How to start your EA journey – and the one (free) standard you need to use.

In previous articles we have discussed how valuable EA is and why the best strategy with EA is to start.

In this article we will focus on how you start: what is a good start looks like and the lessons we have learned to have the best possible start.

In our experience a good start depends on three things:

1.???? Securing senior ownership

To realise its full potential and deliver its promise, EA needs to be used.

Strong senior ownership is essential to ensure that the outputs of EA are used in debates and decision making.

Ownership at the top table ensures that everyone appreciates that the EA is valued and should be maintained to meet the needs of the whole enterprise (organisation).

Pro tip: Start by identifying a pressing issue that matters to senior stakeholders and demonstrate how EA can help resolve it. This builds trust and momentum.

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2.???? Making it irresistible

The fastest way to your EA making an impact is to make it so irresistible (or enforced) that people have to read it and use it. Focusing on the consumption (the reading and using) of the EA also helps prioritise what should be documented first.

At Channel 3 we find the trick is to start by answering a specific question that people want answered. That way people will use it. For your EA to be of value, it must be used, so start with just do enough EA work to give the needed answer, then it will grow and mature as it gets used over time. If you hear people asking "is this from the EA?" or "has the EA been updated?” then you know it’s irresistible.

Key example: One of our clients began their EA journey by using it to clarify which systems were needed to support a major strategic initiative. This simple but targeted approach quickly demonstrated EA’s value, leading to broader use across the organisation.

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3.???? Setting the right standards from the start

EA is either for understanding (modelling) something, communicating something or both (often iteratively as the EA grows). Both understanding and communicating?require a consistent way of documenting the architecture. With the correct standards in place from the beginning, everybody reading or updating the architecture will have complete clarity of understanding.

We find our clients often appreciate the first two requirements but can get stuck on choosing the standards to use, so we will focus on them here.

When starting a new architecture there will be a lot of knowledge that needs capturing. It can include:

·????? the strategy or constraints of the organisation,

·????? the people and organisation structure and behaviours (including processes),

·????? the digital technology (the applications used for the processes),

·????? the infrastructure,

·????? the geography (locations) or scopes of control or boundaries,

·????? the things that are planned to change

This is neither an exhaustive nor prescriptive list, so, how do you start to gather all this knowledge into an irresistible package?

At Channel 3, the core standard we focus on and teach in our EA practice is using ArchiMate, an open standard for visually documenting your architecture clearly, logically and linked to organisational strategy.

We have no commercial interest in promoting ArchiMate, but we wholeheartedly recommend it and there is no license for the standard itself. (In a future article we will discuss EA tools both open source and commercial that are worth investing in.)

ArchiMate explicitly covers all the types of knowledge mentioned above and excels in linking the strategic perspective with people process and technology, and the drivers of change.

EA is about linking people, process, technology, data, geography, governance, strategy and transformation together as one unifying truth, ArchiMate is the standard that lets you do it in an irresistible way.

Ready to start? Here’s how we can help...

Starting your EA journey doesn’t have to be daunting. With our guidance, you can:

? Secure senior buy-in by demonstrating quick wins.

? Focus your initial efforts on areas that deliver the greatest impact.

? Build a robust foundation with ArchiMate that sets you up for long-term success.

Let’s work together to accelerate your time to impact.

Whether you need help setting standards, training your team, or tackling a specific challenge, we’ll tailor our approach to your needs, guiding you through the first steps so that you can accelerate your time to impact.

Get in touch with Bryn Wales or Matthew Jones who will be happy to help.

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