In my years working with EA Principals CEO and Chief Architect, Dr. Steve Else, I have been most impressed by his intense customer focus.   Even when the customer asks only for a standard training, Steve strives to understand what the customer’s EA team needs to deliver greater value. He asks me to research the customer using publicly available information, and to collaborate in advance with the EA team on a case study for use in the upcoming training.  Each case study includes exercises that guide the EA team in applying systematic, standards-based architecture to the concerns they have been asked to address.  I provide rudimentary answers to most exercises based on my research, and I ask trainees to improve on them.   The trainees work on the exercises individually or in groups and present their results for class discussion.

I have developed case studies for EA teams within organizations engaged in, for example, financial services, commercial aviation, railroading, and emergency management.  Most of these case studies also address an actual customer challenge, such as a pending merger, improving customer relationships, and, in one case, the evaluation of satellite-based internet infrastructure.

These case studies make the training more engaging by applying proven concepts and methods to immediate challenges.  They provide a foundation for future work on these very challenges and introduce relevant industry and common systems frameworks.  In addition, they give EA teams a sense of what they can contribute beyond the IT guidance for which they are often asked.

These case studies have long been included at no additional charge in our trainings, but are now available separately for EA teams that want to reconnect their teams post-COVID, build their capabilities, or prepare for an upcoming initiative. Contact us to arrange a half- or full-day Custom Case Study Workshop focused on the challenges your EA team is facing.  

Authored by Iver Band, Senior Instructor and ArchiMate Expert