Getting Started With Enterprise Architecture

In Eric Jager’s book, “Getting Started with Enterprise Architecture”, he takes the reader on a journey from setting the stage of Enterprise Architecture (EA) from the history to the current state and where it fits amongst other architectures. Once the stage is set, you dive into the practical steps of setting up an enterprise architecture. It is clear Eric has vast knowledge is setting up this practice in different organizations due to his examples given which is tremendously valuable for the reader as this book does not go through an academic, cookie cutter process that every organization should follow, but instead, understands that every organization is different and may have to begin at different points. The third phase he takes you on is then the next steps you can take once you have the architecture setup as it doesn’t stop there!Personally, I read this from the Business Architecture lens to widen my knowledge of what else would be helpful to implement and how. Eric made this book so relatable I instantly was pulled in to see the similarities in what I had setup for the business architecture and how it relates to pieces of the enterprise architecture. The EA Wheel brought to light my feelings on Documentation and Define being like the chicken and the egg – which came first?! In reality, as he states, you can start anywhere, as I did with mile wide and inch deep on Documentation and Define, and now use Control to track going back to Documentation and Define. I really dove in on Execute on Strategy for value and it opened my eyes to not just the overlap between business architecture and EA, but also the additional pieces I should review further for the most value!Overall, I highly recommend this book to both novice and experienced practitioners that want practical, real world insights on pieces to implement and mature in an enterprise architecture, as well as ideas on how to navigate steps the best way for your organization. Even if you are not implementing the enterprise architecture yourself, this book is highly beneficial for anyone that should be collaborating with EA or just wants to know more about the scope. Invest in yourself and take a journey in this book!

A must for everyone starting our already doing enterprise architecture. The EA Wheel is an interesting and useful concept.

Dropped in the deep end with an Enterprise Architecture project and this book has been an absolute godsend understanding the concepts. Clear, to the point and well structured.Only thing I would say is the EA maturity model example table in the appendix is misprinted but you can download the correct version from Eric's website.

BrilliantPart 1 gives a good summary of the frameworks in place and presents Archimate in a clear and concise way.The book is easy to understand and provides a good summary of what needs to be done in an enterprise architecture approach. The EAwheel, which I think is an excellent idea, allows you to understand and use Togaf in a practical way.

Can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone focussed on improving the effectiveness of their business. Eric provides us with a clear and comprehensive overview of Enterprise Architecture and includes many valuable practical tips and examples. Eric demystified the subject and made it an enjoyable read.