Enterprise Architecture Assessment Framework (EAAF)


EA Assessment

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is focused on helping agencies develop their Enterprise Architecture (EA) programs so that they can benefit from the results of using EA as a strategic planning tool. OMB is striving to help agencies link departmental-level EA throughout their operations, so that its value is reflected in both internal operational decision-making, as well as the identification of government-wide common solutions for improved service to citizens.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Enterprise Architecture Assessment Framework (EAAF) version 3.1 identifies the measurement areas and criteria by which agencies are expected to use the EA to drive performance improvements that result in
the following outcomes:

  • Closing agency performance gaps identified via coordinated agency strategic planning and performance management activities;
  • Saving money and avoiding cost through collaboration and reuse, productivity
    enhancements, and elimination of redundancy;
  • Strengthening the quality of agency investment portfolios by improving security,
    inter-operability, reliability, availability, solution development and service delivery
    time, and overall end-user performance;
  • Improving the quality, availability and sharing of data and information
    government-wide; and
  • Increasing the transparency of government operations by increasing the capacity for citizen participation and cross-governmental collaboration.
     

While agencies have clearly demonstrated a degree of maturity and competency in developing and using their EAs, EAAF Version 3.1 seeks to advance the practice of EA, particularly through the development and use of agency segment architectures, aimed at driving the kinds of government-wide outcomes described above.

Under previous versions of the EAAF, agencies have achieved, to varying degrees, a basic level of process and architectural maturity. Looking forward, the evolution of the EAAF is being driven by what agencies are doing to drive to outcome-focused architecture. In particular, recognizing that strategic planning, enterprise architecture (EA), capital planning and investment control (CPIC), and performance assessment and management are linked processes. And that the only way to insure that they work together towards targeted outcomes is to insure that at each step we understand and measure process outcomes vs. process compliance.

The scope of EAAF version 3.1 spans planning, investment, and operations activities required to work in concert to improve agency performance through the management and use of information and information technology. EAAF Version 3.1 features the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of EA relative to the three EA capabilities areas of Completion, Use, and
Results. It also moves agency EA submission to a template-based model aimed at improving reporting and assessment via an automated process and delivery mechanism. Artifacts will be posted on the MAX collaboration environment.

EAAF version 3.1 also changes the assessment and reporting process. Instead of a single annual assessment, version 3.1 moves to posting relevant artifacts for the Completion, Use, and Results capability areas in order to better align the use of EA with agency planning, investment management, and budget formulation and decision-making processes relevant to the annual budget cycle.

The EAAF supports the policy implementation assessment and enforcement for achieving the EA and related requirements set forth in OMB Circulars A-130 and A-11. The latest EAAF is closely aligned with the methodologies, reporting templates, and tools such as the Federal Transition Framework (FTF), the Federal Segment Architecture Methodology (FSAM), and VUE-IT or Visualization to Understand Expenditures in Information Technology.

 

  • Enterprise Architecture Assessment Framework
    • Assessment Framework

      This document is the latest version of the EA Assessment Framework in PDF format. This document was released June 2009.
      Download Now (PDF, 539kb)

    • Self-Assessment Reporting (via MAX Reporting Environment - MAX ID required)
      OMB will use the EAAF v3.1 to evaluate agency EAs in Q3 FY09 in accordance with only the Completion capability portion of the assessment framework. Agencies should provide relevant enterprise architecture materials supporting the Completion criteria to OMB via the MAX Federal Community by June 15, 2009.
       
    • Release Memo Including FY09 Reporting Schedule 11-14-2008

      Download Now (PDF, 45kb)