EA practice terms and specifications
Guideline for entities that want to run projects to establish and activate EA practice: define core components, phases, and scope so that providers’ advisory and technical work meets national requirements.
Guideline for EA practice terms and specifications projects
In brief
Main scope areas
Establishing practice: set up the EA office, structure, governance, strategy, and core outputs.
Activating practice: develop the practice after establishment (reference models, analysis, services, reports).
EA tool procurement: select, acquire, and activate an EA tool and integrate with methodologies and frameworks.
Objectives of the guideline
Define the core phases required for establishing and activating EA practice across entities and possible execution options, and align efforts with best practice and national requirements.
Provide entities with the requirements and specifications for establishing and activating EA practice so they can define project scope and develop terms and specifications booklets.
Guidance for developing EA practice project terms and specifications: structure, suggested content, and evaluation criteria for proposals.
Document scope (five main sections)
General methodology for establishing and activating EA practice projects: scope, execution phases, and service areas.
Key requirements for establishing EA practice: phases and requirements to include in terms and specifications.
Key requirements for activating EA practice: activities within the activation scope.
General requirements for EA tools: tool specifications to include in booklets.
Guidance for developing EA project terms and specifications: preparing booklets, scope, and evaluation criteria.
Target audience
Entities that want to run projects to establish and activate EA practice.
Scope of establishing EA practice
Assess current state and identify gaps: assess current maturity, challenges, and aspirations and align with business strategy.
Design the operating model: develop operating model components in line with the DGA guideline for establishing EA practice.
Customise the methodology for developing EA components: align with the national methodology and design the general component model and core EA views.
Expected outputs from establishing the practice
Current state and gaps assessment report
EA strategy and operating model (tasks, services, structure, governance, procedures, interaction model, KPIs, vocabulary)
Methodology customisation results, general component model, EA views, EA reference models (business, beneficiary experience, applications, data, technology, security), awareness plan and capacity development plan
Scope of activating EA practice
Analyse and document EA components for all domains: document current and target state for components and views of all six EA domains, gap analysis, and roadmap.
Activate EA services and procedures: ensure tasks and responsibilities are delivered by activating defined services and procedures with EA expert support.
Expected outputs from activating the practice
Current state document for EA components across all domains
Future trends document and target state document for components across all domains
EA gaps and roadmap document (gaps, proposed solutions, projects and initiatives)
EA practice performance and procedure implementation reports (capacity and awareness plan follow-up, SLAs, KPIs, periodic reports)
Scope of EA tool procurement
Define technical and functional requirements: document functional and technical requirements for the EA tool per the approved operating model and stakeholder needs.
Install, configure, and customise the tool: install licences, configure the tool per the general component model, content framework, methodology cycle, change governance, reports, and dashboards.
Operate and support the tool: activate the tool, training and knowledge transfer, and one year of technical support after acceptance of outputs.
General requirements for an EA tool
Support documentation and management of EA components and interactive analytics and reports; support and update the general component model (metamodel).
Support all EA layers: services, procedures, customer journeys, applications, data, infrastructure, information security, and projects and initiatives.
Link components; customise models, elements, and relationships; support Arabic and English; support the national EA framework and its six domains.
Import/export from other tools (e.g. Visio, Excel, XML, EA tools); support BPMN and ArchiMate; interactive reports and analytics; user permissions and change governance.
Expected outputs from tool procurement
EA tool requirements report, tool licences
Tool configuration file, readiness test report, internal EA site, configuration and properties document, domain content on tool, periodic reports and dashboards
Training and workshop plan, training materials, training courses, support service level agreement
Guidance for developing EA project terms and specifications
Include contractor obligations to comply with localisation of consulting contracts (Royal Decrees and Council of Ministers decisions) and regulatory conditions for the project team (model terms and specifications for consulting services approved by the Minister of Finance).
Consider scope that fits entity needs and current readiness and human and technical capacity.
Review all DGA guidelines and use them to document or adjust work and scope requirements.
The entity may choose one or more of the main scope components proposed in this guideline.
Include training and knowledge transfer during execution so that knowledge is transferred to the entity’s team.
Scenarios for using the scope areas
Entity is about to adopt EA practice: run “Establishing” and “Activating” scope. Requires a decision to establish an EA unit and a sponsor, and a plan to assign staff.
Entity has an active practice but needs development cycles and lacks resources: run “Activating” scope. Requires an active unit and team with roles and responsibilities (and optionally an EA tool).
Entity has an active practice and has run at least one component development cycle and wants to automate documentation and reporting: run “EA tool procurement” scope. Define requirements and specifications and a plan for content and reports; plan to build skills for managing the tool.
Entity has establishment components in place and wants a development cycle and tool: run “Activating” and “Tool procurement” together. Same considerations as scenarios 2 and 3.
Entity wants to run all EA work at once: run all three scope areas. Same considerations as scenario 1 plus sufficient budget for a broad scope.
Definitions (key terms)
Entity: government bodies, agencies, public institutions, councils, and any other body under the Kingdom’s government, or private, semi-government, or non-profit organisations.
EA framework: set of documents that clarify how entities adopt national EA practice through controls and guidelines.
EA practice: mechanism for applying the EA framework in the entity as a sustained capability through a dedicated organisational unit.
EA domains: business, beneficiary experience, applications, data, technology, and security architecture.
General component model: abstract description of the components that describe the contents of each EA domain.
EA views: way of presenting EA components (current or target) as visual representations, matrices, or catalogs.
EA development cycle: work executed to address one or more EA requirements within a set timeframe and with defined objectives and outputs using the national methodology, delivered through the entity’s EA office.
The guideline for developing terms and specifications for establishing and activating EA practice is issued by the Digital Government Authority (DGA) under NORA, Version 2.0, November 2024. It aims to raise EA practice maturity in government and national organisations.