| | 19 DECEMBER 2025FROM STRATEGY TO STRUCTURE: THE ROLE OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE IN BUSINESS GROWTHBy Larry Kiradziev, SVP of Enterprise Architecture, Tricon ResidentialSenior Vice President of Enterprise Architecture at Tricon Residential, Larry Kiradziev leads strategic technology transformations that drive company growth and digital evolution. He began his career as an independent contractor before moving into consulting with a Toronto-based firm, where he learned the importance of demonstrating value beyond results. That lesson became a guiding principle throughout his career. Whether serving as a consultant or part of an internal IT team, Larry has focused on translating technology efforts into tangible business outcomes, ensuring that clients, customers and partners clearly recognize the value delivered through his leadership and expertise. Ensuring Enterprise Architecture Aligns with Business Vision and GoalsFundamentally it starts with communication. It is imperative to understand that IT can influence a business decision but is also driven by a business strategy and therefore to gain that common alignment, communication is key. Over the years, one common theme I have learned from peers and mentors is that you have to run IT as if it were a business and therefore you have to embrace approaches that external vendors use such as Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to ensure that the efforts are driving value.Balancing Formal Frameworks with Real-World Outcomes in Enterprise ArchitectureThe common question when dealing with the business is always "What do you do in IT". Many people then immediately focus on describing their technical skills or soft skills with an IT lens. The reality is in my opinion that everyone, regardless of industry they work in, should always provide an answer similar to the following: "To develop, acquire, deploy and manage technology solutions to improve productivity and generate positive business outcomes" . That should be the mission statement. So with that emphasis at the forefront, IT professionals must be able to demonstrate the accomplishment of that mission vs dogmatically insisting on following a specific framework because it is an academically accepted practice. The framework is the means to an end, not the end itself and I feel that many IT professionals lose sight of the real objective which is to achieve business outcomes, not institutionalize frameworks because of an academic argument. How Enterprise Architects Turn Strategy into StructureThe "textbook" answer that comes to mind for most Enterprise Architects is to foster continuous communication with business leaders, anchor architecture in measurable business goals and KPIs and engage stakeholders early using data-driven insights and visual models. Key strategies often include applying standardized EA frameworks such as TOGAF, prioritizing flexibility and scalability and implementing governance structures that enable collaboration while ensuring strategic alignment.However, like most textbook answers, this is easier said than done. Real success depends on strong relationship management. Larry KiradzievORACLECXO INSIGHTS
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