GP SS16_B1 „Assessment Tools in EAM Consulting“ – Project Description

Problem Description

Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is a strategic management discipline. EAM facilitates the alignment of an enterprise’s strategic goals, business capabilities, and management processes with its IT landscape.

Focus of an EAM initiative can greatly vary, depending on the specific nature of the enterprise, its core business domain, and its process maturity. Therefore, mapping out the scope and target of an EAM initiative with appropriate assessment tools is key to a successful EAM consulting project.

Project Definition

The Guided Project will be divided in two subteams, working each on a specific case study (see below). As a starting point, each team will create an EAM metamodel for their case. Depending on the case, further assessment methods (e.g. expert interviews, maturity assessments, etc.) will come into the picture.

Case Study 1: A leading European intercity bus service company

The intercity bus market has been recently deregulated in Germany and Europe. As a low-fare competitor to rail and air travel, companies in the intercity bus sector face a 2-digit annual growth as well as fierce competition for market dominance.

The recently kicked off EAM initiative in this long-distance bus service company is supposed to establish certain standards and to maintain strategic alignment in a startup, growth-oriented IT environment. Main challenges are:

• Automation of core business processes
• Assessment of the overall EAM approach, and recommendations for improvements

Case Study 2: A large federal IT provider in Germany

This public IT provider is one of three large public IT organizations in Germany, rendering IT services to governmental agencies and ministries. All three currently in the process of being merged into one huge, unified federal IT provider in Germany.

The EAM group in the agency exists for several years. It focuses mainly on the application and technology architecture, and works towards establishing mandatory EAM standards in a very inhomogeneous, fragmented, and historically grown IT landscape. Main challenges are:

• Identification of success factors and blockers for establishing standards
• Defining Good Practices for establishing sustainable, mutually accepted processes for EAM data collection and standards monitoring

In a joint project report, both subteams will sum up their assessment results and recommendations, and evaluate which assessment tools have proven useful for what purpose.

Project goal is to present basic recommendations for both analyzed cases, as well as an evaluation of the strength and weaknesses of the assessment tools used in the process.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of typical EAM goals, methods, success factors, and challenges
• Practical consulting experience, e.g. usage of typical consulting methods like expert interviews
• Creation of an analysis report plus recommendations
• Usage of metamodels as a tool for focus and goal assessment of a strategic management discipline

Requirements

• Basic EAM knowledge
• Interest in analyzing the specific context, goals, and challenges of an EAM initiative
• Willingness to talk to experts (under professor’s guidance)
• Quick mind and good analysis capabilities
• Basic interest in consulting work

External Project Partner

See case studies above