Considering dramatic geopolitical and economic factors in the world today, there is a need for more skilled Enterprise Architects to help on several fronts. For example, the race for digital in enterprise transformations requires a wide array of new business and technology skills. Strategy development and system thinking skills can help EAs to collaborate more effectively with strategy planners and key decision makers, among other key stakeholders. They are under massive pressure as the velocity and complexity of change increase.

The current global environment sets up an opportunity for better integrating enterprise architecture into the problem-solving, design work. Anecdotally, we can see the demand for EA services increasing rapidly across most verticals and in many Fortune 500 companies and government. The effective use of technology, business process standardization, and optimized access to integrated information is increasing in importance and EAs must be continuously learning to be able to meet the demand effectively.

To determine what skillsets would help EAs, there are leading competency models (e.g., SFIA 8, the TOGAF Skills Framework) that can play an important role. In addition, one can gain insights as to how specific skills could help you in planning and implementing successful initiatives despite the cascading challenges. Of course, some of the most pressing challenges include Digital Transformation, platform architectures, developing an Agile@Scale operating model, cybersecurity, augmented reality, drones, IoT and blockchain. Whether using cutting edge technologies or just better management, there is an imperative to better design, implement, and govern the architecture landscape for better coherency, efficiency, and analysis.

Some of the new skills mentioned by SFIA 8 include information and cybersecurity (vulnerability and threat intelligence covered by The Open Group’s guide on Risk and Security), data privacy, DevOps (systems and software lifecycle engineering), data and analytics, and agile/self-organizing teams.

For example, considering lifecycle engineering and DevOps, EAs could use business architecture-related techniques such as value stream analysis and capability modeling to enable new developmental value streams supporting the evolution of the enterprise toward Agilty@Scale.

Another useful guide from the TOGAF ecosystem is the new upcoming Digital Transformation Assessment Readiness that is building on a mature Business Transformation Readiness Assessment technique that has been in TOGAF Standard for a long time.

Some of the factors impacting digital technology adoption are:

1. Foundational Factors, such as:

• Vision
• Sponsorship and Direction
• IT Capability
• Culture
• Scope and Scale
• Business Rationale 
• Implementation Approach

2. Impact Factors, such as:

• Business Model Adaptability 
• Skills and Competences
• Technology Maturity 
• Ecosystem
• Governance and Compliance 

3. Sustaining Factors, such as:

• Value Realization
• Policy and Regulations 
• Funding and Resources 

EA Principals can help conduct EA skills assessment, including by leveraging relevant standards supporting various verticals in business and government. But a couple of the most useful steps to take to build EA maturity is to master more than one EA-related framework (e.g., TOGAF, DODAF, MODAF, etc.) and to master at least one content metamodel. We recommend on the method side that you start with TOGAF. On the modeling side, start with ArchiMate and then add in BPMN and some URL modeling elements for a well-rounded package that we have found to rapidly accelerate EA maturity. We also offer Applied Business Architecture courses tied to numerous verticals for more relevant, usually private, training. We have partnered as well with Parmenides AG in Germany to offer advanced courses on Decision Architecture, including the use of advanced analytic approaches, to assist in such areas as Analysis of Alternatives for even the most complex strategic scenarios.

For an excellent skills framework, we recommend you visit the following Website:

https://sfia-online.org/en/sfia-8/moving-to-sfia-8/skill-changes-in-detail .

By Alex Wyka, Senior EAP Consultant and Trainer