"As for the future, your task is not to foresee, but to enable it." – Antoine Saint-Exupery

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." – Albert Einstein

A couple of years ago I was working with an Enterprise Architecture coach, Tim Westbrock of EAdirections. Tim is a great guy and very knowledgeable regarding Enterprise Architecture and any gaps that there might be are ably covered by his partners Larry DeBoever and George Paras. As part of the coaching process Tim helped me to create a couple of documents that are key to any EA initiative.

The fundamental objective of a business is to create value for stakeholders. Value can only be created through change (otherwise you have status quo). Complexity in IT systems and infrastructure inhibits change (both proactive and reactive). Complexity in business processes inhibits change. Because complexity inhibits change, complexity inhibits business value. Plus, the rate of change in the business and processes of large distributed complex organizations is accelerating. Organizations are being driven by competitive pressure; they need to offer better customer support; increase operational efficiency; and realize the benefits of integrated enterprise knowledge. The enabling information technology (IT) is not evolving and adapting rapidly enough to support these changing business requirements.