While many enterprise architecture (EA) programs may be less than effective or threatened by extinction, the EA discipline is still an important set of skills and processes that improve IT decision-making and CIO effectiveness. Yet, after decades of architecting systems, the advent of several EA frameworks, and the many definitions available for the term EA, we still strive to understand what EA is, what it does, and what it looks like when it is successful. Most enterprise architects start out wanting to be effective, but organizational isolation driven by ivory tower syndrome, a lack of participation, or a lack of commitment to the results inhibits their influence on getting things done.

Disconnects like these and those with the software development lifecycle (SDLC) should be seen as a sign of danger, but all EA programs, even effective ones, can be improved. This is accomplished by understanding fundamental operating model principles for process integration and standardization, avoiding framework-centric approaches, and focusing on getting things done.