Scot Bernard & Enterprise Architecture

Explore The Enterprise Architecture Toolkit

Agencies can choose from many enterprise architecture models — some developed by consultants, others adapted for government use. Whatever the model, developing an architecture usually involves about seven or eight major steps.

The preliminary ones involve getting management to buy in to the project, selecting an architecture model or framework to use, appointing teams that will perform and oversee the work, and setting up the procedures that the teams will follow. In many ways, that's the easy part.

The next three steps are where the real work, and often resistance, begins. They also produce what are viewed as some of the most tangible products of the enterprise architecture process. With an aggressive timetable, these next three steps can be completed in about 18 months, according to Scott Bernard, director of graduate programs at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies.

1. Create a baseline model. First, you must record an inventory of your current IT infrastructure and business processes, sometimes called the "as is" or baseline model. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services recently completed a painstaking inventory of its information technology systems. At first blush, this might seem a fairly straightforward task — just documenting what you have — but there are many challenges.

2. Create a target model. The next step is to develop a "to be" or target model of the enterprise. This might include, for example, plans for a new, citizen-focused e-government service. That model then drives the changes required to support the new service.

3. Develop a migration plan. The last step in the initial development is coming up with a migration or sequencing plan to get from the baseline to the target architecture. You create this by identifying the gaps between the baseline and target, then plotting the process, system changes and additions required to bridge the gaps.

Enterprise Architecture Toolkit: the definitive resource for Enterprise Architecture projects