Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment
What is “Enterprise Architecture”?
Enterprise architecture is the sum of all methods and practices that helps in documenting the current and future states of business and technology assets of an enterprise and in supporting transformation projects. Put differently, it is the set of methods, tools and information that support the realization of business strategies using roles, processes, software applications and information technology infrastructure.
Enterprise architecture methodologies, whose first applications emerged in the second half of 1980s, are currently put into use by enterprises of all sized and applied in big projects including digital transformation programs.
Why Measure Enterprise Architecture Maturity?
Measuring the maturity level of "enterprise architecture capability" of a company helps identify its current state in this area. Measuring the maturity levels in defined intervals helps companies understand what will be achieved through the improvement activities and enables them to prepare and trace a roadmap.
Architecture Maturity Assessment - MOS Academy's Approach
Method
MOS Academy has created an original "Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment" mechanism, based on its experience in several enterprise architecture projects in Türkiye and abroad. The assessment methodology consists of several phases including the identification of stakeholders, preparation of a set of customer-specific questions, executiın of face-to-face or online meetings to answer the questions, formation of a roadmap based on the answers and customer-specific data and final reporting.
Number of Assessment Areas and Questions
MOS Academy Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment methodology uses more than 45 questions in 6 main axes:
Strategy and Planning (SRM)
Architecture Products (ARC)
Governance (GOV)
Portfolio Management (POR)
Automation Tools (AUT)
Technology and R&D (TRM)
Each question is answered using a 5-value Likert scale. To get the answers, face-to-face and online meetings are held. In addition, document analysis, architecture model review, process review and questionnaire methods are employed to reach detailed analyses and to improve upon those answers.
Sample question
Code | Enterprise Architecture Capability Area | Question Text | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
SRM7 | SRM –Preparing and managing strategy and roadmaps | How is the relation between architectural products (models) and the enterprise investment plans established? | 1: No relations established 5: All investment plans and architectural models are connected. |
Presenting the results and reporting
Measuring the maturity level lays the ground for future work in this area for both medium-sized enterprised as well as large corporations.
With MOS Academy Enterprise Architecture Assessment Methodology, results are generated in various kinds and formats:
Written report: A report of results is prepared in the format (document, presentation etc.) desired by the customer.
Radar (spider) charts: Scores calculated for the six axes of maturity are summarized in a radar chart, an example is given below. For each capability area, both the target maturity level and the current maturity level can be seen together on this chart.
Roadmap example
While the maturity levels for each enterprise architecture capability area are elaborated and placed on the spider chart, the projects needed to achieve the target levels are identified as well. For example, after an assessment phase for portfolio management area (POR), the set of recommended projects and the sub-targets that these projects help to achieve are given in the figure below.
Evaluate your Enterprise Architecture Maturity with MOS
In some companies, architecture models are prepared with the joint effort of software development teams while in some of them there is an architecture department and a centralized management approach. While some enterprises prepare their architecture models using only MS Office tools, others use an architecture software. Architectural efforts are focused on a single layer (application, data etc.) in some corporations while some of them work on all layers.
Whichever one suits your company, assessing the maturity your enterprise architecture practice would have several returns.
First of all, an outsider would be analyzing the company and generate an objective result. Second, quantitative and proven approaches would be used to produce a roadmap and this would identify the target and current points of enterprise architecture in the company. Third, a local and experienced business partner would assess your company and that would help come out with more realistic analyses and inferences.
Lastly, an Enterprise Architecture Development Roadmap would be prepared for your company. Projects in the roadmap, that would have to be completed to reach the target maturity level might include architecture process definition, architecture organization structure changes, architectural touchpoints with other IT processes among others. They might as well contain Bizzdesign tool implementation of which MOS Academy is the reseller in Türkiye.
You can contact us to learn more about MOS Academy Enterprise Architecture Maturity Assessment approach to benefit from all of these.
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