When Enterprise Architecture Sells Out
posted by Anna Mar, July 13, 2011Enterprise Architecture is a tough sell — EAs need to have sales and marketing skills.
There is a new breed of enterprise architect who has risen through the ranks by leveraging strong sales skills. These EAs walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk but have limited architectural experience.
The Sales-Oriented Enterprise Architect
Being good at marketing and sales does not necessarily mean you are bad at enterprise architecture. In fact, marketing prowess is a key skill for EAs. However, the sales-oriented EA has limited architectural experience.In other words, they have the ability to sell architecture but don't fully understand it.
How to Spot a Sales-Oriented Enterprise Architect
There are 6 characteristics that define a sales-oriented EA:1. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
2. A dogmatic approach to architecture — common solutions are good, silo solutions are bad etc...
3. Promoter of popular concepts — dashboards, metrics etc ...
4. A hands-off type.
5. Has not paid their architectural dues — a non-traditional or expedited career path to EA. Traditional paths to EA include solution architecture, IT architecture, data architecture, IT line manager, business operations etc...
6. Focused on office politics.
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