Enterprise Architecture - Maturity Model concept

Example 1 -

Learning to drive a car.

Raising a child. * mobility * roll * crawl * walk * run * vehicle * communication * crying * babbling * sentences * written * education * pre-K * grade school * high school * college * post-secondary * self preservation * Work ethic * Job/career

EA formation and caretaking

url: https://www.reddit.com/r/EnterpriseArchitect/s/MhSE80Ykxc

One practical lens from TOGAF/Open Group that might help: EA almost never works without explicit executive sponsorship and governance. If your key sponsors and boss left and there's no Architecture Board or decision forum backing you, that's not just a morale dip - it's a structural gap.

A useful distinction:

Red flags (structural):

No exec who is accountable for architecture decisions.

EA reduced to tooling/docs instead of influencing investment or prioritization.

No formal governance body where architecture shapes outcomes.

Temporary dip (recoverable):

Leadership transition but appetite to re-anchor EA. Clear business problems where architecture can show measurable value (risk reduction, cost avoidance, faster delivery).

If you stay, I'd narrow scope and act more like an internal consultant: pick 1-2 high-value initiatives and tie your work directly to business outcomes, not artifacts. At the same time, set yourself a 3-6 month checkpoint: if you can't secure real sponsorship (not just verbal support), the org may not structurally value EA right now.

EA without decision rights and exec backing tends to become performative. The question isn’t “is EA valuable?” but “does this org currently have the conditions for it to work?”

References

  • Architecture "Maturity Model" framework: https://www.ardoq.com/knowledge-hub/enterprise-architecture-maturity-model

  • This isn't bad for a one-page view: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jesper-lowgren_enterprisearchitecture40-togaf-maturitylevels-activity-7302183992307396608-DmFV

  • A 21 page PDF I haven't read, but a quick skim looks decent: https://www.nascio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/NASCIO-EAMM.pdf

  • A GitHub repo with maturity models described: https://github.com/joelparkerhenderson/maturity-models/blob/main/README.md