The objective of the EAM Pattern Catalog is to complement existing Enterprise Architecture (EA) management frameworks, which provide a holistic and generic view on the problem of EA management, and to provide additional detail and guidance needed to systematically establish EA management in a step-wise fashion within an enterprise.

The EAM Pattern Catalog identifies the dependencies between

• individual management concerns (Which goal is to be achieved for which stakeholders?),
• management methodologies (Which activities are required to address a given concern?),
• supporting viewpoints (Which diagrams, figures, tables, listings, etc. help stakeholders to collaboratively perform these activities?), and
• information models (Which information is required to generate a particular viewpoint?).

Methodologies, viewpoints and information model fragments are called EAM patterns: They describe possible solutions for recurring problems that can and may have to be adapted to a specific enterprise context.

The EAM Pattern Catalog identifies best practices by focusing on concerns, methodology patterns (M-Patterns), viewpoint patterns (V-Patterns) and information model patterns (I-Patterns), which are considered relevant by experienced practitioners and are also supported by literature. Anti patterns document recurring solutions, which have proven not to work in practice in order to prevent typical mistakes in EA management. These patterns are accompanied by a comprehensive glossary defining the concepts used therin.

The EAM pattern graph shows the dependencies between Concerns, M-Patterns, V-Patterns, and I-Patterns. Its evolution can be seen by clicking the following image.

The EAM Pattern Catalog utilizes a consistent terminology and information organization to simplify the selection, adaption and integration of EAM patterns.

The EAM pattern catalog should help practitioners introducing EA management in a given enterprise and should provide academia a solid and extensive reference documenting current approaches and their rationale.

Compilation of the EAM Pattern Catalog

In a first phase (October 2006 until July 2007), the EAM Pattern Catalog was initialized by the research project Software Cartography at the Chair for Informatics 19 (sebis) based on input from the following sources:

• Research project Software Cartography, Technische Universität München, Chair for Informatics 19 (sebis)
• Partners of the research project Software Cartography
• EAM Tool Survey 2005
• Enterprise Architecture at Work (ArchiMate), 2005, Marc Lankhorst et al. (Telematica Institut)
• Management von IT-Architekturen (Edition CIO), 2006, Gernot Dern
• IT-Unternehmensarchitektur, 2007, Wolfgang Keller

In a second phase (July 2007 until February 2008), the initial EAM Pattern Catalog was evaluated using an online questionnaire to identify methodologies and viewpoints that are considered relevant by practitioners and that are utilized in practice.

The EAM Pattern Catalog tries to find a balance between a green field approach and a completely predefined approach as provided by some EA management frameworks and EA management tools. It avoids a giant integrated information model but utilizes a consistent terminology and a common organization to permit an understanding and comparison of multiple approaches from different sources. Sample viewpoints help readers to grasp essential concepts.

Using the EAM Pattern Catalog

The EAM Pattern Catalog can be used in different ways, e.g. as a starting point for a new EA initiative, as a reference book, to specify requirements on EAM, or for academic research. More....

Community

The EAM pattern catalog has been designed as an iteratively, extensible approach. Therefore, we are looking for people to join the EAM pattern community to maintain and extend the current EAM pattern catalog.

To join the EAM pattern community you can register for this wiki and join the EAM Pattern Community group afterwards. By registering you will get full access to all pages of this Wiki. It is completely free and only to strengthn the community.

Future development

Ideas for the future development of the EAM pattern catalog can be found on this page. Interesting visualizations for the future development of the EAM Pattern Catalog can be found here.

• Allianz Group IT
• AXA
• BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte
• BMW Group
• BTC
• cirquent Softlab Group
• Credit Suisse
• Deutsche Bahn
• Deutsche Börse Systems

• Deutsche Post
• Deutsche Telekom
• EWE 
• FJH
• FIDUCIA IT
• HVB Information Services
• Krones
• Kuehne + Nagel
• Münchener Rück

• Nokia Siemens Networks
• O2 Germany
• RWE
• Siemens CIO
• Siemens PG
• Siemens IT Solutions and Services
• Wacker Chemie
• Zollner Elektronik