6. Gain commitment at the grass-roots level. To succeed, EA efforts must not only gain the commitment of top executives, but also the direct support of line management. It is of paramount importance to ensure that line management understands, supports, and enforces the EA shared values across the board. Some of the recommendations stemming from the EA projects might require a tough sell at the grass-roots level, so it is important to gain the support of line managers to help overcome passive resistance from the troops.
7. Streamline the technical infrastructure. Standardization of critical IT assets is vital to designing a robust yet flexible EA that can adapt to change. The ultimate goal is to minimize the large number of permutations often associated with disparate technologies, as well as configurations that inhibit change. The elimination of incompatible technologies will go a long way to helping leverage existing IT services, skill sets, training, and support.
8. Remain flexible. Even the most well thought-out projects will require some changes along the way. For instance, if a business unit prefers a technology that is not mainstream and that goes against business standards, the IT group must either find a suitable alternative that will satisfy the business-unit requirements or try to find ways to integrate the technology within the current architecture stream.
