Myth-Busting: What Enterprise Architecture Is Not November 3-7 ...

Myth-Busting: What Enterprise Architecture Is Not
Finding: The traditional standards process, in which IT dictates solutions and expects full
compliance, no longer works. Standards must be accompanied by choices, and business
users must accept responsibility if their choices yield outcomes that are less optimal than
those provided by IT mandates.
Architects Must Advocate, Evangelize
and Educate
EA is not enforcement.
Key Issue: What EA is not. And, how does EA relate to other IT and business initiatives?
Enterprise architects will not succeed if they are perceived to be solely enforcing rules and policies. They will
also not succeed if they are viewed as controlling the use of technologies and processes. Furthermore, they will
fail if they are viewed as impeding innovation and creativity. Business and IT users will ignore the efforts of
EA and create their own solutions to meet their requirements (see "Recognize the New Stakeholder: The
Individual"). EA and architects must be viewed as helping, supporting, advising and guiding the organization
to achieve its business strategy through a future-state vision. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the enterprise
architect to reach out and work across the organization to educate and encourage the use of the EA (see "Q&A:
Architects Must Advocate, Evangelize and Educate").
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Betsy Burton
ESC20_666, 11/08, AE
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