Which of the following is the PRIMARY objective of enterprise architecture (EA)?

The primary objective of enterprise architecture (EA) is to ensure that information technology strategy is aligned with business strategy. This is achieved by creating a holistic blueprint of the organization's processes, information, and technology. This blueprint guides the planning and decision-making for IT investments, ensuring they support current and future business goals, manage complexity, and maximize value. EA provides the framework for making strategic choices about technology acquisition, development, and retirement, directly linking IT spending to business outcomes.

A. Maintaining detailed system documentation is a supporting activity and an output of the EA process, not its primary strategic goal.

C. Executing projects is the responsibility of project management and development teams; EA provides the guiding principles and standards for these projects.

D. Enforcing IT policy is a function of IT governance and management; EA provides the architectural context that informs and supports policy creation.

1. ISACA. (2019). CISA Review Manual

27th Edition. Domain 2: IT Governance and Management

Section 2.5.2 Enterprise Architecture. The manual states that EA provides a blueprint for the systematic development of an enterprise's IT portfolio

which is fundamental to aligning IT with business strategy and guiding investment.

2. Ross

J. W.

Weill

P.

& Robertson

D. C. (2006). Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution. Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 1 discusses how EA provides the "organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure

" which is essential for guiding IT investment decisions to execute business strategy.

3. Lankhorst

M. (2013). Enterprise Architecture at Work: Modelling

Communication and Analysis (3rd ed.). Springer. Section 1.2

"Main Goals of Enterprise Architecture

" highlights that a key goal is to guide the "process of planning and designing the IT capabilities of an enterprise in order to meet desired organizational objectives." This directly supports the concept of planning for IT investments.