EA, as a formalized practice, is less than 20 years old. As with any profession or practice, there are many definitions, perspectives, and schools of thought surrounding EA. Here in Part II of this three-part series, we address a shared goal among enterprise architects to evolve the practice from a fragmented, often poorly understood field to a “real profession,” on par with well-established professions such as accounting and engineering.

This Executive Update provides a high-level description of EA, what it can do for an organization, and how EA can (and should) play a critical role in alignment efforts. We present insight into what enterprise architects do, what kinds of skills they need, and what results and benefits an organization should expect from their EA efforts.