Strategic business and IT alignment assessment is growing in importance. Different assessment methods have been used to try to pursue the complexity of this dynamic and evolutionary alignment. Despite the fact that alignment is a real problem and a challenge of utmost importance, no consensus can be found on what alignment really is, how it should be measured in the organization in practice, or what measures should be taken to maintain and improve it. Consequently, the key question about how to assess and accomplish (define, identify, measure, maintain and improve) the strategic business and IT alignment is still a great unanswered challenge for many enterprises. In this thesis work, three main research questions were formulated: how can the validity and reliability of an alignment assessment method be improved, what are the dominant topics in the area of alignment, and how to facilitate the analysis of the business and IT governance alignment based on business process simulation and balanced scorecard methods. This is a composite thesis work that includes an introduction and six papers (paper A-F). The main contributions and results of this thesis are described in published and included technical papers. In papers A and B an alternative organization-wide approach and metamodel for assessing strategic business and IT alignment are proposed. Two case studies were performed applying the proposed approach. In paper C, a prioritized diagram of the most widely accepted strategic alignment model, with the purpose of categorizing the most important topics in the research area of strategic business and IT alignment is presented. One of the relevant topics that were identified is governance. In papers D, E and F, there are presented a business process simulation approach and a balanced scorecard method in order to facilitate the assessment of the business and IT governance alignment. An illustrative example of the simulation approach is presented in an appendix of this thesis. This research work aims to improve the decision-making process for business and IT managers at different levels in an enterprise by means of increasing the level of understanding and knowledge as well as by enhancing existing models and methods, for evaluating strategic business and IT alignment. / <p>QC 20101110</p>

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Knowledge assets can be defined as anything that affects a business’s disposition to act on data received from the environment. Knowledge assets are embedded in the objects within an organisation and are the source of an organisation’s competitive advantage, by being closely linked to what the organisation knows and by allowing the organisation to act and to be innovative. Knowledge assets evolve over time as knowledge agents, through a process of sense making, substitute physical resources for informational resources by codifying and abstracting knowledge assets, in the process increasing their value and ability to be diffused to wider audiences. These knowledge assets are internalised in an organisation and impact on the organisation when they are applied to concrete problems. Knowledge assets play an important role in the creation of information assets in an organisation. Information assets are created when a knowledge agent makes use of his or her knowledge to make sense of data received from sources in the environment. The creation of information through the sense making process creates new knowledge which is added to the agent’s knowledge base. Enterprise architecture is the process of designing future states for an organisation and then planning, leading and governing the organisation towards that future state. Enterprise architecture focuses mostly on the organisational process, on information and technology. Enterprise architects make use of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or the Zachman framework, which are primarily concerned with the domains of business, information and technology architecture, yet none of these mainstream frameworks used by enterprise architects takes knowledge assets into account, despite the obviously important role that they play in the organisation and especially in the information creation process. This research proposes to show that knowledge assets have an important role to play in enterprise architecture by allowing enterprise architects to • identify or facilitate the creation of knowledge assets pertaining to a specific problem; • understand whether information assets are located in the ordered and complex or the chaotic regimes and what would be the implication of moving them between regimes; • plot knowledge assets movements and relationships to each other on the social learning cycle path, which would enable enterprise architects to balance the types of learning that the organisation employs; • define the level of codification, abstraction and diffusion of knowledge assets, based on the intended audiences and to understand where knowledge assets could be developed to improve quality and when outdated knowledge should be destroyed in favour of new knowledge. Knowledge assets are related to Enterprise Business Architecture (EBA) through the specific knowledge domains that exist within an organisation. Understanding whether knowledge assets exist in the ordered, complex or chaotic regimes will provide a more complete view of the organisation. Architecture of knowledge assets in this space will provide a better understanding of an organisation’s culture: this understanding can compensate for differences in knowledge agents’ spatio-temporal positions, how and when they receive data and their particular cognitive styles. The importance of knowledge assets in the creation of information links it emphatically with Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA). Knowledge asset architecture provides a better understanding of how information is created and flows through an organisation, taking into account the meaning of the information to the organisation, which compensates for that oversight in information theory, which regards the accuracy of data that is communicated as the only concern. Information technology has exponentially increased mankind’s ability to codify, abstract and diffuse knowledge assets. Enterprise Technical Architecture (ETA) is mainly concerned with the technology infrastructure implemented within an organisation. Enterprise architects can apply knowledge asset architecture to decide whether the technology should be used to enhance the codification and abstraction of information, allowing more efficient diffusion of information to a larger audience, or whether more concrete information should be diffused to a more closely-knit audience. This research will argue that the use of knowledge assets as a domain within enterprise architecture will greatly enhance the enterprise architect’s ability to understand and lead the organisation to a more desirable future state. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kennisbates is vasgelê in die konkrete en abstrakte voorwerpe in die organisasie. Hierdie voorwerpe omsluit alle voorwerpe wat ‘n effek het op hoe die organisasie reageer op data wat vanaf die omgewing ontvang word. Kennisbates is ‘n bron vir die kompeterende voordeel wat ‘n organisasie geniet omdat dit verband hou met wat die organisasie weet en dit die organisasie in staat stel om te innoveer. Kennisbates sal aangaande evolueer soos wat kennisdraers, deur die sinmaak proses, fisiese hulpbronne vervang met inligtings hulpbronne gedurende die proses van kodifisering en abstraksie en sodoende die kennisbates se waarde vir die organisasie te verhoog en beskikbaar te stel vir groter gehore. Die kennisbates word dan vasgelê in die organisasie wanneer die kennis toegepas word op konkrete probleme. Kennisbates speel ‘n belangrike rol in die skepping van inligtingsbates in die organisasie. Inligting word slegs geskep wanneer die kennisdraer gebruik maak van sy kennis om sin te maak van data onvang vanuit die omgewing. Die nuwe inligting word dan intern vasgelê in die kennisdraer as nuwe kennis. Ondernemingsargitektuur is ‘n proses waardeur die toekomstige staat van ‘n organisasie ontwerp word deur beplanning, en daar verder leiding gegee word ter uitvoering daarvan. Ondernemingsargitektuur fokus meestal op die organisasie se prosesse, inligting en tegnologie. Ondernemingsargitekte maak gebruik van ondernemingsargitektuurraamwerke soos TOGAF en die Zachmanraamwerk as riglyne vir hulle werk. Hierdie raamwerke fokus primêr op die besigheid, inligting en tegniese domeine van argitektuur. Nie een van die hoofstroom ondernemingsargitektuurraamwerke neem kennisbates in ag nie, ten spyte van die voordiehandliggende belangrike rol wat kennisbates in die organisasie se inligtingskeppingsproses speel. Hierdie navorsing stel voor dat kennisbates deel kan vorm van ondernemingsargitektuur deur ondernemingsargitekte toe te laat om • kennisbates aangaande ‘n spesifieke probleem te identifiseer of die skepping daarvan die fasiliteer, • te bepaal of die kennisbates in die geordende, komplekse of chaotiese regime bestaan en wat die implikasie sou wees om hulle na ‘n ander regime te skuif, en • die kennisbates op die sosiale leersiklus aan te stip, wat die ondernemingsargitek in staat sal stel om die leerbenaderings van die organisasie te balanseer, die vlak van kodifisering, abstraksie en verspreiding te definieer, gebaseer op die voornemende gehoor vir die spesifieke inligting. • beter begrip te hê daarvoor of die kennisbate na ‘n beter kwaliteit ontwikkel moet word of vernietig moet word om plek te maak vir nuwe kennisbates. Daar bestaan ‘n verwantskap tussen OBA (Ondernemingsbesigheidsargitektuur) deur die spesifieke kennisdomein wat reeds in die organisasie bestaan. Deur te verstaan of die kennisbates binne die geordende, komplekse of chaotiese regimes val sal beter begrip bied van die organisasie as geheel. Al hierdie gesigshoeke word in die geordende domein beskryf. Kennisbateargitektuur sal ‘n beter begrip van die organisasie se kultuur bewerkstellig. Die kultuur in ‘n organisasie word gebruik om te vergoed vir die verskille in die kennisdraer se tyd-ruimtelike ligging tydens die ontvangs van data asook hulle kognitiewe styl. Daar bestaan ‘n daadwerklike verwantskap tussen kennisbateargitektuur en Ondernemingsinligtingsargitektuur (OIA). Kennisbateargitektuur sal bydra tot die begrip van hoe inligting geskep word en vloei deur die organisasie. Dit sal die betekenis van inligting in ag neem en daardeur vergoed vir die tekortkoming van inligtingteorie wat slegs die korrektheid van die data wat vervoer word in ag neem. Inligtingstegnologie het die mens se vermoë om inligting te kodifiseer, abstraksie toe te pas en te versprei eksponensieël verbeter. Ondernemingstegnieseargitektuur (OTA) is hoofsaaklik verantwoordelik vir die tegnologiese infrastruktuur wat geïmplimenteer word binne die organisasie. Ondernemingsargitekte kan kennisbates gebruik om te besluit of tegnologie gebruik moet word om beter inligting te skep deur hoër kodifisering en abstraksie toe te pas, om daardeur die vermoë te skep om die inligting vir ‘n wyer gehoor beskikbaar te stel, of om meer konkrete inligting vir ‘n meer intieme gehoor beskikbaar te stel. Hierdie navorsing stel voor dat kennisbates as ‘n domein binne die ondernemingsargitektuur vervat word. Dit sal die ondernemingsargitek in staat stel om die organisasie beter te lei na ‘n wenslike toekomstige staat.

In this thesis, I challenge assumptions underlying my discipline of enterprise architecture that led to two choices facing practitioners: either to work with tools and techniques which predict and control changes towards predetermined ends or to accept informal processes that are unpredictable and wasteful. Orthodox enterprise architecture defines an enterprise as an organisation, which is a system, and prescribes methods that seek to provide control over the transformation of an organisation into a desired state of affairs by achieving complete knowledge of the system before initiating the desired transformation. Drawing on complexity sciences, I offer a different perspective on organisation and claim that organising what we do is an aspect of doing what we do. Organising is process. I furthermore claim that the people who are organising what we do can act spontaneously and surprise both themselves and others, but often they act habitually. Habitual ways of acting allow us to anticipate to some extent how others are likely to respond to us and, as we grow up, we learn how to behave ourselves, that is, how to adjust our behaviour to what we judge socially acceptable to increase the likelihood of being able to garner support and collaboration. I posit that social control is exercised in this way as mutual self-adjustment that forms what is normal and valued conduct. In other words, our shared social norms and values thus paradoxically and simultaneously form individuals and their conduct and are formed by individuals and their conduct. I claim that in this way we have partial, but never full, knowledge of how others generally respond to certain behaviour of ours. We can ever have only partial knowledge of that which is - in the words of Mannheim - in the process of becoming. I therefore reject the central assumptions upon which orthodox enterprise architecture is based. In organisations, we engineer and exploit mechanical mechanisms that can conduct certain action more effectively and efficiently than people can. Materiality, objects in the world, can resist attempts to shape them to suit our needs but do so without intentionality or spontaneity. Accommodating material resistance is thus repeatable. Enterprise architecture as a discipline grew out of engineering of physical mechanisms and assumes a similar repeatability and predictability when working with the social, which I find to be an unwarranted assumption. I argue against the claim of orthodox enterprise architecture that we can bring about a pre-determined state in a controlled fashion and against the claim that without such control we have informal processes that are inevitably unpredictable and wasteful. I posit that what emerges is paradoxically stable instabilities of socially enabled and constrained recognisable patterns of behaviour. When devising a mechanism in a physical object, such as a software programme, a repertoire of scripted action is transcribed into it which remains constant until transcription is renewed. Transcription has a tendency to render action less fluid. Some members of an organisation may judge particular scripted action to be awkward or detrimental while others may judge the same scripted action to be efficient and beneficial. Thus, determining which scripted action to transcribe into mechanisms is a highly political decision which attracts the attention of skilful political players. Enterprise architects can have a valuable role to play, since we have a better than average partial knowledge about technology, and since technology is increasingly important for many enterprises. I posit that becoming more aware of power and power plays, developing a feel for the game, and becoming more detached about our involvement will allow us to play into what is emerging socially with more political awareness and expertise.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:53:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CesarABS_DISSERT.pdf: 1492389 bytes, checksum: 7dd981d1593ae45098ed7a3e34f7801c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-18 / Atualmente, um dos aspectos da gest?o da informa??o que se encontra em evid?ncia ? o da arquitetura empresarial, entendida como o conjunto de pol?ticas e escolhas t?cnicas de padroniza??o e integra??o para viabilizar as estrat?gias de neg?cios da organiza??o. Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar a integra??o de dois sistemas de gest?o na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) a partir das lentes da arquitetura empresarial. A influ?ncia dessa abordagem induz a organiza??o a desenvolver um alicerce de execu??o com o interesse de suportar com maior efici?ncia sua estrat?gia e obter agilidade em seus processos de neg?cio. A an?lise da integra??o desses dois sistemas, atrav?s de entrevistas semiestruturadas, no ?mbito da UFRN possibilitou a percep??o da necessidade de uma estrutura??o dos processos de TI a partir de uma arquitetura que favore?a um melhor alinhamento das capacidades de TI aos objetivos da organiza??o. A aus?ncia de um modelo operacional pode comprometer a efici?ncia do Sistema Integrado de Gest?o das Atividades Acad?micas (SIGAA) da UFRN na realiza??o do seu objetivo como plataforma ?nica de gest?o das informa??es da universidade

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:33:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Paulo Sergio dos Santos Junior.pdf: 7370393 bytes, checksum: ca652e878138a12bfd37e280315d8fc8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-16 / The management of organizations is a highly complex activity, since it requires the use of knowledge from several knowledge domains (including business process, information technology and infrastructure). In order to analyze how these domains are interrelated an Enterprise Architecture is essential. The main benefits of using Enterprise Architecture are: (i) to capture the essence and evolution of a business and its information systems; and (ii) to manage the alignment between the business and information systems in a cost-effective manner, possibly by revealing how business processes and information systems are interrelated. To address the alignment between business processes and information systems, several Model-Driven Development approaches enable designers to derive process-oriented systems directly from the business process models through automatic transformation. However, most of these approaches do not enable designers to explore the semantic richness of many Enterprise Architectural models (using only the control flow of business process models), and further define rather inflexible transformations. Moreover, many of these approaches to not clearly separate the development process into platform-independent and platform-specific steps, polluting business process models with platform concerns. This work proposes a novel Model-Driven Development approach to address the aforementioned issues. This approach enable the designers to (i) profit from the semantics of Enterprise Architecture models throughout the system development process; (ii) to apply parameterization in pre-defined transformations and; (iii) to clearly divide the development process into platform-independent and platform-specific steps / O gerenciamento das organizações é uma tarefa que envolve um nível de complexidade significante, uma vez que agrega diversos domínios de conhecimento (incluindo processos de negócios, tecnologias da informação e infraestrutura). Para que seja possível analisar como esses fatores estão interconectados entre si e como a priorização de um deles pode ocasionar a postergação de outro, a utilização de uma Arquitetura Organizacional de TI (Enterprise Architecture) torna-se necessária. Através de uma Arquitetura Organizacional de TI é possível: (i) capturar a essência e as evoluções do negócio e dos sistemas de informação presentes na organização; e (ii) realizar de maneira mais eficaz e menos onerosa o alinhamento entre tecnologia da informação e os processos de negócios executados a uma ou mais organizações. Diversas abordagens de Desenvolvimento Orientado a Modelos utilizam os modelos que representam as Arquiteturas Organizacionais de TI para o desenvolvimento de sistemas computacionais. Porém, a grande maioria das abordagens não permite que o projetista do sistema (i) explore a riqueza semântica dos diferentes modelos da Arquitetura Organizacional de TI (além dos modelos de processos de negócio), (ii) parametrize transformações pré-definidas nessas abordagens para adequar as transformações ao sistema sendo desenvolvido; e (iii) divida o processo de desenvolvimento em etapas independente e dependente de plataforma. Este trabalho propõe uma nova abordagem de Desenvolvimento Orientado a Modelos que visa mitigar estas limitações do estado-da-arte, através de transformações parametrizadas que exploram a riqueza semântica dos modelos das Arquiteturas Organizacionais de TI. Adicionalmente, a abordagem propõe uma divisão clara das etapas independente e dependente de plataforma

Over the years, information technology has created opportunities to improve and extend businesses and to start conducting business in new ways. With the evolution of IT, all businesses and industries are becoming increasingly digitized. This process, or coevolution, of IT and business coming together is called digital transformation. One of the recent trends in this digital transformation is the use of application programmable interfaces (APIs). APIs are standardized digital communication interfaces, used for communication and exchange of information between systems, services and devices (such as computers, smartphones and connected machines). API communication is one of the foundational building blocks in recent disruptive technology trends such as mobile and cloud computing. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the business impact that is created in digital transformation related to the use of APIs. To investigate this novel area, an exploratory study is performed where a frame of reference with an exploratory framework is created based on established academic literature. The exploratory framework consists of three main parts which cover the research questions, including Business Drivers, Business Model Change &amp; Innovation and Challenges &amp; Limitations related to API-enabled digital transformation. The framework is used to gather empirical data consisting of two types, interviews (primary data) and contemporary reports (secondary data). Interviews are performed with API-utilizing companies, consulting firms and IT solution providers and contemporary reports are published by consulting and technology research and advisory firms. Two main business drivers are identified in the study. The first is Understanding &amp; Satisfying Customer Needs which is derived from companies experiencing stronger and changing demands for automated, personalized value-adding services. This requires higher degree of integration across channels and organizations. The second driver is Business Agility, which derives from higher requirements on adapting to changing environments while maintaining operational efficiency. Cost Reduction is also mentioned as a third and secondary driver, as a positive side-effect in combination with the other drivers. The identified impact on business models is that business model innovation is mostly happening in the front-end of business model towards customers. Several examples also exist of purely API-enabled businesses that sell services or manage information exchanges over APIs. The challenges and limitations identified are mostly classic challenges of using IT in businesses and not specific to use of APIs, where the general consensus is that IT and business need to become more integrated, and that strategy and governance for API-initiatives need to be established.

Pas de résumé en français / Nowadays, a major part of the information is in digital form. Digital preservation is essential to allowpeople to access information over time. From a computer science perspective, two major objectiveshave to be met to enable digital preservation: developing archival systems to manage the preserveddigital information, and select information representations that will facilitate the preservation. For complexinformation such as product models, these two objective are particularly hard to meet. Archivalsystems have to operate in a complex environment, interact with many different systems, and supportmay different business functions. Product model representations do not use all the possibilitiesof computer interpretation.Regarding the development of archival systems, the key is to determine what has to be described toprove that the archival system can effectively support the digital preservation. The Reference Modelfor an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) proposes a terminology to describe and comparearchives. The Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repository (ACTDR) provides criteria forthe certification of archives. One issue with these efforts is that there is not guidance on how to usethem within archival system descriptions.This thesis proposes a method called Reference Architecture for Archival Systems (RAAS) to describearchival systems implementations. RAAS relies on the DoD Architecture Framework to describethe various aspects of the archival systems. Moreover, RAAS provides an archival-specificterminology inspired by the OAIS Reference Model. RAAS also explains how the archival systemdescription can help for the ACTDR certification.RAAS is applied to a product model preservation case, to describe the various aspects of the archivalsystem. This description includes the interactions involving the archival systems, the archival systemfunctions, the definition of the preserved content, and the definition of the metadata. This descriptionformally refers to the OAIS terminology, and provides ACTDR certification evidence.This thesis also address the representation of product models by proposing the translation of productmodels from STEP to OWL. STEP is a standard for product model representation. The use ofOWL enables semantic relationship to enrich product information, and improve the search and theunderstanding of this information using data integration.The methodology used in this thesis can apply to other types of information, such as medical records

Dans un contexte d’automatisation totale avec une forte composante informatique, la transformation organisationnelle doit systématiquement être accompagnée d’une évolution des différents Systèmes d’Information (SI). Dans ce sens, les utilisateurs au quotidien doivent « se retrouver » dans l’usage des SI au niveau de ses fonctionnalités, et par sa capacité à répondre rapidement, et d’une façon continue, aux demandes d’évolution de l’organisation. Disposer de SI à l’image des métiers n’est pas une vertu ou un luxe que les entreprises cherchent à obtenir. Le manque à gagner pour l’entreprise en l’absence d’alignement se traduit directement sur la performance de l’organisation : la non-adéquation des SI limite les tâches au quotidien et dégrade le potentiel de progrès de l’entière automatisation. Le système de production se trouve ainsi conditionné par les SI. Au-delà de l’aspect fonctionnalité recherché dans l’alignement, sa mise en œuvre se justifie également par le coût de sa mise en place comparé à un non alignement.Ces travaux visent à garantir, dans un contexte complexe et dynamique, un alignement systématique et continu des SI sur les besoins des processus métiers afin de garantir à l’entreprise les meilleures performances possibles dans l’exploitation de ses SI.Les spécificités du contexte d’étude ainsi que l’analyse bibliographique de la problématique nous ont menés à proposer une méthodologie basée sur un « Modèle de Référence » afin de combler au mieux le fossé Métier / Technologie de l’Information. Cette méthodologie s’intéresse au niveau fonctionnel en mettant l’accent sur l’expression des besoins afin de mieux distinguer la vision Métier de la vision IT.Pour valider la méthodologie que nous proposons, nous l’appliquons sur un cas d’étude industriel relatif à l’évolution de l’ensemble des règles d’éligibilité des lots sur les équipements en fabrication de semi-conducteurs, appelées « processabilité ». / In a full automation context with a strong Information Technology (IT) component, organizational transformations should always be accompanied by an evolution of the different information systems. In that sense, operational users of the information systems must recognize the use of information systems in terms of their functionality, and their ability to rapidly and continuously answer the requirements of the evolution of the organization.Having Information Systems (IS) which reflect businesses is not a luxury for companies. The shortfall for the company in the absence of alignment is the impact on the organization performance: The non-adequacy of the IS limits the daily tasks and degrades the potential benefits of full automation. Thus, the production system is conditioned by the IS. Beyond its functional necessity, alignment is also justified by the cost of its implementation compared to a non-alignment.This thesis aims at ensuring systematic and continuous Business / IT alignment in a complex and dynamic environment.Our study was led by the specificity of the case study and the literature review. We propose a methodology based on a "Reference Model" to minimize the Business / IT alignment gap. From a functional standpoint, the methodology relies on capturing user requirements in a Reference Model and finding acceptable compromises for the IT development, to reach the alignment incrementally. The methodology is applied on a “processability” case study in semiconductor manufacturing.

In the 21st century is still more and more emphasis laid on the phenomenon of Business Process Management. In a great number of corporations it plays the key role, because it makes the overall performance of the organization more effective and it is able to react flexibly in the rapidly changing environment. The main purpose of this graduation thesis is to get the reader to know the meaning of the notion "business architecture -- its structure and roles in the process management. The main task is to design business architecture of the specific field of business and try to implement it in the real and existent or emerging company subjects, offering the real-estate services. As a result of this, we prove the usefulness of the process management and business architecture as a key factor of reaching the effectivity in dynamic, rapidly changing and competitive environment. The thesis is divided into two parts. The theoretical part provides us with methodical data and the practical part with the design of business architecture of a subject, actively operating in the real-estate market. Graphical figures are also the part of the thesis using CABE tool ProVision by Metastorm Corporation.

Enterprise Architecture is so far the highest development step in IT's architectural description of enterprises. At the beginning, just technological architecture existed. However, with the quickly growing complexity of IT other domains occurred, that had to be described. Information or application architectures can serve as examples. IT then realized, that it needed to add to its IT architectures a business view and consequently the discipline Enterprise Architecture came into being. Strategic management is crucial for the development of each enterprise. The thesis focuses on the strategic management of business and the strategic management of IT. The strategic management of business consists of a business strategy and an operating model. To the strategic management of IT then belongs an information strategy and IT governance. Business-IT alignment further explores and ensures the accord between the strategic management of business and the strategic management of IT. The aim of the thesis is to describe the relationship of Enterprise Architecture and the different forms of strategic management and to express to which rate Enterprise Architecture supports them. The explored relationships are: - The relationship of Enterprise Architecture and business strategy - The relationship of Enterprise Architecture and operating models - The relationship of Enterprise Architecture and information strategy - The relationship of Enterprise Architecture and IT governance - The relationship of Enterprise Architecture and business-IT alignment The goals of the thesis are reached via theoretical research and subsequent deduction. The author's personal asset consists of creating a hierarchical model of Enterprise Architecture, of defining Enterprise Architecture's reaction to business strategies, of modifying the methodology MMDIS in respect of information strategy, of depicting, how Enterprise Architecture can be used in IT governance, of illustrating, where Enterprise Architecture contributes to business-IT alignment and of assessing, to which rate Enterprise Architecture supports the different forms of strategic management.