Exploring Enterprise Architecture: Schools of Thought, Definitions, and Perspectives
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is among the most debated concepts in business and IT. Despite its increasing relevance, a universal definition still needs to be achieved. Research provides a concise view of the schools of thought, definitions, and perspectives on enterprise architecture.
Schools of Thought on Enterprise Architecture
Understanding the schools of thought on EA is essential to explore the different definitions of enterprise architecture. James Lapalme’s influential work[1] highlights three primary schools of thought, each offering a distinct lens for understanding the purpose and impact of EA:
Enterprise IT Architecting: Focuses on aligning IT with business to enable enterprise strategy.
Enterprise Integrating: Aims to holistically design all facets of the enterprise to maximize coherence between organizational components. In this school of thought, EA links strategy and execution.
Enterprise Ecological Adaptation: This school centers on fostering organizational learning and innovation by designing the enterprise and its relationship with the environment. The objective of this school is to innovate and adapt, and practitioners apply systems and system-in-environment thinking. A challenge with this school is how to foster sensemaking.
Definitions of Enterprise Architecture
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a widely discussed concept with varying interpretations across standards, industry bodies, and thought leaders.
Below are definitions from some of the most recognized sources:
DoDAF (Department of Defense Architecture Framework):
A set of abstractions and models that simplify and communicate complex structures, processes, rules, and constraints to improve understanding, implementation, forecasting, and resourcing [2].
Gartner:
The process of translating business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating, and improving the key principles and models that describe the enterprise’s future state and enable its evolution [3].
Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations (FEAPO):
The holistic planning, analysis, design, and implementation for the development and execution of strategy by applying principles and practices to guide organizations through the integration and interoperation of all other architecture domains [4].
ISO 15704:2019 (International Organization for Standardization):
The arrangement of physical components, logical relationships, and human interactions involved in the development, implementation, and operation of a program, such as enterprise integration or other enterprise-related programs, usually including a set of projects (Enterprise Engineering perspective) [5].
OMB Circular A-130 (U.S. Federal Government):
A strategic information asset base that:
• Describes the mission of the organization.
• Details the information necessary to perform the mission.
• Identifies the technologies needed to perform the mission.
• Outlines the transitional processes required to implement new technologies in response to changing mission needs.
It includes:
• A baseline architecture (current state),
• A target architecture (future state), and
• A sequencing plan to transition between them [6].
Perspectives of Enterprise Architecture
Another interesting study by Saint-Louis et al. [7] organizes definitions of enterprise architecture into categories to capture the diverse ways EA is conceptualized and applied across organizations:
Definitions as a Noun (Deliverable-focused): The enterprise architecture refers to a comprehensive description of all of the key elements and relationships that constitute an organization.
Definitions as a Verb (Process): Enterprise Architecting (EA) is the process of developing enterprise Information Technology architecture.
Definitions as a Concept: The concept of EA refers to the alignment of information, technology, standards, process, policy, and framework of an enterprise with the goals and strategies of the enterprise as a whole to achieve the required level of standardization, integration, consistency, and compliance.
Definitions as a Term: The term enterprise architecture can be defined as a structural set of models that represents invariant blocks of construction of the whole enterprise.
Definitions without Qualifiers: Enterprise architecture, or architecture for short is a systematic and structured instrument to provide direction to the development of the ICT landscape and provide a holistic view at the organization.
The EA definitions, schools of thought, and perspectives reveal its evolving role in enabling strategic alignment, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation. The constant attempt to define EA shows its significance.
From James Lapalme’s exploration of the three schools of thought to the authoritative definitions provided by industry standards, EA emerges as a versatile noun, verb, and concept, depending on your perspective, for addressing the challenges and opportunities unique to each organization. Understanding and applying these varied perspectives and schools of thought enable organizations to align their strategies, adapt to change, and achieve long-term resilience.
How can understanding these diverse perspectives on Enterprise Architecture help you bridge the gap between strategy and execution, ensure alignment across your organization, and adapt to the disruptions shaping your industry?
Join the conversation on LinkedIn
Further Reading
J. Lapalme, "Three Schools of Thought on Enterprise Architecture," in IT Professional, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 37-43, Nov.-Dec. 2012, doi: 10.1109/MITP.2011.109.
A Practitioners’ Approach to Developing Enterprise Architecture Following the TOGAF® ADM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pubs.opengroup.org/togaf-standard/adm-practitioners/adm-practitioners_2.html
A Practitioners’ Approach to Developing Enterprise Architecture Following the TOGAF® ADM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pubs.opengroup.org/togaf-standard/adm-practitioners/adm-practitioners_2.html
Feapo Enterprise Architecture definitions. (n.d.). https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.businessarchitectureguild.org/resource/resmgr/docs/feapo_adopted_architecture_d.pdf
ISO 15704:2019. ISO. (2024, October 15). https://www.iso.org/standard/71890.html
Managing information as a strategic resource 1. I. (n.d.). https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/OMB/circulars/a130/a130revised.pdf
Saint-Louis P, Morency MC, Lapalme J. Examination of explicit definitions of enterprise architecture. International Journal of Engineering Business Management. 2019;11. doi:10.1177/1847979019866337
