Transitioning Towards Enterprise Architecture Management in a Software and Service Mobility Company: A Case Study

In the face of disruptions, increasing complexity and intensifying competitive pressure, organizations must adapt their structures and operations. In this context, Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is considered a promising approach to address these challenges by enabling holistic organizational overview, breaking down silos, and reducing complexity. However, the organizational implementation of EAM remains challenging, with little established methodological guidance available for context-specific realization. The research presented in this paper aims to support the organizational introduction of EAM. To this end, we present a practical evaluation approach to guide the selection of appropriate EAM implementation strategies. Through a single-case study conducted in collaboration with ETAS GmbH, this research explores a potential implementation of EAM. By conducting expert workshops and semi-structured interviews, an assessment approach and a decision-supporting “fitting matrix” were developed. The matrix evaluates twelve EAM implementation variants using seven collaboratively defined success criteria. The results indicate that a federated EAM model led by the CIO is considered the most suitable for this case.