Popular enterprise architecture frameworks like TOGAF and ArchiMate each provide meta models, but none are broad enough to fully support strategic planning, contextual analysis, and business architecture alongside risk, change, and programme management in an integrated way. This paper describes the development of HAL2023 — an updated version of the Inspired Holistic Architecture Language — synthesising concepts from TOGAF 10, ArchiMate 3.2, BizBOK 11, SABSA, MEMO, and the Inspired consulting practice into a single, coherent meta model validated across multiple industries. It addresses not only what the model contains, but how it can be practically applied without overwhelming practitioners.
Extending and Automating Maturity Models for More Value
Maturity models are widely used for organisational self-assessment, but their value is often limited to producing a score. This paper argues that far greater value is achievable by extending models to include prioritised recommendations and action planning — and by automating the whole process to remove the friction that discourages use. Drawing on the development of a generic domain model implemented in the EVA platform, it demonstrates how a range of maturity models can be rapidly deployed, assessed, scored, and translated into actionable improvement plans with minimal custom code.
A Business and Solution Building Block Approach to EA Project Planning
Enterprise architecture programmes frequently struggle with scope confusion, misaligned stakeholder expectations, and poor traceability between business requirements and delivery plans. This paper presents a building block approach — distinguishing Business Building Blocks (capabilities) from Solution Building Blocks (systems and technologies) — developed and validated on a multi-project transformation programme at a rapidly expanding South African telecoms company. The result was dramatically improved communication between sponsors, stakeholders, programme managers, and development teams, and a shared, navigable picture of what would be delivered, when, and in what sequence.
The Power of Principles
Well-crafted architecture principles guide thousands of decisions across an enterprise for years — yet typically cost less than 1% of total change effort to define. This presentation by Graham McLeod explores what makes a good EA principle, how to engage stakeholders in defining them, and how principles bridge the gap between strategic intent and concrete design. Drawn from real implementations in banking, assurance, and telecommunications, it includes worked examples and a compliance monitoring approach.
Enhancing Enterprise Architecture Models with Cost, Quality and Risk Dimensions
Enterprise architecture models are typically rich in structural detail but silent on cost, quality, and risk — the very dimensions that drive executive decision-making. This 2003 presentation by Graham McLeod, delivered at the University of Cape Town, explores how EA models can be extended with these critical dimensions using a knowledge repository approach, enabling architects and business managers to assess current and future scenarios with a fuller picture of the implications of their decisions.