The Relationship between is Strategic Planning and Enterprise Architectural Practice: Case Studies in New Zealand Enterprises

Modern businesses face increased levels of competitive pressure, and the IT sector is going through a period of rapid change. The past two decades have seen a steady evolution of approaches to planning and managing IT services. Two approaches that have emerged in different eras are IS Strategic Planning (ISSP) and Enterprise Architectural Practice (EAP). Despite the apparent similarities between these two approaches, neither IS researchers, nor practitioners, have explored the relationship in any depth. This paper investigates the relationship between ISSP and EAP, utilising results from case studies conducted in New Zealand (NZ) enterprises. It concludes that there is a significant overlap between these two activities, and suggests a framework for combining them. The paper also investigates some collateral findings relating to the low incidence of IS strategic planning in small/medium enterprises (SMEs).