Enterprise architecture target operating model
- 4 steps from assessment to the rollout sequence
- maturity and priority drive the rollout order
In many organisations, enterprise architecture serves whatever project is next in line: they get asked, they answer, then the next one arrives. Meanwhile the very thing the role exists for falls away: longer-term planning across the whole portfolio. That is not a competence gap; it is an operating model gap.
We design the function itself, and the first half of that is the concrete work: we go through what activities the enterprise architects’ day-to-day work consists of, from target architecture and roadmap through standards and solution review to stewardship of the technology portfolio, and we assign each a purpose, a deliverable, and an owner. The second half is the connections: we give them a seat at the decision forums, and we set the frame for working with business architects, solution architects, IT, procurement, and security. We sequence the rollout by maturity and priority, so the function delivers visible value within the first months.
When do you need us?
The enterprise architect is squeezed between projects
Every running project comes to them, so there is no time left for what the role exists for: longer-term planning across the whole portfolio.
Everyone expects something different from the architects
Some see an approver, some a designer, some a firefighter. The role is not stated, so it gets renegotiated at every meeting.
Architecture decisions get made inside projects
There is no forum that looks at the portfolio as a whole, so decisions are made wherever the deadline presses hardest.
Our process
Assessment
We capture how and where enterprise architecture work happens today: who does it, for whom, and with what result.
Activity catalogue and value proposition
We define the activities of enterprise architecture: target architecture and roadmap, reference architectures and standards, solution review, technology portfolio and lifecycle management, architecture principles. Each gets a purpose, a deliverable, stakeholders, and a value proposition.
Roles, forums, connections
We clarify the roles and the decision forums, and we set the frame for working with business architects, solution architects, IT operations, procurement and vendor management, security, and the project portfolio.
Rollout sequence
We order the activities by maturity and priority: we start with what delivers value fastest.
Let's see what this would give you.
Book a free 30-minute consultationWhat you get
- Activity catalogue: the tasks of enterprise architecture with purpose, deliverable, and stakeholders
- Clarified roles and decision forums: where architecture decisions are made, and who has the final word
- Documented connections to business architects, solution architects, IT, procurement, and security
- An operating rhythm: what gets produced and when, and who it is presented to
- A rollout sequence ordered by maturity and priority
What it gives you
- Architecture work that adds up to a system instead of restarting with every project
- A role that becomes unambiguous: it is visible which decisions the enterprise architect is involved in, and what they contribute
- Time for portfolio-level planning, not just serving the next project in line
- A function that delivers visible value within the first months
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from building EA governance?
The operating model puts the function in place: what enterprise architects do, where they belong, who they work with. EA governance regulates the product of their work: modelling standards, quality gates, owners, metrics. The operating model is usually the precondition: until the place of the role is stated, there is no one to govern.
How is this different from the business architecture target operating model?
Same genre, different role. The business version sorts out how business architects work; this one does the same for enterprise architects. Where both roles exist it is often worth doing them together, because the connection between the two is the most common point of friction.
Do we need an existing architecture team?
No. For a function that is just starting, the model says what to begin with and in what order. For an existing team, it shows where the value leaks away and what is worth changing.
Do you help run it as well?
Yes: under EA as a service we can carry the designed way of working until the internal team is ready to take it over.
How we can work together
Fix Scope
Scope and fee are agreed together at the start. For well-defined work this is the most predictable form; the business capability map, for example, typically runs this way.
Time & Material
Effort-based billing with a flexible scope. It works best when the task takes shape along the way and quick changes of direction matter.
Architect as a Service
An ongoing arrangement: architect capacity without hiring a full-time specialist. It can be fixed-price and predictable, or ad-hoc involvement; it scales up or down as needs change.
Book a free 30-minute consultation
Tell us briefly about your situation. We'll get back to you and start with a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation.
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