Theory: What is a Business Capability?  A business capability is an ability or capacity for a company to deliver value, either to customers or shareholders. Business capabilities are a useful abstraction because they represent the next level of detail beneath the business strategy. A business capability consists of three major components: business processes, people, and physical assets.

Enterprise architecture (EA) can mean different things to different people, depending upon the role and responsibility of the individual within the organization and depending upon the context of the organization (either being a consultancy or an end user). To many it is a framework, while others view it as a collection of rules, or a methodology for defining and designing infrastructure services. However, the common aims are to improve alignment of the IT infrastructure with business goals and to attempt to bring stability to an ever-changing, chaotic, and complex situation.

Did you know that 80 percent of all enterprise architecture (EA) initiatives are not completed because they fail to demonstrate “value added” to current business practices? I recently attended the Troux Directions Federal Users Conference, which made some excellent points on the theme: “How does EA add value?”

Here are some take-away notes from the conference that may help with your Strategic IT Planning (SITP) initiatives and show you how a mature EA can add value and perhaps generate some continuing dialogue.