{"id":1377,"date":"2026-03-27T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/?p=1377"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:50:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:50:42","slug":"enterprise-architecture-making-a-technical-process-easier-to-navigate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/2026\/03\/27\/enterprise-architecture-making-a-technical-process-easier-to-navigate\/","title":{"rendered":"Enterprise Architecture: making a technical process easier to navigate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, we worked closely with the Enterprise Architecture (EA) team within IT Services to help promote the system approval process. Historically, there was no web presence &#8211; the process lived in Google Docs and often relied on knowing who to ask. Our goal was to demystify EA and help colleagues get their proposals approved as smoothly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starting with user stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A key starting point was creating <strong>user stories<\/strong> \u2013 simple statements that describe what a user wants to do and why. We paired these with <strong>acceptance criteria<\/strong> \u2013 a checklist of exactly what the new pages needed to do to achieve the user\u2019s need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-left is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-da43445a wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example user story: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>As a member of staff exploring options for buying or replacing a system<\/strong>, I need to know where to start, what steps to follow and what requirements to meet, so that I can efficiently get approval for a new system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Done when the user:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>sees actions to take, and the order to take them in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>knows what information they are required to submit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>sees contact methods and what they can help with, so that the user can progress through specific stages of the proposal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>knows if this is the right process for them to follow and is in scope for board approval.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EA team wrote a first content draft to help us understand the process. We then combined their knowledge with our understanding of content design to spruce the content so it was web-ready, accessible and could clearly guide users through the steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Collaborative editing in the same room<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make sure we\u2019d got it right, we sat together (literally) and went through the new web pages on the same screen. We checked the pages one by one against our acceptance criteria. This was a turning point; it helped the EA team expand their focus beyond their business goals and clearly visualise the users\u2019 needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From those initial drafts, we ultimately condensed the content into four clear sections: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/\"><strong>The landing page<\/strong><\/a><strong>: <\/strong>the starting point for those new to the process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/team\/\"><strong>Meet the team<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> encouraging early support as the first step.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/principles\/\"><strong>The architecture principles<\/strong><\/a><strong>: <\/strong>these ground and influence the planning stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/technical-design-authority\/\"><strong>Technical Design Authority<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> ensures proposals are ready to submit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Consistent signposting&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each page mirrors the process steps in order. EA is still an emerging term outside of IT Services, so these pages ensure that whether you\u2019re looking at the Technical Design Authority (TDA) page or the architecture principles, you know you&#8217;re in the right place. This consistent journey builds familiarity and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default wp-duotone-unset-1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"778\" height=\"305\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-mirrored-signposts-blog-edited.png?resize=778%2C305&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-mirrored-signposts-blog-edited.png?w=778&amp;ssl=1 778w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-mirrored-signposts-blog-edited.png?resize=300%2C118&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-mirrored-signposts-blog-edited.png?resize=768%2C301&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A huge win for this project was definitely the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/technical-design-authority\/\">Technical Design Authority<\/a> page. We turned it into a practical step-by-step guide with numbered headings and a checklist. Standing in front of a senior board can be intimidating, so the content aims to help staff feel prepared rather than overwhelmed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The data<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since going live towards the end of last year, the pages have attracted steady interest. With the content being fairly niche and geared towards senior colleagues, we didn\u2019t expect huge numbers, but we can see engagement is consistent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>1,000+ views <\/strong>across the section so far.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low bounce rate: <\/strong>the average for the section is less than 30%, which is great for complex process content.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Steady growth: <\/strong>daily views have accumulated steadily since launch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Engaged views:<\/strong> on average, people spend about a minute on the three information pages, suggesting they&#8217;re actually reading the guidance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-analytics-blog.png?resize=620%2C270&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-analytics-blog.png?w=620&amp;ssl=1 620w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/EA-analytics-blog.png?resize=300%2C131&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The TDA page is the most visited, which makes sense as the mandatory \u2018must-do\u2019 for anyone seeking approval. Though the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/\">landing page<\/a> guides users through the whole EA journey, the data shows many are heading straight to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.york.ac.uk\/it-services\/guides\/enterprise-architecture\/technical-design-authority\/\">TDA page<\/a> via organic search (unpaid search engine results). This suggests its discoverability is strong and our keywords are working. Because of the clear signposting, even if users jump to the &#8216;must-do&#8217; tasks, they\u2019ll see the EA support and principles are right there in their path, making it easy to get the right advice at the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<em>We were really pleased with the pages. We enjoyed the build of the pages, and the process for us getting there, and of course the engagement. We thought it would take a lot longer to get these in place from the stories and the build out, but you all really delivered on this one!<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 Dan Miller, Lead Technical Architect (Enterprise Architecture)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The key takeaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collaboration and an understanding of each other\u2019s skills were key to this project. <strong>Good content + actually talking to each other in person = a win for complex University functions.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve been working to demystify a tricky technical process. By sitting in the same room with our stakeholders and designing around user stories, we\u2019ve clarified a complicated process and made it feel a lot more human.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":240,"featured_media":1393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[38,69,63,15,48],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-content","tag-content-design","tag-content-strategy","tag-digital","tag-web"],"acf":[],"uoy_author":{"name":"Harriet Sutcliffe","bio":"I'm a web content developer at the University of York.","image":{"src":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=200&d=mm&r=g","width":200,"height":200,"alt":""}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Enterprise-Architecture-web-project-blog-image.png?fit=825%2C510&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/240"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.york.ac.uk\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}