Defining Enterprise Architecture Starts with Defining Architecture

In order to define Enterprise Architecture, it’s important to start by defining Architecture itself. Fortunately—or, perhaps, unfortunately—there are a lot of definitions to choose from. 

We’ll reference two that I think capture the architecture function reasonably well, and we’ll also spend a little time criticizing them for fun, and then narrow it down and move on.

Two Widely Referenced Definitions: IEEE and Gartner

IEEE 

The fundamental concepts and properties of a system in its environment, including its elements, their relationships, and the governing principles for its design and evolution. 

Gartner

The overall design of a computing system and the logical and physical interrelationships between its components. The architecture specifies the hardware, software, access methods and protocols used throughout the system.

A framework and set of guidelines to build new systems. IT architecture is a series of principles, guidelines or rules used by an enterprise to direct the process of acquiring, building, modifying and interfacing IT resources throughout the enterprise. These resources can include equipment, software, communications, development methodologies, modeling tools and organizational structures.

Here’s what stands out to me…

Why “Systems” Matters in Architecture

The key word in each of these definitions is “system,” or “systems,” because that specifies the context we need for architecture.

This specificity is because an architecture’s effectiveness will be determined at runtime, when a computer does something, and how that processing endures over time.

I also think that “concepts and properties” is interesting but that “overall design” offers a more appropriate scope for architecture as a discipline.

Beyond that, these definitions—as comprehensive and specific as they are—are not all that useful when building architectures and architecture programs. They are, in effect, mostly academic, merely useful in concept. 

A Practical Definition of Architecture

But, if we stop at “system,” Gartner provides a practical working definition of architecture, if we add implementation to it:

The overall design and implementation of a computer system.

This simple definition can then lead us to defining Enterprise Architecture in a meaningful way.

Notes:
1. Image created with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.