Enterprise Architect
Enterprise Architects define the technology strategy across an entire organization — working with C-level stakeholders, business unit leaders, and engineering teams to align IT investments with business capabilities. Their English work is at the highest level of technical communication: architecture board presentations, technology radar publications, enterprise integration strategy documents, and portfolio rationalization reports. This path builds the executive-level vocabulary and communication patterns of enterprise architecture.
Topics covered
- Business capability modeling
- Application portfolio management
- Integration architecture
- Architecture governance
- Technology strategy
- TOGAF & ArchiMate
Vocabulary spotlight
4 terms every Enterprise Architect should know in English:
An abstract representation of what a business does (not how it does it) — capabilities are stable over time and technology-independent, making them the bridge between business strategy and IT architecture
"Rather than starting with systems, we mapped the 40 business capabilities that deliver customer value — then assessed which systems support each capability."
The complete inventory of software applications used by an organization, typically categorized by business capability, lifecycle status, technical health, and cost
"The application portfolio rationalization identified 8 overlapping CRM systems that can be consolidated into 2."
A foundational statement that guides technology decisions across the organization — represents a deliberate choice about how IT should be designed and operated
"Our architecture principle "API-first integration" means every new system must expose its capabilities through APIs before any point-to-point integration is built."
A visual representation of the organization's technology landscape, categorizing tools and techniques into Adopt, Trial, Assess, and Hold rings based on their readiness for enterprise use
"The annual technology radar gave engineering teams a clear signal that the EA team had moved Kubernetes from Assess to Adopt."
📚 Vocabulary Reference
Key terms organised by category for Enterprise Architects:
EA Frameworks
Capability & Portfolio
Governance
Integration
Recommended exercises
Real-world scenarios you'll practise
- Presenting a technology strategy to the C-suite: communicating application portfolio rationalization findings and investment recommendations in business value terms
- Writing an enterprise architecture principle document: articulating the rationale, implications, and exceptions for an API-first integration principle
- Facilitating an architecture governance review: leading a board discussion on a new system proposal against enterprise standards
- Writing the enterprise integration architecture strategy: defining the canonical data models, integration patterns, and governance model for 50+ systems