The topic assigned for this week is EA measurement. This involves trying to find out the effective of the EA implementation and the value that it has brought to the organization. It is not an easy task to demonstrate the value of EA in terms of accurate numerical metrics. One of the reasons being that a lot of factors (benefits, costs, risks) in the overall EA implementation program need to be considered while measuring the benefits offered by EA. Gathering all of such information in a timely manner is very tedious. At the same time, without proper means of measurement, it is not possible to assess the value of EA. So, it is of utmost importance to chalk out a good measurement program that addresses all possibles areas of EA adoption and projects the best possible outcome of EA.
As per Gartner, the EA Measurement program consists of the following stages:
As per Gartner, the EA Measurement program consists of the following stages:
1. Planning — mapping measurements to strategies
2. Assessing the organization — comparing capabilities with goals
3. Designing and identifying effective measures
4. Building the measurement process
5. Implementing and measure
6. Communicating appropriate results to appropriate stakeholders
7. Reviewing, changing and improving performance
The first two stages fall under scoping of the measurement program. It is about pre-planning and setting the stage for a good measurement program. It involves understanding and analysis of the various factors involved and collecting information about them. It might also involve going through historical data to get a better hold of the progress made by EA. The next stage is a thorough assessment of the organization based on the information gathered in the planning stage. It involves understanding the current state of the organization.
The third and fourth stages involve defining what and how to measure. It is the designing phase of the measurement program. The measurement matrix is used to test the quality of the EA program by defining the assessment areas (EA value areas) and different measurement categories (like balanced scorecard). Once all possible measures have been drawn out, the next task is to select the measures based on the strategy of the organization and deliver them.
The last three stages are the actual implementation part. The measures shortlisted in the preceding stages need to be finally implemented and also communicated to all the stakeholders. This needs to be done in a coordinated way. And then comes repeating these steps in an iterative fashion - review, change, improve. This helps to further refine the measures and align them with organizational goals. This requires strong support from the leadership team as well as the EA team.
So, we can very clearly that EA measurement is no doubt a complex process and involves a lot of planning and designing for it to be successful. It needs to be dynamic and resilient, and change as the needs and goals of the organization change. This is very important for the continuous growth and improvement of the organization.
References:
Weiss, D. (2006, September 13). Enterprise Architecture Measurement Program, Part 1: Scoping (ID: G00142314). Retrieved from Gartner database.
Weiss, D. (2006, September 13). Enterprise Architecture Measurement Program, Part 2: Defining What and How to Measure (ID: G00142387). Retrieved from Gartner database.
Weiss, D. (2006, September 13). Enterprise Architecture Measurement Program, Part 3: Implementing (ID: G00142355). Retrieved from Gartner database.
The shame of Gartner is that they do not advise on ideal or common EA metrics. They discuss a lot about the how but not the what. There are plenty of places that can help set up a quality management or metrics system -- you can look to the American Society for Quality (ASQ) or Six Sigma or the Juran Institute or your local statistian or engineer for ideas for measuring pretty much anything. Repurposing the Juran Quality Triad, Metrics Planning, Metrics Management (Deployment), and Metrics Improvement isn't a hard concept. So, not to continue beating on Gartner, my point is we really need more of the what in terms of measurements versus the how.
ReplyDeleteTo this end (and not to self-promote but maybe start a conversation), I posted two blog posts on metrics:
https://eaisnotez.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/ea-metrics-through-the-lens-of-balanced-scorecard/
https://eaisnotez.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/ea-metrics-applied/
Feel free to comment!
After reading the Gartner article on setting up an EA measurement program, I have been questioning myself as to how this would help across all industries and different size companies. I understand that this robust program adds a great value for large companies that have big EA teams and the culture in that company appreciates this kind of a program inside of an EA program. Coming from a mid-size company myself, I was understanding this more on the level on how this program has to be either shortened or tailored to my organization. Or what would actually make sense to my organization. As Lariel has shared in his response, Gartner does discuss a lot about how but not the what. Based on my experience with Gartner, most of the times, it is an either-or concept where in they either provide answers to "what" or "how" questions. Thanks for summarizing the learning from the Gartner article.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Veena.
Setting up a measurement plan is key to articulating the value of EA and showing progress. I to am impressed at the thoroughness of Gartner setting up metrics for the practice to follow. I wonder however if any of those measures can be gamed? They always say, tell me how I am measured and I will behave accordingly.
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