Association of Enterprise Architects

1. Association of Enterprise Architects Workgroup Proposal: Technology Management Working Group

2. Technology Management Working Group Proposal Problem/Opportunity Statement “EA: It's Not Just for IT Anymore” – proclaim Mayo and Tiemann in JEA Vol. 1, No. 1. (2005) Great!, except 8 years on most people perceive EA as an IT discipline and many so-called EA frameworks are inherently and implicitly IT-centric. Technology Management, (TM), often focused on Innovation, is an established academic discipline that theorizes organisations’ adaptive response to technology-based disruption and change. Exactly what the 2013 Gartner definition of EA says! The problem or opportunity is to explore the relationship between EA and TM and arrive at an accepted, convincing, generalised EA conceptual framework that is not IS/IT-specific and supports business innovation.

3. Technology Management Working Group Proposal Outcomes / Deliverables • Establishment of the common concepts, principles and theories of EA and TM. • Identification and critique the IT-centric elements of existing EA frameworks, concepts, principles and theories • Explication of more technology-general concepts, models, principles, and theories – not just IT anymore. • Creation of general (not just IT) conceptual models for technology-driven or technology-enabled enterprise transformation governed by Enterprise Architecture. • Derivation of a technology-general EA framework that can be used to supplant or supplement existing frameworks. • Clarification of the roles, links and scope boundaries between Enterprise Architecture and Technology and/or Innovation Management.

4. Technology Management Working Group Proposal Expected Benefits • The primary benefit is expected to be real-world intellectual capital that practically demonstrates that EA really is not just another IT discipline or fad – but is much more substantive. • A secondary benefit is a framework that can be convincingly applied to whole enterprises and different technologies - far beyond the IT Department. • Another secondary benefit is to position Enterprise Architecture alongside an established, important, high-profile academic discipline and enhance EA’s credibility as a general management discipline. • Tertiary benefits flow from the improved perception of Enterprise Architecture as a more knowledge-intensive and professional general management discipline (and not just another IT-industry fad).

5. Technology Management Working Group Proposal Preliminary Roadmap • A Definition and Scoping exercise –seeking to define the meaning of the terms and the relationship between subject matter areas. • Literature review and identification of overlaps between existing Technology Management and Enterprise Architecture knowledge. • Explication of existing common knowledge areas – concepts, principles, theories and generation of new knowledge / concepts / frameworks. • Creation of general conceptual models for technology-driven or technology-enabled enterprise transformation governed by Enterprise Architecture. • Derivation of a technology-general EA framework for model-driven, technology-intensive innovation.

6. Technology Management Working Group Proposal Required Expertise • Expert knowledge of Enterprise Architecture – preferably with academic study of the subject and knowledge or awareness of multiple methods/frameworks. • Theoretical and practical knowledge of the management of technology (not just IT) – both tactically and strategically – in commercial and non-commercial organisations. • Ability to do original thinking and to do high-level abstract conceptual analysis and theory-building. • Knowledge of the history and development of a broad range of technologies and technological infrastructures – including economic and knowledge drivers. • Broad knowledge and ability to theorize spanning economics, technology, strategic management etc.