To stay relevant, heads of enterprise architecture (EA) must prioritize updating the EA value proposition, operating model, technology portfolio and skills to deliver business value.
- Gartner client? Log in for personalized search results.
Digital transformation continues to drive EA priorities
Economic and geopolitical factors, coupled with advances in AI, continue to motivate digital transformation and technology investments. Yet, continued economic uncertainty could affect the value organizations get from those investments and force changes to enterprise architecture (EA) programs.
Heads of enterprise architecture are tasked with updating and communicating the EA value proposition and its operating model, while simultaneously modernizing the technology portfolio and acquiring new skills.
Trends for EA focus on delivering greater value
Ongoing recessionary fears, geopolitical threats and disruptive AI capabilities inform the three trends defining the EA landscape in 2025.
EA trend No. 1: CEOs prioritize growth
A recent Gartner executive survey finds 62% of CEOs put growth at the top of their business priority list. It’s not growth at all costs, however. CEOs want to see profitable growth through technology-related change.
That may be difficult to achieve given ongoing customer price sensitivity, and will require organizations to maximize their productivity and efficiency through the use of technology.
EA trend No. 2: CEOs see value in digital transformation, but with an investment caveat
CEOs say they are spending 5% of revenue on digital initiatives, 66% of which produce a useful return. Those are strong results — yet they could be stronger with better planning and value estimation. Around half of C-suite leaders believe that a significant source of digital value loss stems from poor estimation of expected benefits.
Unanticipated technical dependencies are a major factor in lowering returns on digital investments. EA practices may contribute to the challenge, given that few possess the financial modeling and analysis competencies necessary to motivate technology investments and predict sources of friction.
EA trend No. 3: Misaligned expectations for AI
More than 80% of CEOs expect AI to contribute to top-line growth in 2025, whereas only 3% of CIOs expect the same. Technology leaders instead anticipate that the primary value of AI will come from productivity gains.
Overcoming this disconnect and driving stronger top-line potential through AI can be difficult if the EA practice lacks credibility with the business and/or IT. That is the case in many organizations, where EA teams often need to acquire skills related to financial modeling and analysis, and Al such as data-driven architectures, data modeling, and AI solution development and integration.
How the 2025 trends will influence EA strategy
These trends, individually and collectively, are driving EA leaders to change how they deliver value in four key ways:
Develop a new EA operating model.
Modernize the technology portfolio.
Acquire financial modeling and analysis, and AI skills
Continuously communicate EA’s changing value proposition.
FAQ on 2025 trends for EA
How can the EA practice stay relevant in the context of business-led IT?
The key to keeping the EA practice relevant is to focus on offering EA services aligned to business value. Start by understanding the business outcomes EA customers seek and equip the EA team to deliver the services customers need to achieve them. Make sure that each member of the EA team knows their role and what is expected of them and that customers know what the EA team is working on. Tweak, eliminate or add new EA services as needed and regularly debrief stakeholders or internal clients on what the EA practice has done for them.
How to respond to emerging trends in EA?
To respond to emerging trends and help CEOs deliver growth in 2025, EA leaders must do the following:
- Develop a new EA operating model to deliver value to organizations that have embraced federated business designs.
- Modernize and rationalize the technology portfolio by reducing technical debt, embracing composable architectures and updating applications.
- Expand and enhance the skills of EA teams to include financial modeling and analysis, and AI competencies.
- Continuously communicate the value they deliver to stakeholders and internal customers.
Attend a Conference
Accelerate growth with Gartner conferences
Gain exclusive insight on the latest trends, receive one-on-one guidance from a Gartner expert, network with a community of your peers and leave ready to tackle your mission-critical priorities.
Drive stronger performance on your mission-critical priorities.