Examination of explicit definitions of enterprise architecture

Abstract

Various understandings of enterprise architecture (EA) exist and there is no agreement on them. The various definitions of EA are not always complementary but sometimes in opposition. Within this study, we conduct a systematic literature review to analyze explicit definitions of EA. Based on concepts from the academic field of terminology, we have broken down these definitions into many parts in order to examine each part individually before making generalizations. The findings show how some of the EA definitions are implicit, incomplete, complex, and incoherent.