The Tale of the Invisible EA Team: Why No One Knows What We Do (Until It’s Too Late)

Greetings, architecture adventurers!
This week we turn our magnifying glass on the most elusive of creatures: the Enterprise Architecture Team. Not because they’re shy, but because in many organizations, they’ve mastered the fine art of invisibility. Like office ninjas, they appear only when the project portfolio is already on fire.

The Main Story: The Vanishing Act

Imagine this:
A major transformation project is humming along. Marketing wants new customer portals, IT is building APIs at record speed, and Finance is counting the projected savings before a single system is live.

And where’s the EA team?
Nowhere to be seen—at least not until the inevitable moment when someone asks:

• “Why doesn’t this integrate with our CRM?”

• “Wait, didn’t we already buy a tool for that?”

• “Who approved this architecture?”

Suddenly, all eyes turn to the architects, who emerge from the shadows like Gandalf at Helm’s Deep: “You shall not pass… without an integration strategy.”

TOGAF to the Rescue

TOGAF reminds us that architecture isn’t a side quest; it’s the main storyline.
The Architecture Development Method (ADM) literally exists to make EA visible from the start, ensuring the organization doesn’t stumble blindly into costly chaos.

A few TOGAF tricks to counter invisibility:

• Preliminary Phase: Plant the EA flag early, defining who we are and why we exist.

• Stakeholder Management: Speak business language before the CFO accuses you of “just drawing boxes.”

• Architecture Repository: A treasure chest of diagrams and standards—because nothing says “we exist” like a well-documented catalog.

Educational Twist: Making EA Visible

Here’s how to avoid the “where were you?” moment:

• Communicate relentlessly: Tell people what you do, then tell them again in simpler words.

• Deliver quick wins: Publish simple roadmaps or principles, not just epic 200-page tomes.

• Show up early: Embed EA checkpoints in project initiation, not post-mortems.

Humor in Diagrams

Share and Connect

Ever been mistaken for “the IT guys who draw pretty pictures”? Or worse—completely forgotten until the system crashes? Share your invisible EA stories with us!

Next Week’s Tease

Blockchain Buzzword Bingo: Is it real, or just another PowerPoint spell?
Spoiler: You’ll want a bingo card.