EA Tasks Across the Seven Stages

The EA development cycle tasks as NORA describes them, from scope definition through to ongoing requirements management.

In Brief

Where this page sits: the tasks of the EA organisational unit (operating-model layer).
NORA has seven integrated stages for the EA development cycle, run by the EA unit in partnership with stakeholders.
They open with scope definition and close with requirements management, covering all six domains: business, beneficiary experience, applications, data, technology, and security.
Requirements management runs in parallel across the cycle, connecting the stages and governing requirement tracking through to closure.

The Seven Stages and Their Tasks

Stage	Main Tasks
Stage 1: Defining the scope of the EA development cycle	Study and assess EA development requirements, frame the scope horizontally (capabilities, organisational units, beneficiaries, applications, data, infrastructure components) and vertically (domains, components, viewpoints, stages), then approve the requirements and scope in the development cycle charter.
Stage 2: Diagnosing the current state	Detail the scope per domain, inventory EA data, document the current components and viewpoints, then analyse the current state and issue recommendations for each domain on its own.
Stage 3: Studying future trends	Agree on the future direction for each EA domain, study international experience, standards, and best practices, and identify the national requirements that shape those directions.
Stage 4: Designing the future state	Draw an initial future view for each domain, align them with each other, and detail the future components and viewpoints in a way that meets the cycle objectives set in Stage 1.
Stage 5: Analysing EA gaps	Compare current and future states across domains, identify gaps and their intersections, weigh their impact, and design fitting solutions in line with the directions and the entity's priorities.
Stage 6: Building the roadmap to the targets	Derive the list of initiatives and projects that close the gaps, rank them by importance and dependency, and build an integrated roadmap that develops the domains in line with the entity's goals.
Stage 7: Managing EA requirements	A continuous stage: document EA requirements in a central register, manage their states from creation through delivery or closure, and track them through a digital EA tool.

Stage 1 in Detail: Defining the Scope

Study and assess development requirements
Review requests and needs reaching the EA unit, check they are new, set the assessment criteria, then agree with stakeholders on whether to launch the cycle.
Frame the scope of the development cycle
Set the horizontal scope (capabilities, organisational units, beneficiaries and journeys, applications, data entities, technology and security components) and the vertical scope (domains, components, viewpoints, and the chosen stages).
Approve the requirements and the scope
The chief enterprise architect reviews the scope with stakeholders, signs off the development cycle charter (objectives, stages, timeline, roles), and the EA team updates the request repository.

Stage 2 in Detail: Diagnosing the Current State

Detail the per-domain scope
The domain architect pulls the relevant requirements from the cycle charter, picks the components and viewpoints needed, and agrees with stakeholders on how inputs will be collected.
Inventory EA data
Build data-collection templates, identify sources, pull what is already available, and coordinate with stakeholders to fill gaps or verify accuracy.
Document the current components and viewpoints
Build the domain components (such as business capabilities, organisational units, services, and processes) and develop the required viewpoints, including value chain, service catalogue, and process maps.
Analyse the current state and issue recommendations
Analyse the documented outputs, single out weaknesses and improvement areas, and write domain-level recommendations that feed the future-state design.

Notes That Run Across the Cycle

The cycle does not end with the roadmap; EA practice is continuous, and the team keeps the components current as the entity needs. Not every cycle covers every stage - the requirements decide.

The governance committee steps in when needed to approve the cycle scope on major direction shifts, sign off future directions that affect the business model, or endorse the roadmap projects and their costs.

Bottom Line

NORA tasks sit across seven stages that take the entity from scope definition through to ongoing requirements management. Each stage has its own inputs, outputs, and roles, all run by the EA unit in partnership with stakeholders.

National methodology

Details of the seven stages and supporting elements.

Establishing the practice

Setting up and running the practice.

Requirements management

Tracking and governing requirements.

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In Brief

Where this page sits: the tasks of the EA organisational unit (operating-model layer).
NORA has seven integrated stages for the EA development cycle, run by the EA unit in partnership with stakeholders.
They open with scope definition and close with requirements management, covering all six domains: business, beneficiary experience, applications, data, technology, and security.
Requirements management runs in parallel across the cycle, connecting the stages and governing requirement tracking through to closure.

The Seven Stages and Their Tasks

Stage	Main Tasks
Stage 1: Defining the scope of the EA development cycle	Study and assess EA development requirements, frame the scope horizontally (capabilities, organisational units, beneficiaries, applications, data, infrastructure components) and vertically (domains, components, viewpoints, stages), then approve the requirements and scope in the development cycle charter.
Stage 2: Diagnosing the current state	Detail the scope per domain, inventory EA data, document the current components and viewpoints, then analyse the current state and issue recommendations for each domain on its own.
Stage 3: Studying future trends	Agree on the future direction for each EA domain, study international experience, standards, and best practices, and identify the national requirements that shape those directions.
Stage 4: Designing the future state	Draw an initial future view for each domain, align them with each other, and detail the future components and viewpoints in a way that meets the cycle objectives set in Stage 1.
Stage 5: Analysing EA gaps	Compare current and future states across domains, identify gaps and their intersections, weigh their impact, and design fitting solutions in line with the directions and the entity's priorities.
Stage 6: Building the roadmap to the targets	Derive the list of initiatives and projects that close the gaps, rank them by importance and dependency, and build an integrated roadmap that develops the domains in line with the entity's goals.
Stage 7: Managing EA requirements	A continuous stage: document EA requirements in a central register, manage their states from creation through delivery or closure, and track them through a digital EA tool.

Stage 1 in Detail: Defining the Scope

Study and assess development requirements

Review requests and needs reaching the EA unit, check they are new, set the assessment criteria, then agree with stakeholders on whether to launch the cycle.

Frame the scope of the development cycle

Set the horizontal scope (capabilities, organisational units, beneficiaries and journeys, applications, data entities, technology and security components) and the vertical scope (domains, components, viewpoints, and the chosen stages).

Approve the requirements and the scope

The chief enterprise architect reviews the scope with stakeholders, signs off the development cycle charter (objectives, stages, timeline, roles), and the EA team updates the request repository.

Stage 2 in Detail: Diagnosing the Current State

Detail the per-domain scope

The domain architect pulls the relevant requirements from the cycle charter, picks the components and viewpoints needed, and agrees with stakeholders on how inputs will be collected.

Inventory EA data

Build data-collection templates, identify sources, pull what is already available, and coordinate with stakeholders to fill gaps or verify accuracy.

Document the current components and viewpoints

Build the domain components (such as business capabilities, organisational units, services, and processes) and develop the required viewpoints, including value chain, service catalogue, and process maps.

Analyse the current state and issue recommendations

Analyse the documented outputs, single out weaknesses and improvement areas, and write domain-level recommendations that feed the future-state design.

Notes That Run Across the Cycle

The cycle does not end with the roadmap; EA practice is continuous, and the team keeps the components current as the entity needs. Not every cycle covers every stage - the requirements decide.

Bottom Line

EA Tasks Across the Seven Stages

In Brief

The Seven Stages and Their Tasks

Stage 1 in Detail: Defining the Scope

Stage 2 in Detail: Diagnosing the Current State

Notes That Run Across the Cycle

Related

National methodology

Establishing the practice

Requirements management

Ready to start?

EA Tasks Across the Seven Stages

In Brief

The Seven Stages and Their Tasks

Stage 1 in Detail: Defining the Scope

Stage 2 in Detail: Diagnosing the Current State

Notes That Run Across the Cycle

Related

National methodology

Establishing the practice

Requirements management

Ready to start?