Mapping the Enterprise Architecture Principles in TOGAF to the Cybernetic Concepts--An Exploratory Study

Although principles are a key concept in the definition of Enterprise Architecture (EA), they have not received the same degree of attention as other EA concepts. The notion of EA principles (EAP) is suffering from the lack of a theoretical foundation that provides a logical framework for defining them. Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) and its application to IT governance, the Viable Governance Model (VGM), have shown to be comprehensive blueprints for designing viable organizations and IT governance arrangements, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the principles of cybernetics can provide a theoretical basis for interpreting EA principles derived through practice. This paper maps the principles defined in the Open Group's TOGAF to theoretical concepts drawn from the VSM/VGM and cybernetics. The paper concludes by identifying possible shortfalls in the existing set of principles and the need to develop a theoretical framework to overcome them.