We’d like to thank everyone for responding to our poll from Overcoming the Tensions Between Project Staff and EA Groups. The poll is now closed and here are the findings:
We have a lot of work to do on our relationships! Fully 71% responded that the relationship doesn’t exist or that there is room for improvement. There is some good news though – 57% at least HAVE some sort of relationship that needs improving and 29% consider the state of their relationship to be “healthy”.
Here is an excerpt from an offline comment that I found particularly relevent and insightful:
“I’d say you are spot on with your observations and I think you need to let both groups know that an enterprise architect is fundamentally a differently-skilled person than a project manager. As you point out, an EA is concerned with the future, the long-term strategy and the big picture. A project manager is concerned with the here-and-now, budgets, resources, details and “the little picture”. An EA must be aware of all projects in the organization, and makes decisions regarding how one project can easily affect another – and maybe not in a good way. Project managers are under huge pressure to manage the scope to the budget and the timelines, while EAs are not.
My point is that an EA thinks dramatically different than a PM. Both the EA and the PM need to understand and recognize this and build on the differences and not let those differences destroy the relationship, and certainly to not jeopardize either a project’s goals nor the enterprise IT strategy.”
Well said. The writer asked to let both groups know; consider it done!
Thanks to all again that had interest in this topic. Comments are open if you have any additional ideas.