Roles and Responsibilities in EA

Roles and Responsibilities in Enterprise Architecture - TOGAF 10 Foundation Guide

Why Roles and Responsibilities in EA Are Important

Understanding roles and responsibilities in Enterprise Architecture (EA) is fundamental to organizational success. Clear definition of roles ensures:

• Accountability: Every stakeholder knows what they are responsible for and can be held accountable for their actions.
• Efficiency: Work is distributed appropriately, reducing duplication and gaps in coverage.
• Communication: Clear channels of communication are established, reducing confusion and miscommunication.
• Decision-making: Authority and decision-making power are clearly defined, enabling faster and more effective decisions.
• Governance: Proper governance structures ensure that EA initiatives align with organizational strategy.
• Risk Management: Clear responsibilities help identify and mitigate risks associated with architectural changes.

What Are Roles and Responsibilities in EA?

Roles and responsibilities in EA define the various functions, authorities, and duties assigned to individuals and teams within an organization's architectural governance structure. In TOGAF 10, these are organized hierarchically and include:

Key EA Roles

• Chief Architecture Officer (CAO): Responsible for overall EA strategy and governance at the executive level.
• Architecture Board: Provides oversight and governance of architecture initiatives, approves architectural decisions and ensures alignment with business strategy.
• Architecture Practice Lead: Manages the EA function, oversees architects, and ensures methodological compliance.
• Enterprise Architects: Develop and maintain enterprise-wide architectural views, coordinate across domains.
• Solution Architects: Design specific solutions aligned with the enterprise architecture.
• Domain Architects: Focus on specific domains such as business, data, application, or technology architecture.
• Infrastructure/Technology Architects: Handle technical architecture and infrastructure planning.
• Stakeholders and Sponsors: Provide requirements, funding, and executive support for architecture initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Defining architectural standards and guidelines
• Reviewing and approving architecture compliance
• Managing architecture change requests
• Communicating architectural decisions to stakeholders
• Ensuring alignment between business and technology strategies
• Documenting architectural decisions and rationales
• Maintaining architecture governance frameworks
• Training and mentoring architects

How Roles and Responsibilities Work in Practice

Organizational Structure

Roles and responsibilities operate within a hierarchical structure where:

• Executive Level: Chief Architecture Officer and Architecture Steering Committee set strategic direction and approve major initiatives.
• Governance Level: Architecture Board reviews proposals, ensures compliance, and manages exceptions.
• Operational Level: Enterprise and domain architects execute the work, create deliverables, and maintain documentation.
• Support Level: Architecture support teams provide tools, templates, and administrative support.

Decision-Making Authority

Clear authority structures include:

• Approval Authority: Who has the power to approve architectural decisions.
• Recommendation Authority: Who provides recommendations but doesn't have final approval power.
• Consultation Authority: Who must be consulted but can be overruled.
• Notification Authority: Who must be informed of decisions but has no formal input.

Accountability Mechanisms

• Regular reporting on architecture metrics and KPIs
• Performance evaluations tied to architecture governance compliance
• Architecture review boards assess adherence to standards
• Documentation of decisions and approval trails for audit purposes

How to Answer Questions on Roles and Responsibilities in EA Exams

Understanding Question Types

TOGAF 10 Foundation exams typically ask about roles and responsibilities in several formats:

• Scenario-Based Questions: Describe a situation and ask which role should be responsible for a specific action.
• Definition Questions: Ask to identify specific roles or their primary responsibilities.
• Multiple-Choice: Provide options for who should perform a specific function.
• Matching Questions: Match roles to their key responsibilities.

Step-by-Step Approach to Answering

Step 1: Identify the Context
Read the question carefully to understand whether it involves:

• Strategic decisions (executive level)
• Governance and compliance (governance level)
• Technical implementation (operational level)
• Support functions

Step 2: Recall the Role Definitions
Think about the TOGAF-defined roles and their primary responsibilities. Remember that:

• The Architecture Board typically approves decisions
• Enterprise Architects develop and maintain architectural views
• Domain Architects focus on specific domains
• The CAO provides strategic direction

Step 3: Consider Governance Principles
Apply these key principles:

• Decisions should be made at the appropriate level of authority
• Stakeholders affected should be consulted or informed
• Accountability should be clear and unambiguous
• The principle of subsidiarity applies (decisions at the lowest appropriate level)

Step 4: Eliminate Incorrect Options
In multiple-choice questions, eliminate options where:

• The role has no direct responsibility for the function
• The role would typically consult rather than approve
• The answer confuses similar roles with different scopes

Step 5: Verify Your Answer
Ask yourself:

• Does this role have the appropriate authority?
• Is this the most direct responsibility?
• Does this align with TOGAF governance principles?

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Roles and Responsibilities in EA

Key Memory Aids

Remember RACI: While TOGAF uses different terminology, think in terms of:

• Responsible: Who does the work
• Accountable: Who has final authority
• Consulted: Who provides input
• Informed: Who needs to know

The Hierarchy Rule: Strategic decisions involve the Architecture Board and CAO. Tactical decisions involve Enterprise and Domain Architects. Operational decisions involve Solution Architects.

Common Exam Pitfalls to Avoid

• Confusing Roles: Don't confuse Enterprise Architects with Solution Architects. Enterprise Architects work at the enterprise level; Solution Architects work on specific solutions.
• Misunderstanding Authority: The Architecture Board approves decisions; architects recommend decisions.
• Scope Confusion: Domain Architects handle specific domains (data, application, technology); Enterprise Architects handle cross-domain coordination.
• Level Confusion: CAO is strategic/executive; Architecture Board is governance; Architects are operational/tactical.
• Consultation vs. Approval: Many stakeholders must be consulted, but only specific roles have approval authority.

Study Recommendations

• Create a Role Matrix: Make a table showing each role and their key responsibilities, authority levels, and reporting relationships.
• Use Case Studies: Practice with scenario-based questions to understand how roles interact in real situations.
• Focus on Key Roles: Prioritize learning about the most frequently tested roles: Chief Architecture Officer, Architecture Board, Enterprise Architects, and Domain Architects.
• Understand Governance: Study how governance frameworks define roles and responsibilities, as this is a recurring exam theme.
• Review TOGAF Documentation: Familiarize yourself with the official TOGAF 10 descriptions of roles, as exam questions often use exact terminology.

During the Exam

• Read Carefully: Pay attention to keywords like 'responsible for,' 'approves,' 'recommends,' and 'consults' which often distinguish between similar role responsibilities.
• Consider the Organization: If the question mentions an organizational structure, use that to determine role relationships.
• Think About Dependencies: Consider what must happen before other decisions can be made, which may indicate which role should be involved.
• Trust the TOGAF Framework: If unsure, default to the TOGAF-defined hierarchy and governance structure rather than general industry practices.
• Eliminate Weak Options: In scenario questions, eliminate options where the role would be consulted rather than having primary responsibility.

Common Question Patterns

Pattern 1: 'Who should approve this decision?'
Answer: Usually the Architecture Board or CAO (governance level), unless it's a routine operational decision made by architects.

Pattern 2: 'Which role should develop this deliverable?'
Answer: Usually Enterprise Architects for enterprise-wide items, Domain Architects for domain-specific items, or Solution Architects for specific solutions.

Pattern 3: 'Who is responsible for ensuring compliance?'
Answer: The Architecture Board or Enterprise Architects, depending on scope.

Pattern 4: 'Who manages stakeholder communication?'
Answer: Typically Enterprise Architects or the Architecture Practice Lead, coordinating with the Architecture Board.

Pattern 5: 'Who has final authority over architectural decisions?'
Answer: The Architecture Board (governance) or CAO (strategic), never individual architects.

Quick Reference for TOGAF 10 Roles

Chief Architecture Officer: Strategic planning, governance framework, organizational alignment, reports to CIO or executive level

Architecture Board: Approval authority, governance enforcement, change management, compliance oversight

Enterprise Architects: Enterprise-wide architectural views, cross-domain coordination, standards development, recommendation authority

Domain Architects: Domain-specific strategies, compliance within domain, detailed designs for domain

Solution Architects: Specific solution design, requirement translation, alignment with enterprise architecture

Final Exam Strategy

When answering roles and responsibilities questions:

1. Identify the level of the decision (strategic/governance/operational)
2. Identify the scope (enterprise/domain/solution)
3. Match to the appropriate role based on TOGAF definitions
4. Verify the type of authority needed (approve/recommend/consult/inform)
5. Select the option that best matches TOGAF governance principles

Success on roles and responsibilities questions requires understanding not just what each role does, but why they do it within the broader governance and organizational structure. Focus on the TOGAF framework rather than general industry practices, and always consider the principle of clear accountability and appropriate authority levels.