Competencies and skills of enterprise architects

Abstract

Enterprise architecture (EA)1 is a highly specialized and skilled discipline. Within the organizational context, EA is implemented and applied at strategic, tactical and operational levels. The main role of EA is the alignment of IT and the business to ensure that the business is supported and enabled by IT. Considering the relative newness of enterprise architect role and the specialised nature of the discipline, it is imperative to understand the skills and competencies that enterprise architects should have in order to effectively and efficiently perform their role. The objective of this research study was to understand the competencies and skills of enterprise architects. Using a qualitative research approach, interviews were conducted in a mobile telecommunication firm in South Africa. The findings revealed that the enterprise architect must possess human, business and technical skills to adequately execute their role in the organisation. Essentially, human skills are needed to co-exist and collaborate with other people in the organisation and comprise interpersonal and personal skills needed to operate in this role. The business skills showed that the enterprise architect needs to be a multi-skilled business leader who charts the future of the enterprise and has business domain knowledge. Lastly, technical skills require a talented individual with the ability to solve technical IT problems and apply technical expertise in the business domain. The research contributes to the body of knowledge on EA, specifically on the competencies and skills of enterprise architects.