Analyzing the Evolution and Usage of Enterprise Architecture Management Patterns

Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) evolved to a powerful function to support organizations in strategic decision making and in the fulfillment of business requirements. The organization of an EAM function is not an easy task and demands for best practices that are suited to the specific needs of an organization. The pattern-based EAM approach constitutes a collection of such best practices, including detailed information on how to approach EAM activities in organizations. Recent research extended the original EAM pattern structure from 2008 with further concepts to provide more extensive patterns. We conducted an online survey with 31 EAM experts to identify current trends in this domain. We compare documented EAM patterns from 2008 with those identified in the conducted survey to evaluate changes of EAM best practices over the last years. Our research results reveal major changes of EAM needs and best practices, which evolved across several industries and point out clear trends.