What comes first, enterprise architecture or digital transformation?
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Digital transformation is an business initiative, and enterprise architecture and technology need to align with business needs.
Enterprise architecture should drive digital
Transformation. But it should have business context and alignment at organizational level
They go hand in hand. Enterprise architecture is needed to enable your digital transformation. Enterprise architecture comes into play when building your strategic plan around your digital transformation. You shouldn't have one without the other.
These go hand in hand, the enterprise architecture can determine how you go about digital transformation and digital transformation can help determine what enterprise architecture needs to change. They feed into one another and should be considered as each is planned and mapped out while avoiding analysis paralysis. Definitely want to start small and determine what low hanging fruit can get you those quick wins to prove out the model for success for each area and then tackle the large pieces of each project as you refine and enhance the process with lessons learned.
They go hand in hand. EA practice has been active before digital transformation became more prevalent. So in that sense, EA comes first.
However, digital transformation has captivated managements and board rooms. No digital transformation program will succeed without a good EA. So I see EA as a important building block for successful digital transformations.