Project portfolio management and enterprise architecture usually begin as unique and stand-alone disciplines. If they remain apart, though, the opportunity to maximize their value to the company will not be achieved. In this issue’s lead article, Kaine Ugwu describes the motivation for and the value achieved when these two disciplines work together.
The journey to the complementary relationship described by Mr. Ugwu doesn’t always begin right away. In my experience, it is rare that these two disciplines are integrated from the start. They are usually built separately, with a focus on achieving just a basic level of maturity. It often stops there.
In the absence of a clear leadership directive to build integrated management disciplines, improvement is often left to EA and PMO practitioners. They can work together to identify their areas of mutual interest and engage with each other using a grassroots-style approach. I have found that business capabilities maps provide an ideal common language that can be used as a foundation for joint analyses. As a result, EA and PMO practitioners can produce more accurate road maps, better prioritization, and more proactive life-cycle management. Those successes attract senior leadership attention and help gain the support needed to drive to even higher levels of maturity and integration.
Also in this issue of A&G, and for those curious about the status of university education to prepare our future crop of EAs, see the article from Christopher Calnan. And we have also included one more reminder, based on cyberattack events recently in the news, that cybersecurity is an enterprise issue that should be part of every EA’s scope. If you want to dig a little deeper, consider attending Forrester’s Privacy & Security 2017 event.
If you have ideas you’d like to share with other A&G readers, contact us through our website to submit an article. And as always, thanks for being an A&G reader!
