A few days ago, I was reflecting on completing five years as an Enterprise Architecture (EA) for a multinational, Medtronic. The tenure has been dynamic
- I was hired into an Offshore Development Center (ODC) when it was in a growth trajectory.
- I had a dual focus – building teams in ODC and enabling Business Partners in Asia Pacific
- Strategy shifted when the leaders decided to outsource the ODC to a vendor
- My focus continued to be on APAC working with global EAs
- CIO left the organization - Global EA function was disbanded. A few roles eliminated while others (including me) remained focused on our domains and regions
- A new CIO came on board
- The company hired another EA Leader who is bringing global teams together
- The new CIO wants has a mandate to resurrect the ODC strategy in India, coming a full circle
While riding waves of internal changes, the business continues to digitize and there is a continuum of technology evaluation and investments in roadmap realization. I continue to be the ‘trusted technology advisor’ to my stakeholders and business partners.
This also brings back the key question Architects sometimes muse about
What is the average tenure of an EA?
Every new functional leader, CxO and CIO will want to leave their footprint in the organization. An EA will either align with the changes or look for greener pastures
- Some EAs will seize transformations and take on other internal roles
- Some will move to other organizations looking for roles that align with their personal aspirations
- A few may continue a longer tenure focused on their work-life balance
There is no set tenure, and it really depends on the organization and individual’s alignment with the changes
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