In modern times, the importance of digitalization of the company’s functions can not be underestimated. In the competitive environment that moves towards globalization with each new technological advancement, a company that lags behind in technology implementation will be expected to fail in most cases. However, to deal with the ever-increasing data flow, businesses may find themselves struggling due to the lack of necessary tools. Enterprise Architecture tools help companies in organizing massive amounts of data, building plans, creating extensive roadmaps, expanding their business capabilities, and speeding up or even automating some of the core processes (Shanks et al., 2018). Despite these potential improvements, Shanks et al. (2018) state that “many organisations view EA as an organisational“black hole” into which money is poured but where the value proposition is often ambiguous” (p. 139). This overview will demonstrate what benefits EA tools can bring to Sifers-Grayson.
Sifers-Grayson can expect to have several of its core organizational designs to be improved upon adopting an EA framework. These benefits primarily serve to optimize the workflow and help the company to organize any existing data management processes into a single unified platform. As can be expected, one of the primary benefits is an organized IT landscape of the company. It will experience interoperability, reusability of templates and functions, reduced redundancy in the system, improved utilization of IT services, and reduced IT costs (Jusuf & Kurnia, 2017). However, IT infrastructure is only a small part of the benefits of EA.
EA frameworks have a noticeable impact on the organizational processes within the firm. Niemi and Pekkola (2019) state that EA can be successfully used “to manage the complexity and constant change, and to align organizational resources toward a common goal” (p. 586). By using EA in its operations, Sifers-Grayson can connect employees, IT, and the company’s leaders and put them on a single path toward its objectives. Aside from the optimization of organizational questions, the EA benefits can be perceived for managerial processes, strategic decisions, and operational performance. The EA framework will allow Sifers-Grayson to improve its cost efficiency, as well as positively impact the product’s success.
The benefits of an Enterprise Architecture tool are clear on the paper, despite being purely intangible. The processes that lead to the increased value of the company might be challenging to assess prior to the establishment of an EA framework (Niemi & Pekkola, 2019). However, they become easily recognized after the initial input of all the data of the company, as the tools within the framework will allow the firm to immediately recognize future steps in planning, organizing, and the development of Sifers-Grayson.
In conclusion, having a well-established EA framework is essential for Sifers-Grayson due to its positive effect on many of the company’s both long-term and day-to-day operations. The benefits of having an actively used and efficient EA tool may appear to be difficult to track. However, there are options to observe their effects on the workflow and measure the difference that they make. Due to the increased complexity of the processes in larger firms, it is especially vital for them to establish a proper EA as soon as possible (Härting et al., 2020). Sifers-Grayson should consider transferring their internal data-related processes into an Enterprise Architecture framework in order to optimize its performance, gain a better insight into the company’s inner workings, and explore previously unnoticed possibilities.
References
Härting, R., Reichstein, C., Sandkuhl, K., Hoppe, N., & Yesilay, H. (2020). Potential benefits of Enterprise Architecture management in the digital transformation process. Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly, 24, 49–60. Web.
Jusuf, M. B., & Kurnia, S. (2017). The 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Web.
Niemi, E., & Pekkola, S. (2019). The benefits of enterprise architecture in organizational transformation. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 62(6), 585-597.
Shanks, G., Gloet, M., Someh, I. A., & Frampton, K. (2018). Achieving benefits with enterprise architecture. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 27, 139-156.