What is “enterprise architect”? (1 – three parts)

The role of the Enterprise Architect (EAt) is of paramount importance, and it is more complex and multifaceted than the term “Enterprise Architecture” (EAe). The intricate nature of enterprise architecture, coupled with human, operational, and management factors of EAt, necessitates consideration and strategic planning for the role. This strategic planning is crucial in shaping the organisation's future.

Currently, the definitions and understandings of EAt roles are often narrowed, focusing solely on the IT domain. At the same time, EAt definitions are frequently overloaded with excessive topics, while core and fundamental parts are missing. This bleared focus not only masks gaps but also misleads management and architects, leading to severe consequences that cannot be ignored.

When EAts exist as dedicated actors, they often deliver diagrams and artefacts, sometimes big and complex, but with limited practical value or without explicit integration with other activities. EAts participate in the governance but often overlap or duplicate a solution architect role, leaving enterprise areas and domains ungoverned or abandoned.

It leads to strange deliveries, titles and operation processes, reduces the quality of enterprise and IT systems and solutions, jeopardises big project success, and presents material operational risks.

This inspires discussions about dying EAe and EAt, ivory towers, the value of the EAt role, etc.

An unclear EAt role is not just a challenge but a significant obstacle. It undermines the structured and informed recruitment processes, making it difficult to find a “specialist in everything” and build a good architecture team. Clear and structured recruitment processes are crucial in finding the right people for the EAt role.

The EAt role can be separated into three parts.

1. An Enterprise Architect Competency. The Enterprise Architect competency describes the skills and experience required for the EAt work. The EAt competency is the core of the EAt role and must cover all EAe domains and areas, including integration skills and expertise. This knowledge might be used in other roles and professions, like chief architect, CEO, CTO, technical manager, solution architect, project manager, etc.

2. An Enterprise Architect profession. The enterprise architect profession is paid work that delivers expected results and outcomes with the required quality within the scheduled time and requires EAt competency. It is essential to understand that the profession is created inside the enterprise and, in specific cases, might need additional competencies to deliver the required results. An EAt on the market in the CV must present the profession and prove competency.

3. An Enterprise Architect's role in the operation model. The Enterprise Architect role is an actor in the operation model who performs activities, cooperates with other stakeholders, and delivers the required results. The position must be created and adjusted for the enterprise or project. It might include requirements for activities, competencies, and deliveries in different areas, but it must focus on the EAt role. The role can be filled with one or several EAt professionals or covered by another role, for example, a Chief architect, a Head of Architecture, a CTO, etc. The JD must describe the required EAt position, and HR and the hiring manager must look for an EAt professional who is the best for it.

The EAt position is the source and the most complex part of the EAt role. Employees working in that position or covering that area develop the required competencies, skills and experience. When they left the company, they offered that competency as a profession on the market and, when employed, helped shape it further. Critical questions here are how the previous position matches the new one and who and how must shape that top role for the enterprise's or project's needs.

The EAt position is the cornerstone of the architecture team operation model and one of the pillars of the enterprise IT or project operation models. The architecture and design operation model planned from the EAt position and with EAt professional contribution will help streamline the architecture team mobilisation and improve design and strategy quality and risk management.

The proper model of the EAt role must include all three parts: the EAt role as the starting point, the EAt competency as the core, and the EAt profession as the resource to achieve the required results.