Wardley Maps offer a powerful way to analyse a business's competitive landscape, value chain, and the evolution of its components — but most Enterprise Architecture frameworks have not formally incorporated them. This paper examines how Wardley Mapping complements EA methods, proposes a meta model integration using the Inspired Holistic Architecture Language (HAL), and demonstrates practical benefits including reduced effort, improved model fidelity, and richer strategic insight. A useful read for enterprise architects and business architects looking to bring greater contextual awareness into their architecture practice.
Integrated Meta Model for Enterprise Modelling including Strategy, Business Architecture, Risk and Change
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.
How Business Architecture Informs Requirements
Requirements defined without architectural context are rarely the right requirements. This presentation explores how business architecture — spanning motivation, value streams, functions, processes, services, and capabilities — provides the essential foundation for solution delivery. Presented by Graham McLeod at Inspired events between 2018 and 2023, it bridges the gap between enterprise architecture and practical requirements engineering.
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.
The Central Role of Business Analysis in Enterprise Architecture
Business analysis and enterprise architecture overlap far more than most organisations recognise — in scope, in skills, and in the work itself. This 2007 presentation by Graham McLeod, delivered to the IIBA Western Cape Chapter, makes the case that business analysts are not just contributors to EA but play a central role in shaping business architecture, defining requirements, and bridging strategy with delivery. It covers business and process architecture, requirements traceability, and the career growth path from business analysis into enterprise architecture.
What Should an EA Management Tool Actually Do?
Most organisations attempting enterprise architecture have reached for ad-hoc tools — Word, Excel, Visio — or CASE-derived modelling tools never designed for the job. This 2005 presentation by Graham McLeod sets out a comprehensive framework of requirements for a purpose-built EA management tool, drawing on Zachman, TOGAF, Spewak, and Schekkerman, before presenting the design and architecture of Archi/WebModeler, Inspired's own web-based EA repository solution. It covers everything from meta-modelling and collaboration to inferencing, scenario management, and governance support.