Enterprise Architecture: A plain and simple guide

Learn how enterprise architecture can help organisations better manage increasing IT complexity

Are you preparing for an IT leadership position, either in a consulting firm or large organisation? If so, you need to know about Enterprise Architecture (EA), an important and emerging practice within the IT discipline.

Frustrated by the complexity your organisation's IT architecture and how it increasingly drains precious organisational resources and budget?
Worried that individual IT projects are making decisions in isolation without considering the 'bigger picture' of the organisation's IT strategy?
Concerned that IT decision-making is not aligned with the current and future business needs of the organisation?
These are not uncommon challenges as organisations become increasingly dependent on IT yet seek better returns from IT spending. Enterprise architecture, can help organisations address these challenges by:

Forming a bridge between business needs and strategic IT decision-making
Formulating a 'big picture' view of IT architecture, namely the enterprise architecture
Establishing architectural standards and principles, followed by all individual IT projects, that help reduce architectural complexity
By mastering enterprise architecture, you will develop an architectural rather than implementation mindset that will guide your IT decision-making and help you communicate and engage more effectively with both business and technology stakeholders.

Note that enterprise architecture is essentially a management rather than technical subject, so experience of specific technology architectures or modelling methods (such as UML) is not required.

Warning - this is not your typical certification course that pushes a particular method, recipe or approach for the sake of passing an exam. This course is designed to build deeper critical thinking skills about enterprise architecture - not 'how, but the 'what' and 'why' that is essential to strategic IT decision-making.

Having said that, this course is an ideal primer that provides a solid foundation prior to undertaking a programme of certification such as TOGAF, FEA or Zachman.