When searching for an EA tool (Enterprise Architecture), several critical features must be considered. At Staun & Stender, we specialise in Digital Transformation, Strategic Planning, and Enterprise Architecture.
We can help you to select the right fit for your journey, and we have outlined five essential criteria that will guide you toward choosing the best EA tool for your organisation.
1. Does the EA Tool Deliver Quick Time-to-Value?
Many traditional EA tools are designed with a mindset focused on modeling and diagramming, but they often lack the agility to quickly generate a portal for stakeholders to adopt.
Look for a tool that offers fast onboarding, with ready-made features to help your organisation adopt and benefit from it quickly.
The tool should provide an intuitive, visual representation of both business architecture and IT architecture right from the start. The trick is to think big, start small, quickly.
Ideally, it should also offer valuable insights into Application Portfolio Management (APM) and Business Process Management (BPM), Business Architecture, and Strategic Initiative Planning, delivering instant value without the need for years of refinement. Scalability and quick wins are essential.
2. Does the EA Tool Engage the Entire Organisation?
A modern EA tool must foster collaboration across the whole organization, not just within the architecture team.
While it sounds obvious, many tools still focus primarily on diagrams for architects. Instead, choose a solution that allows real-time updates and inputs from multiple stakeholders across the business.
When everyone can contribute data, the result is a more accurate and sustainable architectural practice.
The best tools encourage a collaborative culture, enabling teams to provide meaningful inputs that lead to better architectural insights.
3. Does the EA Tool Assist in Making Better Decisions?
An effective EA tool doesn’t just manage data—it helps drive better decision-making. By offering a single source of truth, the tool must empower the organisation to make informed and agile decisions based on data, with data-driven visuals.
A well-structured EA portal that bridges business and IT through data-driven visuals that management can support, enables your organisation to make better-aligned decisions, mitigating risks, increasing revenue, and lowering costs.
4. Does the EA Tool Enable Governance and Digital Roadmaps?
While some tools are heavy on diagrams and static models, modern tools prioritise digital roadmaps and portfolio planning. These features are key to turning ideas and strategies into actionable plans, providing decision-makers with clear implementation paths.
Look for a tool that supports flexible governance with digital roles and support for digital roadmaps and portfolio management, allowing your architecture practice to drive strategic growth and execution.
5. Does the EA Tool Integrate with Other Data Sources?
Integration is crucial. A modern EA tool should connect seamlessly with other data sources to support collaboration, data accuracy, and automation. Ensure that the tool supports REST APIs and can easily integrate with your organisation’s other critical business systems.
A tool that combines architecture governance with strong data integration enables improved decision-making and ensures data accuracy, making your EA practice more effective.
In summary
At Staun & Stender, we recommend exploring Next-Insight, the premium and innovative choice for Business and Enterprise Architecture if you want to meet all five criteria above; a cutting-edge EA SaaS designed to accelerate your EA journey.
While selecting the right tool is essential, building a solid EA practice around it is just as critical. A first EA Charter can be produced in a month and will give you a safe journey with investing in new tooling.
While there still may be a few occasions where build is preferred over buy, the general rule today is to look for something ready-made to deliver faster, see also the blog post of buy or build.
Our team is here to help you implement the best tools and frameworks to maximize business value and drive your digital transformation. Watch our recent webinar “How to choose an EA tool“.
Contact us today to see how we can support your Enterprise Architecture needs!
Reach out today if you need to look into modern SaaS services to master a modern tool for Enterprise Architecture, governance, and digital transformation.
Let’s connect if you require assistance in converting from a low-maturity into a future-oriented data-driven architecture practice. Book your advisory session here.
