The theme for this issue of Architecture & Governance Magazine is “The Evolving Nature of the EA Profession.” As a relatively young discipline, enterprise architecture has come a long way. Interest levels continue to be high, as demonstrated by A&G’s readership and the enthusiastic support of our author community. But to be fair, though, universal adoption of EA isn’t as widespread as it should be given its potential. As a result, we see the EA practitioner community pursuing two strategies: One is to double down on education and standards, and to codify EA practices into a consistent and repeatable body of knowledge. The second is to innovate and be progressive by evolving the EA practice into high-value opportunities using new approaches. This editorial board believes that these two ideas are not mutually exclusive and, in fact, are both essential to the success of the profession. In this issue, our contributing authors explore both ideas.
In “Five Paradigm Shifts for Business Architecture Success,” author Jeff Scott explains that the next big opportunity for EA is in business architecture. He makes a strong case for why enterprise architects are the right people for the job and that they should align their thinking and approaches with business priorities. He then offers five specific paradigm shifts for success.
Mark Bodman, in “Possible Futures for Enterprise Architecture,” explores the need to harmonize EA with related disciplines and to address holistic governance. He seconds the need for business architecture and shares some interesting perspectives on the tooling necessary for seamless enterprise management practices.
In support of building a foundational practice for EA, the FEAPO shares its “A Common Perspective of Enterprise Architecture” paper, first published here in A&G. This excellent contribution showcases the work of the FEAPO members in their goal to unify around a set of core ideas central to the practice and professionalism of enterprise architecture.
