If you want a good Enterprise Architecture, you have to build one and maintain it intentionally. It’s not simply enough to go “buy” (if that’s even possible) an off-the shelf solution and be done with it. The projects of which your business undertakes must be “folded-in”, or you will quickly end up with a disjointed mishmash - a death by 1,000 cuts. This is Maintaining Intentional Designs for EAs.
There are 3 classes of “linkage”:
- Architecture Linkage - aligning projects to architecture by embedding architects in project teams, adding architecture reviews, making funding contingent upon architecture compliance, etc
- Business Linkage - aligning projects to business goals by involving business sponsors, aligning incentives to business goal outcomes, holding project reviews with leadership
- Alignment Linkage - aligning architecture & business goals by keeping IT and business managers communicating, utilizing a PMO