Useful EA Resources https://useful-ea.com/resources/ Practical writing on enterprise architecture, capability-based planning, and portfolio strategy, from Nick Malik and the Useful EA team. en-us Copyright 2026, CTO Resources LLC Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://useful-ea.com/icon-512.png Useful EA Resources https://useful-ea.com/resources/ The Client Said Yes to Business Architecture. Then the Tool Quote Arrived. https://useful-ea.com/resources/business-architecture-tools-for-consultants/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/business-architecture-tools-for-consultants/ Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Consulting Clients should not have to buy a permanent enterprise architecture platform before they can experience the value of architecture work. Here is a more practical model for consultants and their clients. EA Maturity Models Compared: What Seven Models Measure and How to Use Them https://useful-ea.com/resources/ea-maturity-models-compared/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/ea-maturity-models-compared/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik EA Practice IASA BTABoK, Kotusev, the US DoC ACMM, GAO EAMMF, OMB EAAF, MIT CISR and Useful EA's own model: what each measures, how it scores, and what it is meant for. Teaching Enterprise Architecture as a Practice, Not Just a Framework https://useful-ea.com/resources/teaching-enterprise-architecture-professional-tools/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/teaching-enterprise-architecture-professional-tools/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Enterprise Architecture Education Four practical ways educators can use professional tools to help students practice capability modeling, strategy alignment, application portfolio management, and EA maturity assessment. Bottom-Up Planning Without the Wishlist: A Benefit Dependency Network Method https://useful-ea.com/resources/bottom-up-planning-benefit-dependency-network/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/bottom-up-planning-benefit-dependency-network/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Portfolio Planning Collect bottom-up ideas, trace each proposal to strategy, test the benefit claims and shape the useful work into coherent programs. Practical Uses of a Business Capability Model: From Strategy to Investment https://useful-ea.com/resources/practical-uses-business-capability-model/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/practical-uses-business-capability-model/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Capability Modeling Adapt a capability model, connect it to strategy, find maturity gaps and shape those gaps into investment programs. Business Capability Map Examples https://useful-ea.com/resources/business-capability-map-examples/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/business-capability-map-examples/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Capability Modeling Explore a comprehensive, three-level capability model derived from an edited APQC process hierarchy. Stop Ranking Projects: Why the Annual Planning Wishlist Fails https://useful-ea.com/resources/stop-ranking-projects-portfolio-planning-top-down/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/stop-ranking-projects-portfolio-planning-top-down/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Portfolio Planning Ranking a pile of project requests feels rigorous, but it isn’t strategy. What misalignment costs, and why annual planning needs to change. Low-Cost Enterprise Architecture Tools: Features, Pricing and Tradeoffs https://useful-ea.com/resources/low-cost-enterprise-architecture-tools/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/low-cost-enterprise-architecture-tools/ Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Buyer's Guide Nine tools with a qualifying edition under $395/user/year, compared feature-by-feature — including Useful EA, Sparx, Turbo EA, Archi and Albumi. Low-Cost Business Architecture Tools: Features, Pricing and Tradeoffs https://useful-ea.com/resources/low-cost-business-architecture-tools/ https://useful-ea.com/resources/low-cost-business-architecture-tools/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Nick Malik Buyer's Guide Fifteen tools under $395/seat/year scored against capability modeling, BDN modeling, application portfolio management, demand management and strategic alignment.