Enterprise Architecture has been developed in order to optimize the alignment between business needs
and the (rapidly changing) possibilities of information technology. But do organizations indeed benefit
from the application of Enterprise Architecture according to those who are in any way involved in
architecture?
To answer this question, a model has been developed (the Enterprise Architecture Value Framework)
to organize the benefits of Enterprise Architecture. Based on this model, a survey has been conducted
among the various types of stakeholders of Enterprise Architecture, such as architects, project
managers, developers and business or IT managers. In the survey the respondents were asked to what
extent they perceive various benefits of Enterprise Architecture in their organization. The results of
this survey (with 287 fully completed responses) are analyzed and presented in this paper. In all
categories of the framework benefits are perceived, though to different extent. Very few benefits are
perceived in relation to the external orientation of the organization.
Few statistically significant correlations were found in relation to the background of the respondents:
the overall view on benefits of Enterprise Architecture appeared independent of the role of the
respondents, the economic sector and the number of years of experience with architecture.