We frequently address the barriers and bridges in Enterprise Architecture (EA) Management.
Barriers represent obstacles that hinder EA success, while bridges help align multiple perspectives, ensuring a balanced and value-driven architecture function.
However, when these perspectives remain unaligned, organisations risk encountering traps, almost like a puncture of the EA Bike. Common pitfalls that derail EA efforts and diminish its impact. In this blog, a handfull of common EA traps are listed with a short description, and equally, how to avoid the traps in your navigation to an outcome-driven EA function.
The Value Trap
Too much focus on frameworks, not enough focus on outcomes: Many architects become overly fixated on rigid EA frameworks (such as TOGAF or Zachman) without recognising that these are designed for education and not designed for practical implementation within an organisation. While knowledge of these frameworks may look good on a CV, they do not inherently create business outcomes.
Another aspect of the Value Trap is the tendency to focus on what is “easy to measure” rather than what truly delivers value. Consider a treadmill—its features may track speed, distance, and terrain difficulty – easy to measure; but the real value lies in improved health and fitness (harder to measure). Similarly, EA should be measured by its tangible business impact, not just the volume of number of models, hours spent, number of certificates in adherence to frameworks.
The Architecture for Architects Trap
Lack of stakeholder focus and limited reach to get executive buy-in: EA has four practices that deliver on dual flows with objectives of
- bridging strategy and execution,
- optimising current state with digital governance, transparency, compliance, and operational efficiency.
However, when EA is designed solely by and for architects—without stakeholder input—there is no executive buy-in.
Enterprise Architecture is vast; attempting to cover everything at once is impractical. Engaging stakeholders to define priorities is critical for formulating a charter. If architects fail to align their work with business needs, EA remains an isolated function, disconnected from decision-making and unable to drive meaningful change.
The Modeller Trap
Over-modelling or manual modelling at the expense of speed: Some EA teams prioritise exhaustive documentation over agility, spending maybe years mapping every system and process instead of leveraging data-driven, automated solutions. While detailed models may be useful, they can slow down progress and provide little immediate business value.
Modern EA tools like Next-Insight or similar offer data-driven visuals and real-time insights, eliminating the need for laborious, manual diagramming. Architects should focus on delivering high-level connectedness quickly, using modern EA platforms to accelerate decision-making rather than getting lost in modelling for its own sake.
The BA Exit Trap
Separating Business Architecture as its own discipline separate from EA or Digital Transformation is meaningless: Enterprise Architecture encompasses business architecture, information architecture, and IT architecture. Some organisations attempt to isolate business architecture from IT—or treat EA as an IT-only function—which are fundamental mistakes.
True digital transformation integrates technology and business strategy. If EA is positioned as an IT-centric discipline or if business architects try to distance themselves from digital solutions, the organisation risks missing the bigger picture of how digital enterprise is connected and should take benefit from emergent technologies. Digitalisation is about transforming the entire enterprise, not just implementing technology or model abstract flows independent from the solutions implementing them.
The Visibility Trap
When EA lacks governance, impact and organisational relevance: Not all EA tools are created with the same mission in mind, yet many organisations assume they are. Some platforms are designed primarily for visual modelling and notation, limiting visibility to only trained architects rather than making EA accessible to the wider organisation.
If EA remains an internal function, with limited transparency and no clear governance, it risks becoming irrelevant. Instead, EA should provide live, transparent insights into strategy ownership, project leadership, system governance, and integrations—ensuring that EA is embedded into daily business operations. Modern EA tools like Next-Insight or similar can help provide these capabilities, ensuring that EA is both visible and impactful across the organisation.
How We Can Help
Avoiding these traps is not easy without advise, especially for those new to EA or navigating complex organisational structures. As experienced consultants we offer advisory where we can help you:
- Discuss with stakeholders what business outcomes should drive the EA investment
- Align with all relevant stakeholders on what needs to be addressed and in which sequence to effectively gain their buy-in
- Accelerate the implementation by using modern EA tooling like Next-Insight that has built-in functionality to accelerate value
- Bridge the gap between abstract, theoretical frameworks and a tangible portal where components, ownership, delegation, and visuals are digitally connected in a modern web solution that everyday-users can understand and willingly use to help the organisation achieve its goals
- Ensure inclusive participation, well-defined concepts, and delegated ownership as key enablers for faster success—avoiding the many traps that slow down value realisation in EA management
If you want to strengthen your EA capabilities, select the right tools, or avoid falling into these common traps, reach out to us today. We are here to guide you on your EA journey. Book an introduction here.
If looking for a brand new EA, take a look at our offerings, where Next-Insight may be the safe choice for you. Looking for advice to select EA Tooling, read the blog post.
