Knowledge center · Deciding

How do you evaluate alternative enterprise architectures?

You evaluate alternative enterprise architectures by building several feasible options instead of designing a single solution, and by measuring all of them against the same criteria. The Enterprise Variation Method (EVM) of SIMO GmbH sets out eight steps for this, from the baseline to measuring impact. Each option is tested against future scenarios and assessed on ten criteria, from business value to operational complexity. The result is a reasoned management decision, not a vendor recommendation.

Author Andreas O. Schwan, Managing PartnerLast reviewed

The problem

A solution is not yet a decision.

Many architecture decisions are made before the alternatives have even been described. A vendor presents a target state, a project adopts it, and nobody asks about other paths anymore. What is missing is the comparison: which options are feasible, what do they cost over their lifetime, what risks do they carry, and how quickly do they pay off? Without it, leadership decides on one solution rather than between solutions.

This is where the Enterprise Variation Method comes in. It looks at alternative business, process, data, application, technology, AI, and governance models and assesses them against your criteria. The outcome is not a vendor recommendation but a reasoned management decision.

The approach

Eight steps from baseline to impact

The EVM structures the assessment in eight steps. First the starting point is documented and the decision is broken down into its building blocks. Then options are built, tested against future scenarios, and assessed. After the decision come implementation and measurement. In the Business Data Transformation Framework, the method sits between Define and Architect, where Vary, Simulate, and Decide form the decision core.

The eight steps of the EVM

  1. Baseline

    Document the starting point

    The current state of business, data, and technology, for example from BISA or BEIA.

  2. Decompose

    Break down the decision

    Look at business, processes, data, applications, technology, AI, and governance separately.

  3. Vary

    Build options

    Several feasible models per building block, not just the obvious one.

  4. Simulate

    Run scenarios

    Test each option against several assumptions about the future.

  5. Evaluate

    Assess

    Measure all options against the same ten criteria, weighted by your priorities.

  6. Decide

    Decide

    Leadership chooses; the reasoning and the rejected options stay on record.

  7. Transform

    Implement

    The chosen option becomes the target architecture with a roadmap.

  8. Measure

    Measure impact

    The targets from the assessment become the yardstick for implementation.

The EVM in the Business Data Transformation Framework

Understand
The current state from the BISA baseline assessment or the BEIA enterprise assessment becomes the EVM baseline.
Define
Leadership sets the goals and weights the ten criteria.
Vary · Simulate · Decide
The decision core of the EVM: build options, test them against scenarios, evaluate, and decide.
Architect
The chosen option becomes the target architecture with a roadmap.
Measure
The targets from the evaluation are measured in operation.

The criteria

Ten criteria, weighted by your priorities

Every option is assessed against the same ten criteria. How much weight each criterion carries is set by leadership before the first option is on the table. That keeps the assessment traceable and independent of whatever a vendor happens to recommend. Where data is missing, we say so openly instead of claiming a precision that does not exist.

Impact and economics

Business Value
What measurable benefit does the option create for the business?
Strategic Fit
How well does it fit the corporate strategy and the business vision?
Time-to-Value
When does the benefit become tangible?
TCO
What does it cost over its full lifetime, including operations and exit?
Operational Complexity
How much effort does it add to day-to-day operations?

Feasibility and risk

Feasibility
Can it be delivered with the available budget, people, and partners?
Data Readiness
Is the required data available, reliable, and owned?
AI Readiness
Are data, technology, and rules ready for the planned use of AI?
Risk
What risks arise, and how can they be contained?
Compliance
Does it meet regulatory and contractual requirements?

Questions from leadership

What executives ask about it

How many options does the EVM assess?

As many as are feasible and genuinely different. An option that differs only by vendor does not count as an option of its own. Leadership and SIMO agree on which options go into the assessment.

Does the EVM replace vendor selection?

No, it comes first. If you know which option you want, and why, before you issue an RFP, the selection process is shorter and the bids are comparable. The EVM criteria can be reused to compare the bids.

How does the EVM relate to BEIA?

BEIA provides the baseline the EVM builds on: the current state architecture, the risk register, and the gap analysis. Companies facing a major decision therefore often go from BEIA to the EVM and then to the target architecture.

What is the Business Data Transformation Framework?

The Business Data Transformation Framework is SIMO GmbH’s transformation path in seven phases: Understand, Define, Vary · Simulate · Decide, Architect, Transform, Enable, and Measure. Within it, the EVM forms the decision core between Define and Architect. After each phase, leadership decides whether to continue.

Author and sources

Who answers, and what it rests on

Sources and further reading

  1. SIMO GmbH: Enterprise Variation Method and Business Data Transformation Framework, method description, 2026
  2. The Open Group: The TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition, 2022 (external site)
  3. ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2022, Software, systems and enterprise: Architecture description

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