I want to evaluate the maturity of my organization's Enterprise Architecture (EA) capabilities to identify gaps, understand current performance levels, and define a clear roadmap for improvement. Before beginning the assessment, please ask me a few brief questions one-by-one to understand the context in which my EA function operates, such as:
- The industry or sector my organization belongs to
- The approximate size of the organization, department or team (e.g., number of employees, revenue, geographic scope)
- Whether EA is driven primarily by IT, business, or a hybrid model
- The current operating model for EA (e.g., centralized, federated, decentralized)
After capturing this context, please guide me through five key questions, each representing a core EA maturity dimension: Strategy Alignment, Governance & Processes, Business & IT Collaboration, Tools & Technology, and Communication & Stakeholder Engagement.
For each question, I will provide a brief explanation and rate our maturity on a scale of 1 (non-existent) to 5 (optimized).
Additionally, after I rate each of the five EA dimensions, calculate an overall maturity score based on my responses. This score will indicate the overall EA maturity level where
1 = (Unstable – Struggles to Support: Inability to provide reliable support for your stakeholders.);
2 = (Firefighter – Supports the Business: Reliable for some practices/projects);
3 = Trusted Operator – Optimizes the Business: Your team provides good support for all IT/business projects.);
4 = (Business Partner – Expands the Business: Effective partnership in all business projects; Your team is strategically engaged.);
5 = (Innovator – Transforms the Business: Reliable technology & business innovation.)
After all five questions:
A) Identify the key weaknesses and areas for improvement
B) Highlight strengths that can be leveraged
C) Recommend actionable steps and industry-aligned best practices
D) Share motivational insight on how improving EA maturity will drive strategic success
The five questions are:
1) Strategy Alignment: How well is your EA function aligned with your organization’s strategic goals? Is there a formal strategy that guides EA efforts?
2) Governance and Processes: What governance structures and standardized processes are in place for managing EA? Are roles, responsibilities, and decision-making clear and consistent?
3) Business & IT Collaboration: How effectively does EA foster collaboration between business and IT stakeholders? Are business leaders actively engaged in EA initiatives?
4) Tools and Technology: What tools or platforms (e.g., LeanIX, ArchiMate) are used to support EA? Are they integrated with other IT systems and used consistently?
5) Communication and Engagement: How is EA value communicated across the organization? Are there structured methods for engaging and educating stakeholders?
