Enterprise Architecture

  1. (Noun) The process of translating business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating, and improving the key principles and models that describe the enterprise’s future state and enable its evolution.

    Original Source: Gartner Clarifies the Definition of the Term “Enterprise Architecture”, ID Number: G00156559, August 2008, published by Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates

  2. (Noun) The representation of the structure and behavior of an enterprise’s IT landscape in relation to its business environment. It reflects the current and future use of IT in the enterprise and provides a roadmap to reach a future state.

    Original Source: Collaborative Enterprise Architecture: Enriching EA with Lean, Agile, and Enterprise 2.0 Practices, Stefan Bente, Uwe Bombosch, and Shailendra Langade, September 2012, published by Morgan Kaufmann

  3. (Noun) The organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure, reflecting the integration and standardization requirements of the company’s operating model. It provides a long-term view of a company’s processes, systems, and technologies so that individual projects can build capabilities – not just fulfill immediate needs; see also Architecture.

    Original Source: Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution, Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, David C. Robertson, August 2006, published by Harvard Business Review Press