Are you a stressed-out IT leader drinking from the latest fire-hose of technology change from AI and wondering how you are going to survive the next year without drowning? You aren’t alone. Your peers are feeling it too. Unfortunately, the advisors that IT leaders typically look to in situations like this, Enterprise Architects, are in high demand and short supply. But don’t worry too much, because the technology that is giving you grief is also presenting you with a solution, intelligent automation for enterprise architecture
Not Enough Enterprise Architects
Enterprise Architects (EAs) are among the highest-paid job disciplines in IT and have been for many years. Their vast knowledge and experience, combined with the unique ability to understand and explain complex environments, make them valuable advisors to both business and IT leadership looking to promote change across the organization.
Unfortunately, most IT organizations face ongoing challenges in building and maintaining an architecture practice that meets their needs. There is a shortage of qualified architects in the market, due to an aging resource pool and the deep experience requirements of the role. As a result, if you can find a qualified architect, you will have to pay a premium to attract and retain them.
Budget Pressures
This is happening while most IT organizations are facing budget cuts and can’t afford to hire expensive resources that may take up to a year to get acclimated and become productive. Architecture organizations must instead learn to work more efficiently with the limited resources they have. If you haven’t read the article The 2026 EA Challenge: Double Productivity with Half the Resources, you might find it an interesting drill-down on this topic.
In short, the article says that 70-80% of the work EAs do is busywork that can be made more efficient or eliminated through Intelligent Automation. That’s a very timely opportunity for IT organizations that need to do more and move faster amid shrinking budgets.
Focus on Value
It’s tempting to look at this and say, “Great, I can cut half my EA team and get some budget savings.” Pause there for a second. EAs have the roles they do because there is recognition of the value they bring to the organization. In times of rapid change like we’re seeing now, Enterprise Architects are more valuable and needed more than ever. Their purpose and existence are to help you make better-informed decisions. Don’t discount that.
There are two key principles when it comes to intelligent automation that you will need to keep in mind when dealing with the EA challenge
- This isn’t about replacing people; it is about enabling them to do more
- When you are working with AI, always keep a human in the loop and in control
If you need to find headroom in your budget and want some help turning down the pressure from the fire-hose, now is the time to invest in your Enterprise Architects. Unless you are woefully understaffed, don’t worry about hiring right now. Instead, focus on upskilling and enabling the resources you already have on the team so they can be more effective and deliver greater value to the organization.
Make the first move
There are 4 use cases outlined in the paper Intelligent Automation for Enterprise Architecture that can help you better understand where to begin. The fire hose won’t run out of water anytime soon, so the best thing you can do is make the first move to start dealing with the situation.
If you need some help, NovoCircle is a consultancy focused on Intelligent Automation and also brings to the table resources with decades of experience as Enterprise Architects working with industry-leading businesses. Visit NovoCircle.com to request a free consultation.
