Background

What is your name and title?

This review was done by our EA team, consisting of:

• Jim Phelps, Director of Enterprise Architecture and Strategy
• Rupert Berk, Enterprise Solutions Architect
• Jacob Morris, Enterprise Business Architect
• Piet Niederhausen, Enterprise Business Architect

How is Enterprise Architecture defined at your institution, and what is the mission of the EA practice?

Enterprise Architecture is a team in central IT (UW-IT). Our strategy on a page defines states our purpose:

By driving common and effective architecture and strategy practices, the EA business service seeks to increase the effectiveness of transformation initiatives, increase the agility and impact of IT planning and investment, improve the efficiency of IT operations and project execution, and enable data-driven decision-making.

See the University of Washington's EA Practice profile page for more background.

Review by Maturity Attribute

In the following sections, for each maturity attribute, please briefly describe your current state and planned changes. The links in the right column further describe each level and attribute.

Once you've reviewed each attribute, in the table below, indicate how you currently see the maturity level of your EA practice. (Please place an X on each row.)

Scope Definition

Our current level is about 3-4 and we are aiming to solidify 4 (Managed).

Examples that illustrate our current state:

• Originally, an Enterprise Architecture Steering Group made up of IT leaders drafted EA principles and recommended the formation of an EA practice.
• A new Director was brought into the organization to lead the EA practice, and this role works closely with senior management and is a member of key governing boards (e.g., project review board, service management board).
• Our scope is defined in a strategy on a page document that is published alongside the strategies for all business services in UW-IT, which are revised in a defined process.
• When EA team members engage in project work, a statement of work defines their role and scope.
• Project teams and senior managers increasingly request EA involvement, indicating that EA work is increasingly embedded in the organization.
• There is wide awareness of the EA practice, though understanding of the role of EA still varies somewhat.

Goals we want to work on:

• We are about to publish EA consulting as an offering in the public-facing IT service catalog.
• We should get more input from our stakeholders on their changing needs for EA, including from senior management.

Engagement

Our current level is about 4 (Managed) and that is our target.

Examples that illustrate our current state:

• The EA team participates in and supports key governance groups such as the project review and service management boards.
• The EA team hosts communities of practice for technical architects, developers, and business analysts (open to all of the UW).
• The EA team helps organize and presents at quarterly outreach events (open to all of the UW).
• UW-IT's project review process includes a score for EA alignment which provides an opportunity for EA input on all projects.
• The EA team facilitates strategy planning by IT service teams, which is also an opportunity to influence architecture goals.

Things we want to work on:

• Strengthen engagement with individual senior managers.
• Strengthen working relationships with related teams in UW-IT, such as teams working on organizational development.

Impact Assessment

Our current level is about 2-3 and we are aiming to solidify 3 (Defined).

Examples that illustrate our current state:

• The EA team's strategy on a page sets business-oriented outcomes as value propositions for the team.
• Teams that we work with consistently provide positive feedback on our work and return to EA for more participation.
• The EA team creates a quarterly report of its outcomes for senior management.

Things we want to work on:

• Better measure customer satisfaction, for example by surveying or interviewing stakeholders we have worked with for more structured input.
• Continue to refine the business outcomes in our strategy to help us measure success.
• Better understand how to measure quantitatively the impact of architecture work – this would also be useful for us to help other teams set measurable goals for similar work.

Delivery

Our current level is about 2-3 and we are aiming to solidify 3 (Defined).

Examples that illustrate our current state:

• EA team members lead ongoing functions such as strategy management for UW-IT.
• EA team members define engagements to participate in project teams, recorded in a statement of work.
• EA team members initiate and lead projects, for example to develop reference architectures.
• EA team members lead ongoing communities of practice to grow awareness of best practices.
• The EA team maintains the library of reference architectures.

Things we want to work on:

• We are about to publish EA consulting as an offering in the public-facing IT service catalog.
• Continue to raise awareness of what EA can provide, and awareness of published EA resources.

Management

Our current level is about 4 and we are aiming for 5.

Examples that illustrate our current state:

• The business case for EA is supported by senior management and EA is funded on an ongoing basis like other IT services.
• The EA practice has strong leadership and continues to challenge itself as a team toward new maturity goals.
• The EA team members have EA-specific job descriptions and are evaluated based on the mission of the EA team.
• The EA team coordinates its work through quarterly planning and biweekly sprint planning, tracking work in JIRA.

Things we want to work on:

• More widely share the value delivered by EA.
• Demonstrate more opportunities for investment in EA.
• Grow the network of people who work closely with EA, to extend the reach of the team and identify potential successors.

Summary

Overall, what are the major challenges and/or opportunities for EA at your institution?

• See the sections above for opportunities identified in each attribute.