At a recent enterprise architecture (EA) conference I challenged enterprise architects to avoid EA compliance and to begin using EA as an enabler for innovation. This challenge appears to resonate with architects and business leaders alike. In addition to numerous articles and posts, I've been asked by InfoQ's Jeevak Kasarkod, a number of clarifying questions regarding this view, so here are details which focus on what we mean when we say innovation, how maturing EA frameworks are impacting innovation, the concept of IT alignment, and other notable events that impact use of EA as a tool for innovation.
Innovation means and involves different things for different people. Can you clarify what are the boundaries and what flavor of innovation can be driven by EA?
Innovation can be defined as the monetizing of good ideas. This is completely inside a business context. When we speak of innovation we are referring to the development of new business activity, new products & services, driving business into adjacent markets and increasing revenue for the organization.
Do you think the current EA frameworks address innovation in the way you envision it or do you see specific areas of improvement?
I'm encouraged by the enhancements to the Enterprise Architecture Management Maturity Framework 2.0 as it builds on previous versions by introducing more scope and content to accommodate the evolving and complex nature of EA as one of many enterprise management disciplines. The GAO has updated the framework to reflect enterprise architecture's evolution. What I what to emphasize is the need for architects to change their attitude with respect to EA justification. Architects that know the business are in a better position to use business metrics, develop EA business cases that focus on business innovation and mature architecture program development and deployment along business and mission objectives.
You have mentioned examples of how IT can be aligned with the business through EA, can you share some scenarios where EA has enabled changes in business processes as a result of innovations in IT?
I believe this concept of alignment with business is old school EA, we don't say Sales needs to align with the business. It would be laughable to say that. When architects talk about using EA to align IT with the business it send a dangerous set of messages; 1) It suggests that IT and business have two different objectives, ones that are not in harmony and therefore need to be adjusted to become aligned, 2) It reinforces the idea that IT and business are not on the same team. It signals to the business that IT supports a different mission, does not understand the primary goal and has a different allegiance. When IT speaks the language of business, keeps score using the same tools and metrics as the rest of the business and signals in all communication its contribution to business innovation, alignment becomes an obsolete activity.
Have notable events taken place since the publication of the article which you would like to share with the readers?
The trend of moving non-IT people into the CIO role is notable. It signals that the preferred skills for the role may be core business skills. The continued dialog and understanding of the relationship between EA, SOA and Cloud computing is also notable. I'm advancing the idea that EA is the foundational process and SOA is the de facto architecture for Cloud computing. This is an exciting time for business transformation and enterprise architects can be at the forefront of the associated rapid innovation.
Are you using EA as an enabler for innovation? How is it working?
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