The document discusses challenges with enterprise architecture (EA) and a new vision for the enterprise architect role. It notes that while EA aims to support growth, clients, and change initiatives, in practice it is often seen as too technical, formal, and disconnected from business needs. Additionally, the benefits of EA are difficult to quantify despite the high costs and efforts. However, digital transformation requires an EA that can enable agility and responsiveness to turbulent markets. The role of the enterprise architect must evolve from an expert analyst to a client-focused visionary who can lead organizational change through communication, influence, and support of innovative projects.

1. EA 2.0 ANDTHE NEW ENTERPRISEARCHITECT

2. © VlerickBusiness School
STUDY-PARTICIPATINGORGANISATIONS

3. © VlerickBusiness School
EAISSUES -SOME STATEMENTS
“Our architects tend to over-formalize. It should not be about which “view” you will model or how you define your “artifact”. They should talk about supporting growth, client satisfaction and change initiatives.” -CIO
“What is the place of the EA discipline in the organisation? How does it f.e. relate to strategic planning and portfolio management? Should it be the result of these 2 or rather the input? Now EA is often seen as a discipline on its own.” -Head of Competence Centre
“We build our EA one project at a time. If for a certain project we feel the need to model part of our EA because it will improve the quality of our project outcome than we do it. We stopped modelling EA separately, with no project attached. Call it pragmatic EA if you will.” –Head of ICT

4. © VlerickBusiness School
EA REMAINSDIFFICULTFORMANYREASONS
Skills & Techniques
•Too technical
•Too muchICT-driven
•Complicatedandelaborateframeworks
•Veryformalandprescriptive
•Do notpossesskills forEA
•Difficulttoscope whattodo
Organizationalfit & committment
•Low acceptanceandunderstandingof EA
•No fit organizationalculture
•Isolateddiscipline. Stands on it’sown
•Notenoughintegratedwith othermanagement disciplines (strategy, portfolio management, …)
•Notusedoncedelivered. Quicklyobsolete
•Lackof truebusiness interest andcommittment
Effort & investment
•High effort but benefits difficulttoquantify
•Short-term investment vslong-term payoff
•High costandeffort tokeep architectureup-to-date

5. © VlerickBusiness School
THE DIGITAL ENTERPRISE
5
Enterprise Architecture

6. © VlerickBusiness School
ROLEOF EA IN TURBULENT MARKETS?
Agility: Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
Absorption: Take a Licking and Keep on Ticking
Sull, 2009, Harvard Business Review
6

7. © VlerickBusiness School 7
EA AS ENABLER FOR
THE AMBIDEXTROUS ORGANISATION ?
ABSORPTION
AGILITY

8. © VlerickBusiness School
GOINGBEYOND THE RED CASTLE!

9. © VlerickBusiness School
WHATDOES THISMEANFORTHE ENTERPRISEARCHITECT (TEAM) ?
9
Accurate andanalyticalexpert
Client-focussednetworker
Visionaryleader andstoryteller

10. © VlerickBusiness School
THE ARCHITECT DEALS WITHCHANGE ANDTRANSFORMATION
Burning platforms
EA Leadership
Influence
Understanding contextAS-IS
Evaluate maturityTO-BE
Formulate vision
& Architecture
Align with strategy
Networking
Storytelling
Governance
Roles, structures,
EA Office
People
Capabilities & training
Technology
Method & tools
Support projects
Bottom-up / top down
Institutionalize
Performance management
KPI’s
Incentives
Governance
Infuse the organisation
Attitude
Behaviour
Values
Structures
Create a Sense of Urgency
Pull Together the Guiding Team
Develop the Change Vision & Strategy
Communicate for Understanding & Buy-in
Empower Others to Act
Produce Short- term Wins
Don’t Let Up
Create a new Culture
Get it started: vision, leadership, enthusiasm
Make it last: methods, systems, structures
10

11. © VlerickBusiness School
MAINCONCLUSIONS
11
Enterprise architectsshouldsupport projectsfocussedon the existingbusiness model as well as more innovativeprojects.
Architectsshouldlead the way toshow the possibilitiesof digital assets.
Transformationbasedon digital assetsrequiresmore thantraditional systems, structuresandmethodsdigital-drivenEA.
EA is armedtocopewithdigital transformation. UnfortunatelyEA is notusedthisway. Intervieweesagreewiththisbut do notact thisway.
Communication, leadershipandinfluencingskills are crucialtodigital- drivenEA projects.
Organisationsknowthisbut veryfew are actingon it.

12. © VlerickBusiness School 12
E-Mail:
Bjorn.Cumps@vlerick.com
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/pub/bjorn-cumps
Twitter: @bjorncumps
Bjorn Cumps, PhD
Professor of Management Practice
Vlerick Business School
E-Mail:
Wesley.bille@loqutus.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/wesley-bille
Twitter:
@wesleybille
Wesley Bille, PhD
Service Team Lead Architecture
LoQutus
•be.linkedin.com/pub/wesley-bille/10/86/a28