1. Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment
Don’t you want to know how your EA team is doing?

2. ANALYST PERSPECTIVE
There is a dynamic relationship between complexity, operational maturity, and stakeholder value. Understanding and balancing these relationships enables us to build value-driven roadmaps anchored in stakeholder needs.
Traditional maturity assessments rely on a narrow perspective, and measure value indirectly. We measure value directly by engaging stakeholders, giving a broader and more diverse perspective.
Perception is reality, and the best measure of enterprise architecture maturity is the perceived value to the organization.
MaryAnn Welke,
Research Director, CIO Practice Info-Tech Research Group

3. Our understanding of the problem
Head of Enterprise Architecture (EA)
CIO
COO
Domain Architects
Solution Architects
Diagnose the maturity level of EA.
Understand the various components of a maturity assessment.
Map initiatives to improve EA’s maturity.
Senior IT Leaders
CEO
CTO
Senior Business Leaders
Support EA in improving the department’s efficiency.
Gain involvement in directing EA’s role.

4. Executive summary
EA departments need a benchmark to improve themselves against.
EA teams need a way to determine what the right initiatives are.
Most maturity assessments do not measure the value that EA provides.
Many organizations have mandated assessments each year for their EA programs.
1. Measuring operational maturity can only get you so far. The true indicator of maturity is value realized by the organization.
2. The maturity target should be right-sized depending on organizational size and complexity. Reaching the top level of maturity isn’t necessarily appropriate for all EA departments.
EA departments are not always sure which areas to improve or how to yield the greatest benefit to the organization.
Even if EA teams are achieving benefits, they do not always have the opportunity to show the investment justification to the business.
It is hard to tie business value to doing an EA maturity assessment.
Measure EA maturity from the perspective of the business, IT, and EA to accurately measure whether EA is adding stakeholder value.
Link EA maturity levels to business value to justify continual EA support and investment.
Use a prioritized list of action items to improve the maturity of the EA department.

5. Enterprise Architecture (EA): the term with a thousand definitions
As enterprise architecture is a young field, there are many different perspectives on what it means and how it is used.
Definition 3:
Creates principles to guide IT investment decisions.
Definition 2:
Finds redundancies throughout the business through modeling.
Definition 4:
Defines rules for IT projects and solutions.
“What’s the definition of Enterprise Architecture?”
Definition 1:
Helps to align IT and the business.
Definition 5:
A department that consumes half my budget.
Whether the organization defines EA as all of the above or none, everyone agrees that architecture should enable the business and technology strategy of the organization.

6. Assessing the maturity of EA is the first step to a successful EA program
There are nine Info-Tech Key Initiative Plans to develop and mature an EA department. By starting with the maturity assessment, the EA team can understand their current state and map out a journey to get to the target state. Each step includes activities and deliverables to document progress as the EA department matures.
EA Maturity Assessment
Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your EA practice to design your path forward.

7. Drive business value through low-effort, high-value assessments
A maturity assessment should not take 10 teams and 4 days. It should get EA started on the right foot by:
Creating a benchmark: understanding the current maturity vs. a year ago shows the progression of EA, and what still needs to be improved.
Linking to business value: a business that does not care about EA or receives no value from EA will be a business that does not invest in EA. With a strong link to business value, EA can articulate a business case for improving the maturity of the department.
Being easy to do: the more difficult the assessment is, the less likely it is to be completed. Having a low-effort survey that contains questions directly relating to EA cuts out the need for excessive resources and helps get the team moving fast.
Helping make a roadmap: a current assessment is great, but the real value and insight come from the gap analysis. Reaching the target state is the goal of all initiatives, and having a customized roadmap built-in makes getting there much easier for all parties involved.
Too many maturity assessments are lengthy, complicated, and do not directly take into account the perspective of stakeholders. A maturity assessment should be quick, painless, and generate insights that inform the EA strategy and roadmap.
– MaryAnn Welke

8. Info-Tech’s assessment is quick and comprehensive
Info-Tech EA Assessment
40 dynamic questions
Value and operational perspective
Involves multiple stakeholders
Considers organizational complexity
Automated roadmap
Info-Tech activities tied to goals
Generic EA Assessment
100+ questions with answers chosen from yes, no, partly
Limited to the operational perspective
One stakeholder’s answers
No consideration of complexity

9. Use these icons to help direct you as you navigate this research
Use these icons to help guide you through each step of the blueprint and direct you to content related to the recommended activities.
This icon denotes a slide where a supporting Info-Tech tool or template will help you perform the activity or step associated with the slide. Refer to the supporting tool or template to get the best results and proceed to the next step of the project.
This icon denotes a slide with an associated activity. The activity can be performed either as part of your project or with the support of Info-Tech team members, who will come onsite to facilitate a workshop for your organization.

10. Info-Tech offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
Guided Implementation
“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options

11. Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment – project overview
Best-Practice Toolkit
Step 1: Define the target state of the EA department
Step 2: Complete the EA maturity assessment
Step 3: Invite other stakeholders to complete the assessment
Step 4: Analyze the assessment results and assign a target maturity
Step 5: Walk through each EA goal and establish the timeline to completion
Step 6: Prepare a presentation on the state of EA and the possible value it provides to the organization
Guided Implementations
Complete the EA assessment survey and go over the EA roadmap
Incorporate stakeholder feedback into the action plan
Onsite Workshop
If you would like onsite assistance for this assessment, it can be included as part of a workshop
Outcome:
Understanding of the maturity level of EA from both an operational and value perspective
Completed roadmap to further mature EA

12. Guided Implementation outline
Call or for more information.
Complete these steps on your own, or call us to complete a guided implementation. A guided implementation is a series of 2-3 advisory calls that help you execute each phase of a project. They are included in most advisory memberships.
Guided Implementation 1: Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment
Proposed Time to Completion: 2 hours
Steps 1-6: Complete the EA Maturity Assessment
Start with an analyst kick-off call:
Understand what EA does and how to start an EA program
Discover the purpose of doing an EA assessment
Discuss how to improve the maturity of the EA department
Then complete these activities…
Define the target state of the EA department
Fill out the assessment to understand the current state
Invite other stakeholders to complete the assessment
Analyze the assessment results and assign a target maturity
Walk through each EA goal and establish the timeline to completion
Prepare a presentation on the state of EA and the possible value it provides to the organization
With these tools & templates:
Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment Tool
Enterprise Architecture Maturity Presentation Template