A metric model for measuring the value of enterprise architecture in developing countries

<b>Ethical clearance reference number</b> 2019/219492948/24Many organisations across the world are challenged by factors of changes, which manifest from different events such as technological innovations, global trends and introduction to new business processes. Some of these factors influence the alignment between business activities and its information system and technology (IS/IT) solutions. Many government organisations do not have a holistic view of their environments, which makes alignment between IS/IT and business processes difficult towards providing consistent solutions for changing needs. Such organisations have deployed enterprise architecture (EA) to manage these challenges. EA is used to manage and regulate business activities and its associated IS/IT solutions towards the attainment of its organisational goals.<br>However, many developing countries, particularly in the African continent, are increasingly challenged with the implementation of EA because they are not able to establish and assess the value. This is due to lack of standard metrics that can be used to measure the value of EA. As a result, many governments’ institutions are losing out from the benefits that the implementation of EA offers. The lack of a metric model to measure the value of EA hinders some governments’ institutions in their attempts to employ the concept, for the purposes of improving service delivery. The aim of the study is to propose a solution through a metrics model, which can be used to measure the value and benefits of EA within governments’ institutions in developing countries.<br><br>The study followed the interpretivist epistemological stance, which was supported by the qualitative method. The research design was the case study, with the government of Egypt and the government of Ghana. Data collection was documentation about EA of these government’s environments. The sociotechnical theories, Activity Theory (AT) and the Dimension of Change (DS) of the Structuration Theory (ST) were used to underpin the study. Data from the two cases were gathered and analysed, separately as AT was used to guide the analysis, whilst DS was used to interpret the findings. Based on the interpretation, an enterprise architecture metrics model (EAMM) was developed.<br>

**伦理审查备案编号** 2019/219492948/24
全球范围内的诸多组织均受困于各类变革因素带来的挑战，这些变革因素源自技术创新、全球趋势及新业务流程引入等各类事件。其中部分因素会干扰业务活动与其信息系统及技术（Information System and Technology, IS/IT）解决方案之间的适配性。许多政府组织无法全面洞悉自身所处的环境，这使得IS/IT与业务流程之间的适配难以达成，无法为不断变化的需求提供一致的解决方案。此类组织已部署企业架构（Enterprise Architecture, EA）以应对这些挑战。企业架构可用于管理和规范业务活动及其配套的IS/IT解决方案，助力组织实现其战略目标。

然而，诸多发展中国家，尤其是非洲大陆的发展中国家，在企业架构的实施层面正面临日益严峻的挑战，因其无法建立并评估企业架构的价值。这一困境源于缺乏可用于衡量企业架构价值的标准度量指标。正因如此，许多政府机构未能享受到企业架构实施所带来的各项益处。缺乏用于衡量企业架构价值的度量模型，阻碍了部分政府机构为提升服务交付水平而引入企业架构理念的尝试。本研究旨在提出一种度量模型作为解决方案，该模型可用于衡量发展中国家政府机构中企业架构的价值与收益。

本研究采用解释主义认识论立场，并辅以质性研究方法。研究设计为案例研究，选取埃及政府与加纳政府作为研究案例。数据收集环节针对上述两个政府部门的企业架构相关文档展开。研究以社会技术理论、活动理论（Activity Theory, AT）以及结构化理论（Structuration Theory, ST）的变革维度（Dimension of Change, DS）作为理论支撑。两项案例的数据分别进行收集与分析：活动理论用于指导分析过程，变革维度则用于解读研究结果。基于上述解读过程，本研究开发出企业架构度量模型（Enterprise Architecture Metrics Model, EAMM）。