Enterprise architecture (EA) aims to holistically lead organizations through disruptive changes by identifying how to execute changes to achieve desired business outcomes. EA provides business and IT leaders with recommendations to adjust policies and projects. The document discusses the need for EA to bridge gaps between business and IT, digital natives and digital immigrants, and strategy and execution. It also recommends that organizations start a business-focused dialogue, collaborate to change culture, nurture architecture talent, focus on customers, and deliver capabilities in varied speeds and methods.

1. Ethan Pack
Director, Enterprise Architecture
Stewart
ethan.pack@stewart.com
Enabling Digital Business with
Enterprise Architecture
linkedin.com/in/ethanpack
@ethan_pack
ethan.pack@gmail.com

2. What Is Enterprise Architecture? Demystifying an important discipline with
numerous implementations and perceptions
2
Enterprise architecture (EA) is a discipline for proactively and holistically leading
enterprise responses to disruptive forces by identifying and analyzing the execution of
change toward desired business vision and outcomes. EA delivers value by presenting
business and IT leaders with signature-ready recommendations for adjusting policies
and projects to achieve target business outcomes that capitalize on relevant business
disruptions.
- Gartner
Management consulting is the practice of helping organizations to improve their
performance, operating primarily through the analysis of existing organizational
problems and the development of plans for improvement.
- Wikipedia

3. Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn, 1876
Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn, 1932
Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn, 1988
Architecture as City Planning
Much like the skylines of the physical world
undergo constant change, so do our technology
landscapes
3

4. Spacing Out A Bit Effective enterprise architecture helps keep the
discussion on the same page at each level
4
Strategic Vision
High-Level Roadmap
Programs & Projects
Solutions & Apps
Methods
Data Elements

5. What Is Digital Business? Transacting business in a frictionless manner
5
Digital business is the creation of new business designs by blurring the digital and
physical worlds.
- Gartner
I really need a
ride to the
airport pronto.
Eliminate the need to wait in a
taxi line or wave maniacally
from the sidewalk
Targeted Hail
Monitor production in real
time
Where Are You?
The moment of truth arrives –
will this ride bring about
awkward silence or a new friend?
Ride With Stranger
Monitor fulfillment in real
time
Where Am I?
Ok, that
could’ve been
worse.
Thanks!

6. Our Shared Current State Industries and companies may be different, but some
global, national, and local conditions affect us all
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The Power of
Connections
Legal, Risk, and
Compliance
Economic
Realities
Demographic
Shifts

7. What Stakeholders See & Hear In addition to reading about digital interactions, our
stakeholders experience them hands-on every day
7

8. How It’s Often Communicated
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they
would have said faster horses.”
- Henry Ford
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9. 9
Any one of these factors can - and do - limit innovative
thinking and strategic planning within an organization
Baggage1
Trust2
Communication3
Talking about real business issues elevates IT to an equal
partner in the firm. IT groups may currently operate as
servants and must be aware of and able to discuss the
holistic business landscape..
The ongoing emotional responses to past IT difficulties and
disappointments, both fact- and perception-based, within
an organization that tint the current and future outlook
Some of today’s trust issues are a result of historical
baggage, but emerging trust issues may point to concerns
that the IT group is not able to drive digital change.
On Organizational Culture
“Any organization that designs a system (defined
broadly) will produce a design whose structure is a
copy of the organization's communication structure.”
- Conway’s Law
Metrics & Governance
Frame future discussions
in data and process. Run
IT like a business.
Feedback & Leadership
Solicit and accept feedback.
Develop relationships outside
of IT to share responsibility.
Vocabulary
Use business terms when
partnering with business
leaders.

10. Stepping Out of the Shadow (IT) Born from a combination of technology accessibility to
line of business, business agility demands, and IT red tape
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11. The Digital Divide
Companies must meet the needs of both sides of the
gap – digital native and digital immigrant – on an
individual and organizational level
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15%
of senior execs with
mature digital skills2
Older Gen-X
Baby Boomers
20 years
time it takes typical
F500 org to reach $1BN3
 Technology adopters (before late 1970s)
 In-person/synchronous communication
 Leans toward logical learning
 Accepts hierarchical structures
 Business teachers
 Digital learners
>50%
of global workforce
in 20201
Gen-Y/Millennials
Younger Gen-X
4 years
time it took Tesla
to reach $1BN
Amazon Facebook
Uber Netflix
 Born during or after digital age (late 1970s)
 Virtual/asynchronous communication
 Leans toward intuitive learning
 Wants a say within a transparent org
 Business learners
 Digital teachers
Digital Natives Digital Immigrants
Most of our
organizations
1PWC, Millennials at Work: Reshaping the Workplace 2Capgemini, The Digital Talent Gap: Developing Skills for Today’s Digital Organizations
3Ismail, S. (2014). Exponential Organizations: Why new organizations are ten times better, faster, and cheaper than yours (and what to do about it)

12. Digital Immigrant’s Journey
Established organizations aren’t able to start from
zero and must preserve existing operations while
realizing new capabilities
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It’s like changing your car’s engine... ...halfway through the Daytona 500

13. My Own Architectural Journey Car after striking utility pole in 2003 (left), X-ray after ER
trauma surgery (middle), hip replacement in 2015 (right)
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July 22, 2003 July 23, 2003 - December 2, 2015 December 3, 2015

14. EA Key To Bridge Digital Divide
The enterprise architect must strive to bridge various
gaps – line of business and IT, digital natives and digital
immigrants, and strategy to execution
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Discuss
Investments
Craft Solutions
Vision and
Roadmap
Increase Trust
Improve
Communication
Use a customer- and capability-
centric mindset to capture digital
native and immigrant stakeholder
concerns
Communicate appropriately based
on audience and evangelize
corporate strategy to IT staff
Facilitate an open dialog on
remediating technical debt and
finding appropriate mix between
keeping lights on and innovation
Having set the stage for digital
transformation, enterprise architects
create roadmaps linking strategy
directly to executionEnterprise architects must keep a pulse on the stakeholders
within an organization. Organizational strategy, current
initiatives, and the stakeholders involved may change the
distribution of focus within these areas.
Digital Business
Organizational
Capabilities

15. Architecting the Digital Business The architect should be comfortable in several key
capability areas to fully unlock digital success
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The digital business
should delight and
protect its
customers and users
Digital Business
Technological
CapabilitiesInformation
Management
Application
Portfolio
Management
Integration
Customer
Experience
Security &
Compliance

16. Finding EA Talent How do you identify the “unicorn employee” within
your firm?
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The Myth The Reality
CIOs can still go into meetings with digital business outcome guns a blazin’ via the real EA unicorn!
While possibly rare, you likely have potential enterprise architects in your company today. Look for people who are:
- Aware of your overall business landscape
- Interactive and collaborative
- Effective marketers and salespeople
- Motivated and motivational
- Big thinkers (yes, even “dreamers”)
- Perpetual problem solvers

17. The Winchester Mystery House Considering an actual physical structure said to have
been built with no architect and no formal blueprints
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Source: http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/thehouse.cfm
“John Hansen (construction foreman) stayed with Mrs. Winchester for many years,
redoing scores of rooms, remodeling them one week and tearing them apart the next.”
“…there were no budget ceilings or deadlines to meet. This resulted in many features being dismantled,
built around, or sealed over. Some rooms were remodeled many times. It is estimated that 500 rooms to
600 rooms were built, but because so many were redone, only 160 remain.”
Does your current business technology “house” resemble this?

18. Recommendations Some next steps to take in your digital journey
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Start a business-focused dialog
Change the language, marketing, and
presence of the IT organization by sitting at
the table as a business partner, not servant
1
Collaborate to change culture
Digital natives can teach in modern
technology usage and learn core business
from digital immigrant staff
2
Nurture architecture talent
As physical and digital worlds continue to
blur, grow the talent you need to stay ahead
of accelerating disruptions
3
Become one with the customer
Develop an intimate awareness of your
organization’s customers and their journeys
4
Deliver in varied speeds and methods
Tailor style for “keep the lights on” work (slow,
known, failure is not an option) and “create solar
panels” activities (agile, murky, fail fast)
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19. Thank You