What makes a business tick? Where is it headed, and why? Which markets does it operate in, and how? The answers to these questions make up the most fundamental reasons for a business’ existence, they are its elemental DNA. This DNA is made up of company mission, values and objectives; its business and operating models; its strategy …
Most, if not all of these things will exist before an enterprise architect comes along, and all of them are input to the practice of enterprise architecture. However, they are often not defined, documented or shared within the business, and they are rarely formally gathered together to be the primary input into business design and architecture. This is often the first task of the architect – to discover these things (sometimes from within peoples’ heads), document them, and establish them as the guiding lights for enterprise architecture.