About the EARF

About the Enterprise Architecture Research Forum (EARF)

The Enterprise Architecture Research Forum (EARF) is a research forum where industry, researchers and academia meet once a month to work on Enterprise Architecture related research focuses.

Vision:

To be the recognised academic EA research body in Southern Africa that stimulates and coordinates research in the EA discipline.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide an independent Enterprise Architecture research forum that meets on a regular basis with representatives from academia, research and industry. The focus of the forum includes, but is not limited to the following activities:

• Engagement with EA industry, academia, researchers and practitioners in terms of:
• Organising events such as conferences, workshops, discussions;
• Initiating and facilitating conversation regarding EA with all stakeholders;
• Promoting formal publication of EA research in accredited journals and other relevant publications;
• Communication and sharing of EA ideas with relevant groups such as the OpenGroup, Zachman International and the TM Forum (Tele Management Forum);
• Contribution to the development of EA as a discipline in higher education;
• Identification of EA research topics.

Values and principles:

EARF will bring EA research and EA practice closer to each other – but the forum is research-oriented, meaning that it is not here to solve “one organisation’s problem”, but to identify “areas for research”. We will support:

• The promotion of free speech relating to EA matters and as a forum we are neutral with regards to vendors, frameworks, technologies and methodologies.
• Membership diversity in participation (membership from different communities).

Discussion thread: http://groups.google.com/group/earf

Contact: For more information contact Prof Alta van der Merwe via e-mail: alta at up dot ac dot za.