Classification and Definition of an Enterprise Architecture Analyses Language

Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) deals with the assessment and development of business processes and IT components. Through the analysis of as-is and to-be states the information flow in organizations is optimized. Thus EAM analyses are an essential part in the EAM cycle. To cover the needs of an architect the analyses pursue different goals and utilize different techniques. In this work we examine the different EA analysis approaches according to their characteristics and requirements. For that purpose we design a generic analysis language which can be used for their description. In order to manage the numerous approaches from literature we develop a categorization. The categories are created based on the goals, constructs and kind of results. We propose a two-dimensional classification into functional and technical categories. The goal is to provide a common description for EA analyses for an easy access to their goals and execution requirements.