirements.
After all, in our increasingly complex world, which is characterised by volatility, uncertainty and extremes (keyword: ‘VUCA’), aspects such as agility are not just buzzwords, but characteristics that are increasingly shaping companies, their IT organisations and thus also their (IT) architectures [1].
Based on the results of fundamental research by Therese Hempel, Lead IT Consultant at MaibornWolff, the following key requirements are predominant in the context of enterprise architecture:
Speed
Reacting and acting quickly is crucial to staying ahead of the competition. Based on the now established approach in software development, it makes sense to deliver quickly visible results through short iterative cycles that have an impact within EA and the processes that stem from it.
Customer focus
The enterprise architecture is used by different user groups and must therefore meet a variety of needs and expectations. This makes it all the more important to continuously improve the architecture, taking into account feedback from both the IT organisation and the business side.
Openness to results, agility and flexibility
Existing structures must be continuously questioned and adaptively adjusted to ensure stability in the face of constantly changing challenges. This requires a certain degree of willingness to change.
Simplicity and clarity
A thoughtful focus on the essentials avoids complexities and creates transparency in the system landscape and the associated processes. This not only makes IT projects easier to plan, but also allows them to be implemented more cost-effectively. Potential competitive advantages thus come into focus, while supporting processes are handled by commodities.
High quality standards
The EA should serve as a basis for excellent results and be designed accordingly. Representatives from specialist areas and IT must work together in a spirit of mutual respect and on an equal footing.
The identification of dependencies highlighted in the definition makes enterprise architecture a strategic tool for implementing change.
It is therefore not surprising that EA is increasingly being assigned a key role in the context of digital transformation [2]. In addition, insight into the tasks of current processes, systems and workflows facilitates business continuity planning and disaster recovery.
The best proof of this is the growing global interest in EA during the coronavirus pandemic [3]. For the first time (and more or less unprepared), the majority of companies were confronted with the need to change business structures, rethink processes and systems, and adjust short- and long-term goals.
The switch to remote work is just one of many far-reaching effects. However, although examining your own enterprise architecture promises to provide the necessary answers, traditional ways of thinking and approaches prevent it from fully realising its potential as a strategic tool. The call for an ‘EA update’ is loud.
Check where your EA currently stands!
If you are unsure about how to take the next steps towards a more modern enterprise architecture, please contact Therese Hempel and her colleagues.
What challenges does traditional enterprise architecture face?
According to André Christ, CEO of LeanIX, around 70 percent of transformation projects fail due to their own IT landscape, as implementation is often dependent on outdated procedures. Traditional enterprise architecture (EA) focuses too heavily on standards and blueprints, which often causes IT to develop in a direction that does not meet the actual needs of the company.
Questions about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of architecture design usually remain in the background. A common problem is blind trust in frameworks. Instead of being used as a means of communication, they often promote rigid, process-driven architectures that create neither flexibility nor business value. This results in monolithic systems that are difficult to adapt and increase opacity and complexity – exactly the opposite of what EA is supposed to achieve.
A core problem of traditional EA is the misalignment between business and IT [4]. Due to a lack of cooperation and understanding of business needs, planning often fails to take the requirements of the specialist departments into account.
This leads to low acceptance and poor integration within the company, making it difficult to achieve ambitious quality standards [5]. Modern EA should therefore be broadened to meet the requirements of a changing business and technology world.
Why EA is more important today than ever before
With increasing pressure to adapt quickly to changing markets and technologies, EA is once again taking centre stage. Digital transformation is making it an indispensable tool.
According to Saul Brand, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, it plays a central role in making companies faster and more efficient. It is not just a matter of optimising existing systems, but above all of understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of business processes [6].
We do see EA becoming more front and center to helping build a composable IT estate that is quicker, better and able to deliver speed to value and time to market.
Modern EA enables companies to adapt their IT landscape flexibly and quickly in order to respond faster to market changes and tap into new business opportunities.
What are the key features of modern enterprise architecture?
Modern EA is characterised by several key features that distinguish it from traditional approaches. These include:
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Consent-based, collaborative Design
A relationship must be established between business and IT in order to make joint decisions. Saul Brand sums it up: ‘It's not like in the old days where it's simply business says and IT does. This is a relationship between business and IT people jointly making decisions about investment in their IT estate.’ This can be achieved, for example, by introducing a common language, enabling collaboration and commitment.
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A tailored approach
Establishing modern EA requires an iterative, incremental, needs-based approach. Innovative approaches such as minimum viable architecture, lean or architecture-driven governance can support this process, depending on the requirements of the architecture and the business challenges that need to be addressed. In the interests of customer centricity, EA relies on critical questioning through collaboration and feedback.
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Complexity reduction and transparency
Targeted complexity reduction not only provides clarity and transparency, but above all an understanding of processes and how they interact. Simplicity, clarity and traceability are the solid foundation for responsiveness and speed.
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Robustness, efficiency and flexibility
Monolithic systems and inefficient, poorly designed silos must be dismantled – not only to prevent bottlenecks, but also to prevent the collapse of entire structures in crisis situations. In terms of results orientation, supposed opposites such as agility and stability are not mutually exclusive.
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Innovation
Enterprise architecture should be viewed specifically as a white box. The focus is on striving for continuous improvement. It is important to note that existing systems can be tested for trends and innovations. However, the latter should not be demanded across the board, but rather examined against the ‘why’ as needed.
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Excellent Knowledge
Given the shortage of skilled workers, training and further education, as well as effective knowledge and experience management, are essential. In addition, the company's strategic goals must be clearly communicated so that they can be implemented in a timely and technically sound manner.
The stated goal is to design an EA that meets requirements, rather than simply fulfilling standards and blindly following (technological) trends. To achieve this, it is particularly important to establish a collaborative EA approach that allows for joint and continuous adaptation.
It should be emphasised that there is no such thing as ‘perfect’ EA: rather, the modern understanding of EA requires a constant critical examination of one's own architecture at various levels.
What is meant by the maturity of an enterprise architecture?
Determining maturity is a complex issue that is subject to many individual factors. A similar dilemma arises when analysing enterprise architecture: depending on the circumstances, there are different answers to the question of what constitutes ‘perfect’ enterprise architecture. A ‘mature’ EA does not mean that it is perfect, but rather that it is capable of continuously adapting to and effectively supporting the requirements of an enterprise.
The maturity of an EA cannot be measured in absolute terms, but rather through a qualitative assessment. The question that arises is: How can you determine the maturity of your own EA? Maturity models are a useful tool for this, as they help to evaluate the development and current status of the EA.
The maturity model for modern EA
The maturity model for modern EA developed by Therese Hempel provides guidance for assessing the current state of your enterprise architecture and planning its desired development.
It is based on the St. Gallen approach to business engineering and is based on four fundamental dimensions: strategy, processes and structures, systems and technologies, and policy and culture. These dimensions form the basis for a differentiated view of EA and its maturity [7].
The four levels of the maturity model:
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1. Strategy
This is about how well the enterprise architecture supports the corporate strategy.
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2. Processes and structures
How well are existing processes and organisational structures integrated with the IT architecture?
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3. Systems and technologies
To what extent are the technologies and systems used efficient and flexible enough to support the company's goals?
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4. Politics and culture
The role of governance, corporate culture and collaboration in the development of EA.
As can be seen in the figure, a total of eight design dimensions are assigned to the levels, which can be further subdivided into design objects in order to set a specific design focus:
- Merging business and IT (striving for consensus-based design)
- Governance (striving for needs-based standards)
- Planning and (further) development (striving for company-wide integration)
- Establishment and maintenance (striving for company-wide integration)
- Implementation (striving for collaboration)
- Infrastructures and tools (striving for robustness in the face of uncertainty)
- Competencies (striving for excellent knowledge)
- Acceptance (striving for commitment)
Determining the degree of maturity
The maturity level itself is determined for each individual dimension using these four maturity levels developed by Therese Hempel:
- Maturity level 1: ‘initiated’ (highly fragmented EA; growing idea of a modern and needs-based orientation)
- Maturity level 2: ‘defined’ (ensured existence, consistency and broad availability of EAM documentation; clear idea of modern EA in the company)
- Maturity level 3: ‘managed’ (actual implementation of documented aspects; management actively supports change)
- Maturity level 4: ‘lived’ (independent, holistic understanding of problems; EAM as desired by the company is supported by those involved)
Since all maturity levels build on each other, the continuous maturity principle, based on the approach of the Architecture Capability Maturity Model (ACCM) [8], is ideal for determining the current status. In concrete terms, this means that the next maturity level can only be achieved once the previous level has been fully completed.
When and how should the maturity model be applied?
The maturity model serves as a continuous tool for determining the current status. It not only helps to understand the current state of EA, but also to identify weaknesses and derive measures for improvement.
For a simple and clear assessment of the current status of modern EA, the designed maturity model has been incorporated into a tool that also allows visualisation.
The model is particularly useful for strategic planning and the transformation of companies that want to develop their EA towards a modern, flexible architecture.
An important aspect of applying the maturity model is that it is not a one-time analysis, but rather an ongoing process. EA must be regularly reviewed and adapted to meet constantly changing requirements.
Conclusion: The role of EA in the digital age
Enterprise architecture has evolved from an ‘ivory tower’ to an integral part of digital transformation. It helps companies make their IT landscape adaptable and future-proof. Continuously reviewing your EA and applying maturity models helps you align your architecture with current and future requirements.
Maturity models serve as an initial, generic guide in the transformation process – and can be adapted to company-specific requirements as needed. The declared goal is to identify specific areas for action, exploit synergies where possible, and view your own architecture as a ‘living’ (changeable and adaptable) element of the company. In this way, enterprise architecture can deliver real added value and successfully support the digital transformation of your company.
Would you like to know how your enterprise architecture is currently structured?
Use Therese Hempel's maturity model to assess your current situation and identify the measures required to make your EA fit for the future.
Therese joined MaibornWolff in 2020. Whether as an IT consultant, Scrum Master or digital designer, she is passionate about shaping her clients' projects for the future and sees herself as a bridge builder between the worlds of expertise and IT. She always puts people at the centre of her work. That's why Therese is also committed to issues surrounding diversity and diversity of ideas. In her free time, you'll find her in the green corners of Berlin – playing sports or enjoying a hot cup of tea.
- [1] „VUCA“ steht für Volatilität, Unsicherheit, Komplexität und Ambiguität. Agostini, Diego (2020): From VUCA to BANI: how to expect the unexpected. Online verfügbar unter: https://commitment.uk.com/news/from-vuca-to-bani-how-to-expect-the-unexpected-commitment/, Zugriff: 11.11.2024.
- [2] Rimol, Meghan (2020): Enterprise architects and technology innovation leaders should focus on collaboration and artificial intelligence as they move through 2020 and beyond. Online verfügbar unter https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/enterprise-architecture-enables-digital-innovation/, Zugriff: 11.11.2024.
- [3] Owen, Martin (2021): Post-Pandemic Enterprise Architecture Priorities. Online verfügbar unter https://erwin.com/blog/post-pandemic-enterprise-architecture-priorities/, Zugriff: 12.11.2024.
- [4] Missalignment beschreibt das Nebeneinander aus Top-Down-Planung durch das Management (welches meist auf langfristige Visionen oder Business Cases hinarbeitet) sowie emergentem Bottom-Up-Streben durch IT-Verantwortliche (welche Erkenntnisse aus laufenden, technologiegetriebenen Projekten unmittelbar in den Prozess einbinden wollen).
- [5] Gorges, Marc; Dräger, Frank; Gfeller, Hansjakob; Hartmann, Dirk; Auswald, Alexander; Lerch, Bernhard et al. (2018): EA goes Agile. Whitepaper. Cross Business Architecture Lab. Online verfügbar unter https://cba-lab.de/downloads.html, Zugriff: 12.11.2024.
- [6] Cardoza, Christina (2020): The resurgence of enterprise architecture. Software Development Times. Online verfügbar unter: https://sdtimes.com/softwaredev/the-resurgence-of-enterprise-architecture/, Zugriff: 11.11.2024.
- [7] Baumöl, Ulrike; Jung, Reinhard (2014): Rekursive Transformation: Entwicklung der Business Engineering-Landkarte. In: Walter Brenner und Thomas Hess (Hg.): Wirtschaftsinformatik in Wissenschaft und Praxis. Unter Mitarbeit von Hubert Österle. Berlin: Springer-Gabler, S. 41– 50.
- [8] The Open Group (2006): Architecture Maturity Models. The US DoC ACMM Framework. Online verfügbar unter https://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8-doc/arch/chap27.html, Zugriff: 12.11.2024.