Building a city without a plan will likely result in confusion, increased expenditures, and sub-optimal results. Similarly, in order to build an effective and efficient IT plan across an agency or multiple government agencies, it is critical to develop a master plan. This master plan is called enterprise architecture (EA).

Almost every EA/ITG "frequently asked question" compilation includes a FAQ asking how to measure EA/ITG maturity. The answers invariably include a maturity scale, a set of qualifications and perhaps some average benchmark data. Armed with this basic information about measuring maturity, should every organization immediately complete an assessment? The answer is: not necessarily.