Uplifting and embedding Enterprise Architecture capabilities

As a complex and diverse organisation, the department brings together key areas of work to achieve a better Queensland by providing a broad range of important services to a larger group of constituents and stakeholders.

The breadth of services provided by the department requires a diverse range of supporting processes, systems, information and capabilities in order to operate effectively. To provide improved transparency and visibility and enable informed investment and business decisions, they identified the need for a more mature capability and framework.

The department engaged Evinact to review the current Enterprise Architecture (EA) capability and develop a future state EA operating model and supporting implementation plan to enable them to effectively manage and develop their EA assets going forward.

As the Queensland Government has released its Digital Economy Strategy and Roadmap, along with opportunities to improve service delivery in the digital space, it’s important to establish baseline architecture artifacts that align with the Queensland Government Enterprise Architecture (QGEA).

Evinact’s approach to developing the EA operating model and implementation plan involved the following key activities:

• an initial socialisation of enterprise architecture for business stakeholders
• a department-wide discovery of existing EA capability, artefacts and processes
• Identification of the most significant systems within the division and a review of available documentation to start application and technology classification (and identify link to existing information asset register)
• development of a fit-for-purpose EA model based on divisional needs and priorities
• a refinement and alignment of ICT governance processes and structure to integrate EA ways of working
• development of a multi-horizon implementation plan that outlines tranches of initiatives to transition to an EA practice, defined ways of working, good governance and capability uplift.

Evinact’s involvement and leadership in Enterprise Architecture provided the department with direct benefits of good practice enterprise architecture. As the department leverages its new EA capability, it will start to see the following benefits realised:

• Reduced cost in ICT operations
• Reduced number of duplicated legacy systems
• Increased reuse of available ICT assets
• Increased agility in ICT planning
• Improved efficiency of ICT investments

Lastly, the model Evinact delivered ensures that the EA becomes an integrated way of working and a capability that is easily maintained and supportive of the department’s operational and strategic outcomes.

This engagement was originally completed as GWI.