The Practice of Enterprise Architecture (Part I)

Name: The Practice of Enterprise Architecture (Part I)
Rating: 4.2 (457 reviews)

Introduction to Enterprise Architecture

Created bySvyatoslav Kotusev

Last updated 5/2025

English

What you'll learn

Understand the role of IT in modern organizations and the problem of business and IT alignment
Understand the concept of enterprise architecture as a solution to the problem of alignment
Know the role of enterprise architecture practice in organizations and the historical origin of modern EA best practices
Understand the conceptual analogy between enterprise architecture and city planning practices
Understand the intricacies of the dialog between business and IT stakeholders in organizations
Know the three key processes constituting enterprise architecture practice in organizations
Understand the relationship between IT initiatives and enterprise architecture practice

Course content

7 sections • 31 lectures • 7h 36m total length

Lecture 1.1: The Role of IT in Modern Organizations17:49
Lecture 1.2: Organizations as Socio-Technical Systems10:01
Explore organizations as socio-technical systems where people, processes, and information systems co-evolve. See how business and IT align through decentralized decision making, synchronized planning, and balancing global and local interests.
Lecture 1.3: The Problem of Business and IT Alignment21:47
Lecture 1.4: Enterprise Architecture as a Solution4:33

Lecture 3.1: Benefits of Enterprise Architecture13:24
Lecture 3.2: The Historical Origin of EA and Modern Best Practices9:37
Lecture 3.3: What Enterprise Architecture Practice Is Not19:59
Debunks myths about enterprise architecture, clarifying what the practice is not. Shows that it is not purely technical, not one-size-fits-all, and centers on people, collaboration, and integration with business planning.

Lecture 5.1: Problems with the Business Strategy as the Basis for IT Planning12:44
Lecture 5.2: Key Discussion Points Between Business and IT6:28
Lecture 5.3: Operating Model38:40
Explore four operating models—diversification, coordination, replication, and unification—and how process standardization and data integration shape the landscape, strategy, and architecture principles between business and it.
Lecture 5.4: Business Capabilities7:35
Lecture 5.5: Specific Business Needs5:13
Explore how specific business needs drive business and IT discussions, outlining how to translate needs into initiatives, assess priority and landscape changes, and plan mid-term roadmaps.
Lecture 5.6: Business Processes7:11
Explore how business processes link human actors and information systems, detailing inputs, outputs, and steps, and show how automation improves insurance and order processes for faster results.
Lecture 5.7: Business Requirements4:44
Lecture 5.8: The Hierarchy of Discussion Points and EA Uncertainty Principle16:44

Lecture 6.1: Processes Constituting Enterprise Architecture Practice2:53
Lecture 6.2: Strategic Planning13:21
Lecture 6.3: Initiative Delivery14:51
Translate a business or technical need into a working solution through initiation and implementation, delivering end-to-end information technology systems with well-defined outlines and business cases.
Lecture 6.4: Technology Optimization10:39
Lecture 6.5: Relationship Between EA-Related Processes14:53
Lecture 6.6: A High-Level Process View of Enterprise Architecture Practice10:30

Lecture 7.1: The Role of IT Initiatives in Enterprise Architecture Practice14:07
Lecture 7.2: Different Types of IT Initiatives27:08
Explore five types of enterprise architecture initiatives—fundamental, strategic, local, urgent, and architectural—their origins, motivations, and how they flow through the delivery process.
Lecture 7.3: The Flow of Different Types of IT Initiatives6:15
Trace how fundamental, strategic, local, urgent, and architectural information technology initiatives flow through the initiative delivery process from strategic planning, external environment, and technology optimization to update the landscape.

Requirements

Basic Understanding of Both Business and IT

Description

Part I of the course The Practice of Enterprise Architecture provides a general introduction to the concept of enterprise architecture and other relevant topics. This part discusses the meaning of enterprise architecture, the place and role of enterprise architecture in the overall organizational context, key constituting elements and core mechanisms of an EA practice as well as the business value and benefits of using enterprise architecture in organizations.

Part I consists of seven consecutive sections:

Section 1 (Introduction) discusses the role of IT in modern organizations, explains the problem of business and IT alignment and introduces the notion of enterprise architecture as a potential solution to this problem
Section 2 (The Concept of Enterprise Architecture) explains the general meaning of enterprise architecture, EA practice and EA artifacts as well as the role of architects and architecture functions in organizations
Section 3 (The Role of Enterprise Architecture Practice) discusses the need for enterprise architecture, the benefits of practicing enterprise architecture, the historical origin of modern EA best practices and clarifies what enterprise architecture practice is not
Section 4 (Enterprise Architecture and City Planning) explains the key mechanisms of an EA practice and six essential types of EA artifacts based on the close analogy between enterprise architecture and city planning practices
Section 5 (The Dialog Between Business and IT) discusses the typical problems associated with using a business strategy as the basis for IT planning and describes five convenient discussion points for establishing a productive dialog between business and IT
Section 6 (Processes of Enterprise Architecture Practice) describes three key processes constituting an EA practice, explains the relationship between these processes and provides a high-level process-centric view of an EA practice
Section 7 (IT Initiatives and Enterprise Architecture) discusses the role of IT initiatives in the context of an EA practice, describes five different types of IT initiatives and explains the flow of these initiatives through the processes of an EA practice

Who this course is for:

Aspiring Solution and Enterprise Architects
Students of Enterprise Architecture
All Other People Interested in Enterprise Architecture

The Practice of Enterprise Architecture (Part I)

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Section 1: Introduction4 lectures • 54min

Section 2: The Concept of Enterprise Architecture4 lectures • 1hr 22min

Section 3: The Role of Enterprise Architecture Practice3 lectures • 43min

Section 4: Enterprise Architecture and City Planning3 lectures • 1hr 3min

Section 5: The Dialog Between Business and IT8 lectures • 1hr 39min

Section 6: Processes of Enterprise Architecture Practice6 lectures • 1hr 7min

Section 7: IT Initiatives and Enterprise Architecture3 lectures • 48min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: