Enterprise Architecture - Clear, Concise and Correct Definition

“Facts are only of value when those are clear, concise, and correct,” says Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This statement is particularly applicable for Enterprise Architecture (EA).

My recent quest for an EA role took me through a parade of interviews that made me realise what the world is missing; a clear-cut definition of Enterprise Architecture.

The standout of all interviews was a tête-à-tête with a TOGAF-certified architect. ?I aced the technical grilling and just when I had thought that it was going to be over, he committed the mistake of asking me the conventional question – “Do you have any questions?”

I asked him, “What does an Enterprise Architect do in your company?”

His response of vague ramblings about strategy, meetings, documentation, quality, etc. transported me back to a past job where architecture was all about drafting e-mails, documenting spreadsheets, and lecturing junior developers about code quality!

Architecture documentation in an Excel spreadsheet? ?Seriously? Not again!

I was tempted to ask him, “How did you even clear TOGAF?”—but manners prevailed, and I quietly ended the conversation, saying “No more questions.”

Why blame the hopeless chap when even Chat-GPT cannot give a clear, concise, and correct definition of Enterprise Architecture?

The Definition

My encounters clarified that even certified experts can miss the plot. Also, those helped me notice the opportunity to introduce the missing clarity about Enterprise Architecture.

Therefore, I crafted a definition of Enterprise Architecture that is precise and practical.

According to me, Enterprise Architecture is the art of converting vision into capability across four domains, using ten techniques.

The four domains are Business, Applications, Data, and Technology; the four pillars of the enterprise.

The ten techniques, akin to the different painting techniques used by an artist, are

1. Architectural Principles – Core axioms that ensure consistency and act as guidelines or do’s & don’ts for new solutions.

2. Stakeholder Management – The skill of communicating, engaging, and negotiating with roles such as CXOs, Business Owners, Developers, Partners and Customers on ideas, budgets, and timelines.

3. Architecture Patterns – Reusable templates for solving recurring design challenges efficiently.

4. Gap Analysis – Identifying disparities between current and target states to prioritize efforts.

5. Migration Checklist – A structured and fail-safe approach for migrating systems across environments and vendor ecosystems.

6. Interoperability Testing – Validating integration across systems for cohesive performance.

7. Transformation Roadmap – Systematic planning and preparation for transforming legacy systems into modern frameworks that cater to evolving needs while minimizing the impact of obsolete technologies.

8. Risk Assessment – Quantifying and mitigating potential threats to architecture stability.

9. Alternative Design Thinking – Exploring innovative options to optimize solutions. "This is the only way of solving the problem", says a bad architect. A good architect presents different ways of solving the same problem along with the costs and benefits for each of the methods.

10. Diagramming – Visualizing complex relationships and dependencies through precise, communicative drawings. Drawing compelling diagrams must be instinctive for an architect!

An enterprise architect bridges vision with execution by combining strategic thinking with technical rigour.

4 domains. 10 techniques. Clear. Concise. Correct.

Embrace this art, dear fellow architects, and glory shall be yours!