Cultivating excellence: a case study of enterprise architecture transformational journey in higher education

Abstract

An enterprise architecture (EA) is a critical framework that clarifies the complex elements of organizations, including business processes and technology. It coordinates the interaction of these elements to achieve predetermined business goals. Higher education institutions (HEIs) may become susceptible to rigidity, duplication, and intricate operations without a comprehensive EA. The primary aims of this study are to ascertain the necessary information for each EA domain: business, data, and application at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and to design the landscape map viewpoint architecture for UiTM by utilizing the EA framework. This research uses qualitative methods, namely interviews and document analysis, to comprehensively comprehend the intricacies and prerequisites within every EA domain. Critical insights for each UiTM domain: business, data, application, and technology were uncovered through the discernments. From the thematic analysis, the frequency of issues according to the EA domain is business 13 issues, application eight issues, data seven issues, and technology seven issues. Following a thorough analysis, these findings led to the development of the landscape map viewpoint architecture diagram. In conclusion, the results of this research hold the potential to provide HEIs with invaluable knowledge for enhancing their organizational transformation via EA, thereby propelling the overall quality and efficacy of higher education systems forward.