The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

Enterprise and business architecture STPL

Aligning an organisation's technology strategy with its business mission, strategy, and processes and documenting this using architectural models.

Guidance notes

Enterprise architecture is typically considered across four domains: business, data, applications and infrastructure technologies. It may also include information security or legal and regulatory compliance.

Activities may include — but are not limited to:

  • translating business strategies and objectives into an operating model
  • assessing current capabilities and identifying required changes in capabilities to achieve objectives
  • describing the interrelationships between people, organisation, service, process, data, information, technology and the external environment
  • creating, iterating, and maintaining architectural models and views embodying the key principles that describe the organisation's future state, and that enable its evolution
  • implementing enterprise architecture working practices to support and enable iterative/agile working
  • interpreting business goals and drivers
  • documenting and communicating constraints, standards and guiding principles necessary to define, assure and govern the required evolution
  • using architectural models and processes to facilitate changes in the organisation's structure, business processes, information or data, business systems and infrastructure
  • describing where and why the enterprise will benefit from cloud-based services.

Levels

Defined at these levels: 5 6 7

Enterprise and business architecture: Levels 1-4

This skill is not typically observed when working at these levels of responsibility.

Enterprise and business architecture: Level 5

Develops models and plans to drive the execution of the business strategy, taking advantage of opportunities to improve business performance.

Contributes to creating and reviewing a systems capability strategy which meets the business's strategic requirements.

Determines requirements and specifies effective business processes, through improvements in technology, information or data practices, organisation, roles, procedures and equipment.

Enterprise and business architecture: Level 6

Develops enterprise-wide architecture and processes to embed the strategic application of change in the management of the organisation.

Leads the creation and review of a systems capability strategy that meets the strategic requirements of the business. Ensures the buy-in of all key stakeholders.

Captures and prioritises market and environmental trends, business strategies and objectives, and identifies the business benefits of alternative strategies. Develops and presents business cases for approval, funding and prioritisation of high-level initiatives.

Sets strategies, policies, standards and practices to ensure compliance between business strategies, technology strategies, and enterprise transformation activities.

Enterprise and business architecture: Level 7

Directs the development of enterprise-wide architecture and processes to embed the strategic application of change in the management of the organisation.

Directs the creation and review of an enterprise capability strategy to support the strategic requirements of the business. Identifies the business benefits of alternative strategies.

Ensures compliance between business strategies, enterprise transformation activities and technology directions, setting strategies, policies, standards and practices.