A Balanced Approach to Developing the Enterprise Architecture Practice Maturity in Enterprise Architecture

Abstract

Enterprise architecture is a relatively young field. Many organiza- tions are still engaged in implementing and developing a fully mature enterprise architecture practice. In this paper we introduce an architecture maturity model that enables us to identify strong and weak points in an organization’s architecture practice and to consequently set priorities for improvement. The model distinguishes 18 factors that are relevant to developing an architectural practice. Each of these factors has its own maturity development path that is balanced against the maturity development paths of the other factors. In this respect, the model differs from other existing models that adhere to a generic 5- level approach. Two industrial case studies are presented to illustrate the use of the model.