EAIG Meta Model

Introduction
Enterprise Architecture is widely misunderstood and often poorly practiced. If you review samples of Enterprise Architecture, you often find lengthy binders full of words, gathering dust on a shelf. Or you might find decks of PowerPoint™ slides and Visio™ diagrams, used to communicate a message, and now likely long forgotten. The content of these documents would vary widely; some may discuss technology deployment, others data design, still others might contain application architectures. Few would contain business-specific content and corresponding relationships and many would contain details on information technology. Most of the content you would find was not designed to be reused, leveraged, and ever-greened as part of an ongoing process.

None of this is Enterprise Architecture, as it should be practiced.

If we examine architecture in other fields, such as mechanical engineering and design, urban planning, or the building trades, we find an entirely different approach to architecture. In architecture, the plans for the design and engineering of skyscrapers are a critical artifact. The building architecture precisely and explicitly communicates the idea of a building in a manner that insures that the complicated building matches the original intent of the Owner. The architecture is a critical enabler of the action of construction, ongoing operation, and anticipated and un-anticipated future modifications. The architecture is precise enough to be completely understood by those trained to use it. The architecture is based on principles of the repeated reuse and leverage of individual components. The architecture is complete enough to provide comprehensive understanding, such as which materials to order, the order and methods of assembly, building testing of critical subsystems (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, structural) and layers, all of which must adhere to the physical laws of nature, manufacturing engineering constraints, safety regulations, ease-of-use guidelines, in effect the ‘building codes’ of architecture.

And so it should be with Enterprise Architecture.

Enterprise Architecture, when executed well, will enable the intent of the enterprise to be documented, precisely communicated and exchanged, ultimately realized, sustained and enhanced. Enterprise Architecture will be precise enough to be completely understood by those trained to use it. Enterprise Architecture will be based on principles of repeated reuse and leverage of the individual parts.

Enterprise Architecture is therefore the complete collection of precise, reusable, actionable artifacts that enable the enterprise to be understood, analyzed, governed, and to achieve the enterprise intent. Enterprise Architecture enables the strategic “I have an idea” to be turned into Enterprise performance in a cost-effective, timely, and engineered manner.