Poster

After EIA: Post-Methodology IA

Scott Rummler

Posits that IA is at a crossroads, needing theoretical grounding without relying on methodology. Compares and contrasts IA, EIA, and IRM. Suggests that combining them is the solution. Summaries, comparisons, a diagram, and a timeline are given to suggest a way forward for IA which moves away from methodology and toward conceptual grounding.

Most of the buzz about Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) actually appears to be watered-down IRM. Most attempts today at EIA are concerned with computer architectures or ad-hoc projects designed to manage specific problems, usually those relating to findability and quantity and efficiency. To the extent that EIA is an effort at rearranging the deck chairs, or a near-zero sum game it's headed in the wrong direction.