Perform an activity, yield immediate value. Instant gratification . . .
If only value realization from enterprise architecture could be that clear. Proponents of EA see its biggest potential realized through enterprise-level change. EA is “big”; think about it as strategic and transformational. It takes time and persistence. Common goals are to future-proof and optimize the enterprise by converging on the right mix of desirable enterprise-wide characteristics, such as simplicity, integration, risk, quality, speed, cost, and agility. Unfortunately, those properties can be abstract, and they don’t “gratify instantly.” Nonetheless, discovering how to nudge the organization in the right direction is where the opportunity for, and the bulk of long-term value of EA, lies.
One way to make this “big” EA work is to implement it in parts through smaller wins. Under the umbrella of the “big” EA master plan, savvy EA leaders carefully select individual projects and guide them based on EA strategies and road maps. The EA team realizes the double benefit of steering in the general direction of the longer term EA future while gaining credit for unique, unambiguous, line-of-sight linkage to today’s specific business problems. Instant value, with long-term value hidden beneath!
This past year, A&G’s subscribers have told us they would like to read more articles on the value of EA. Our A&G author community gave us plenty to choose from, the most submissions we have ever had on a single topic. We have selected several different perspectives for this “Value Issue.” We hope you find the articles useful and thought provoking as you use this time of year, as many do, to plan your approach to EA in 2013.
