EAIG Is a Sanctuary for Like-Minded Enterprise Architects

By now, you have probably heard about the Enterprise Architecture Interest Group.

But like other professionals, you may be wondering whether the organization is a good fit for you and the company or agency you work for. The EAIG, a growing not-for-profit organization, has made it easy by offering the following litmus test:

Join the EAIG if you want to…

• Join like-minded professionals in the discussion of applying EA concepts to realize business value.
• Share, learn, coordinate and apply architectural best practices.
• Implement strategy by using the architectural methods applied by fellow members.

Attract individuals that want what is described above and you end up with a not-for-profit organization that is coming into its own in this burgeoning field.

“The EAIG has assumed an influential and necessary role in the enterprise architecture industry,” said Hank Weghorst, CEO and founder of Troux Technologies, a member of the EAIG. “The organization will grow exponentially as more and more individuals recognize the benefits of this practice.”

To better influence that growth, the EAIG has created something of a corporate checklist, which says that EAIG “promotes the development and educational advancement of Enterprise Architecture concepts, standards, and trends through a forum for the open exchange of information and best practices among companies that (1) recognize the complexity of an enterprise (both business and IT), and (2) see Enterprise Architecture as a means to manage the business mission and IT complexity.”

Going forward, the primary objectives of the EAIG are:

1. To promote a Common Reference for Enterprise Architecture as the key mechanism to forge and sustain the co-operative involvement, partnership and alignment of Business and Information Technology interests.
    
2. To drive the development, publication, continuous improvement and support for recommendations designed to realize the Common Reference for Enterprise Architecture. This includes, but is not limited to, reference assets such as:
   
   • Enterprise Architecture Definition
   • Enterprise Architecture Glossary (terms, context and examples)
   • Enterprise Architecture Development and Management Processes
   • Performance Indicators, Metrics, and Maturity Models for profiling Enterprise Architecture
   • Value Models for demonstrating and measuring the value of Enterprise Architecture
   • Reference Models and Notations for Blueprinting and Sub-Domain Classifications
3. To promote awareness and understanding of the value provided by Enterprise Architecture and the Common Reference for Enterprise Architecture at the CxO level.
    
4. To foster practical communication, interchange and leverage of Enterprise Architecture-related artifacts, processes, concepts and knowledge between member organizations wanting to exploit Enterprise Architecture’s potential.
    
5. To provide a forum for Professional Growth in the Discipline and Practice of Enterprise Architecture including opportunities for Training and Certification.
    
6. To operate an efficient and active global organizational alliance to drive the EAIG’s progress in realizing these Objectives.
    
7. To influence industry vendors and service providers in the design and provision of Enterprise Architecture tools and services, and enlist their assistance in the realization of EAIG’s Objectives.
    

The EAIG believes that collaboration is a powerful mechanism to achieving those objectives. To that end, it “applies a global, collaborative, and pragmatic approach in its workgroup activities that ensures a practical and optimal outcome. Representatives from our corporate/agency members form our workgroups that focus on distinct areas of interest to the participating members.” That workgroup output is then shared with the EAIG general membership and, if appropriate, with the general public.

Some of its current workgroup activity includes:

EA Meta Model Workgroup: The MMWG has recently released its meta model for Business Related Architecture to all members for use and enhancements. This deliverable marks several years of collaborative work to standardize the successful modeling of our members’ businesses.

• EA Organizational Outreach: The EA Outreach WG is charged with reaching to established industry organizations that represent areas of expertise that, when combined, form a complete Enterprise Architecture. This workgroup is focused as a “coordination group” that helps to bind together these currently disparate bodies of knowledge. This WG will ultimately assist members of the EAIG in coordinating disparate activities within their own enterprises.
   
• EA Research and Case Studies: The EA Research and Case Studies workgroup is charged with reaching out to EA tool vendors and EA education communities of interest to help create a consortium of resources for EA practitioners interested in gaining specific knowledge around EA successes and certification.”

Future Planned Activity includes EA Metric & Measurements, EA Tool Studies, Industry Focus Groups, and Regional Focus Groups.

Not surprisingly, the EAIG has attracted a stellar group of members thus far, including:

• Booz Allen Hamilton
• Gedas USA, Inc.
• General Motors
• Oakland University
• Center for Public Private Enterprise
• AT&T
• FEAC Institute
• MedImmune
• Pinnacle Business Group
• USAID
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Troux Technologies
• Volkswagen of America

To be considered for membership in the EAIG, complete, and submit the EAIG Membership Form at http://www.eaig.org/partner_member.htm

For more information contact the EAIG at:

Phone Number: +1 248.370.3258
Fax Number: +1 248.370.3292
Email: info@EAIG.org

Postal Address:
Enterprise Architecture Interest Group
c/o Applied Technology in Business
337 Elliott Hall, Oakland University
Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401 U.S.A.

by Holt Hackney, the managing editor of Architecture & Governance Magazine. He can be reached at ‘hhackney@hackneypublications.com’