“Most people think enterprise architecture is just a bunch of fancy diagrams and PowerPoint slides. And to be fair — it often is.”
Enterprise Architecture (EA) has a reputation problem. And honestly? It’s earned it.
For years, EA has been wielded like a bureaucratic hammer, not a practical tool. Endless frameworks. Massive documents no one reads. Certification programs that teach jargon, not outcomes. It’s no wonder most teams treat architects like museum curators — keep them around, but don’t let them touch anything.
But here’s the kicker:
When EA is done right, it’s a fucking superpower.
The Problem with EA Isn’t EA
The concept of enterprise architecture is actually quite brilliant:
- Make sense of a complex system.
- Align business and technology.
- Design for adaptability and impact.
The problem? We turned it into a religion.
Instead of teaching people how to think architecturally, we hand them a bloated framework and say “go forth and certify.” No wonder architects burn out, orgs abandon EA efforts, and teams keep reinventing the wheel.
The Truth: EA Is Just Structured Thinking
At its core, enterprise architecture is about:
- Zooming out: seeing how the business, systems, people, and tech all connect.
- Zooming in: identifying what’s broken, misaligned, or just plain dumb.
- Connecting the dots: designing solutions that make things better for everyone, not just IT.
That’s it.
Everything else — TOGAF, Zachman, BIZBOK, capability models, meta-models — those are just tools. Not doctrine. Not destiny. Use what helps. Ditch what doesn’t.
Why This Blog Exists
I started this blog because I got tired of watching smart people get stuck in bad frameworks. Tired of pretending that enterprise architecture is too complicated for normal humans. And tired of seeing architects treated like irrelevant overhead instead of the design leaders they can be.
So here’s the deal:
- No jargon unless it earns its keep.
- No diagrams unless they’re immediately useful.
- No gatekeeping. Ever.
Just practical, battle-tested architecture thinking you can use right now — whether you’re an architect by title, or just the one cleaning up the mess.
Coming Up Next
In upcoming posts, we’ll cover:
- How to explain EA to someone who thinks it’s “IT stuff”
- A dead-simple way to map any business model
- Capability modeling that doesn’t make you want to scream
- How to be an architect without ever saying the word “framework”
Final Thought
EA isn’t dead. It’s just badly marketed.
We don’t need to reinvent it. We just need to strip it down to what matters.
“Good architects make sense of the mess. Great ones make it usable.”
Welcome to Enterprise Schmenteprise.
Just draw the boxes. Everything else is optional.