Enterprise Architecture
Maturity Model
Learn where your organization stands and what to do next
How mature is your EA program?
Get a clear picture of your EA capabilities and recommendations for optimizing them
Successful operations depend on an accurate understanding of capabilities, from the articulation of your Enterprise Architecture vision to solutions and service design.
During our Enterprise Architecture Assessment, the very first step is to determine where an organization is today in regard to Enterprise Architecture maturity. To answer that question, we developed our EA Capability Matrix. A sample matrix is below.
Our proven model and process
Through this framework, we explore, review, and evaluate many different capabilities across multiple EA domains and levels of maturity.
This matrix is split into five major components of a successful EA program: Strategic Planning, Architecture Modeling, Asset Management, Standards Management and ‘Other’ to encapsulate one-off events and ongoing action items (like data governance).
Within each of these components, we have identified specific, key capabilities among each of these Enterprise Architecture domains:
- Architecture Governance
- Business Architecture
- Information Architecture
- Infrastructure Architecture
- Application Architecture
The goal of our initial EA assessment is to determine the status and maturity level of each of these key elements of a successful EA program. By engaging with your team, business knowledge base and current solutions, we assign a ‘heat map’ label for each element to reflect where your capability is optimized, in its infancy — or somewhere in the middle:
- Undefined
- Emerging
- Solidifying
- Maturing
- Established
- Managed
- Optimized
A detailed understanding of your EA program
Instead of a binary ‘present’/’not present’ assessment, the heat map presents a dynamic and detailed view of the health of your EA program.
The EA Capability Matrix also provides a visual summary of how to proceed with EA optimization for your organization. In the heat map above, for example:
- Architecture Vision Articulation is ‘solidifying’; we may need to add specifics or cascade goals.
- Business Relationship Management is ‘established’; we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but we should add management parameters and optimize it in relation to information, infrastructure, and applications.
- Application Strategy and Standardization is ‘undefined’; so we will have to establish the purpose behind each new asset we build and use that to create a strategy.
Through this approach, we provide a full picture of your entire Enterprise Architecture, a summary of your capabilities and areas of immediate need, as well as an in-depth analysis of specific capabilities— not just snippets of your IT solutions or integrations.
EA Maturity Assessment deliverables
As a result of your EA Maturity Model Assessment, you’ll receive:
Detailed documentation
of the current state of each capability and domain, with their assessed maturity levels
Graphs
depicting your current state versus your potential
Specific recommendations
of focus areas and opportunities, tailored to your business and IT strategies
From this, we’ll develop an EA strategy and roadmap that provides specific, actionable recommendations for taking the best next steps. We’ll present a timeline as to what should happen when, and specify which domain (Application, Business, Information, Infrastructure Architecture and Governance) the recommendation addresses.
Building a strategy based on this Capability Matrix enables us to take a building block approach. We can start small — with one element in one domain — and grow from there.
Next: Learn About Our Integration Capabilities Assessment and its role in Developing an Effective EA Strategy.
Enterprise Architecture
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