The coronavirus pandemic has had a considerable effect on the importance of enterprise architecture across various organisations. A recent survey titled “Q1 2023 Global State of Enterprise Architecture” by Forrester demonstrates that technology strategy has taken centre stage in enterprise architecture’s role, where it no longer merely guides business strategy or executes projects. These modifications denote a significant change in enterprise architecture policy since the emergence of the pandemic.
A research paper has concluded that enterprise architecture should be customised to meet the specific requirements of businesses, for the leaders in this field to be successful. This further emphasises that the usefulness of enterprise architecture ought to be assessed by those who utilise it. The study suggests that various EA executives are failing to prioritise the needs of their businesses when aligning their practices. As an instance, the head of EA achieved better comprehension of stakeholder prerequisites and identified the most efficient EA facilities after a Canadian government agency established their IT path.
Different organisations may place varying levels of importance on either long-term strategies or individual projects. In organisations that are project-oriented, Executive Assistants (EAs) can play an instrumental role in delivering these projects. On the other hand, if an organisation does not give due importance to strategy, then there is no requirement for an EA to act as such. During a webinar that was held to promote the survey, Forrester analyst and co-author Gordon Barnett cautioned that this might result in respondents feeling that their company was not prioritising the projects that hold significance to them.
The findings of the research indicate that between 2023 and 2023, the frequency of business strategy archetypes dropped from 15% to 7%, while the frequency of EA that concentrated on business projects decreased from 28% to 14%. In contrast, the percentage of companies implementing the technological strategy archetype surged from 42% to 67%.
According to Barnett, the significance of technology has increased owing to the pandemic, remote working, and supply chain shifts. Nonetheless, it remains unclear if this trend will continue in the future.
The Swift Progression in Enterprise Architecture (EA)
Presently, it is imperative for Executive Leaders in Enterprise Architecture (EA) to work in conjunction with individuals who have a vested interest in the outcomes, to design credible services. It seems that the senior management of EA is taking this advice to heart. A survey disclosed that between 2023 and 2023, EA leaders partnered more closely than ever before with business strategists, business intelligence experts, and line-of-business executives.
To be more precise, the following are the top five business and technology departments that EA teams have been forging closer relationships with:
- 79% of companies have a strategy (an increase from 44% in 2023)
- Business Intelligence (BI) Data Governance – 67% (markedly up from 45% in 2023)
- The percentage rise in the portfolio management office increased from 29% in 2023 to 65%
- IT operations: 64% (an increase from 30% in 2023)
- The percentage rise in the Chief Technology Officer’s Office increased from 30% in 2023 to 64%
At a prominent US retailer, the EA Architects enabled business executives to produce their own reports by providing them with access to the data that the EA team ordinarily utilized. This enabled the EA team to devote more time to job-specific responsibilities, rather than acquiring and entering data, providing the company with greater independence.
To bolster collaboration, several EA executives are now opting to abandon architectural review boards. Instead, they are extending consultative services, such as providing guidance, analyzing potential outcomes and aiding in the creation of a corporate strategy.
only when necessary. Ultimately, business and governing elites make the final decisions.
As Barnett stated, the Architectural Review Board has largely become inactive. There is a growing emphasis on “trusted governance”, which is a type of governance that allows people to advance rapidly.
Changes in Intensity
Based on the study findings, enterprise architecture teams should concentrate on one of the four work areas – business strategy, business projects, technology strategy, or technology projects – while also keeping an eye on the other areas. If EA leaders attempt to cater to all areas simultaneously, they may not achieve desirable outcomes. As a general rule, successful EA teams should ensure that one area is fully established before transitioning to another.
According to Mr. Barnett, securing all four quadrants while dedicating around 60% of the time to one and 20% to the remaining three is uncommon.
Focus Areas of Federal Technology Policy Leaders
During the webinar, Barnett listed the following five technologies as the primary priorities for EAs, despite their omission from the report:
- 82% for Intuitive Machine Control
- 81% for Privacy and Data Protection Online
- 79% for GRC
- 78% for Application Architecture
- 76% of companies use Online Commercial Hubs
Governance, risk and compliance unsurprisingly feature intelligent automation and cybersecurity among its most significant topics. According to the speaker, the public is well-aware of this. To summarize, sustainability is an essential component of GRC.
