The Jewel in the Crown - Enterprise Architecture at Chubb

Chubb’s enterprise architecture (EA) has evolved considerably since it was reported in this journal in 2012.1 The need to continually adapt to changing technologies and demands can make a solution that worked well a few years ago unsuitable for the current business climate. Chubb moved from a difficult to enforce federated model to consistent centralized standards and shared services to enable the digital organization it sought. To make the transition, Chubb selected a leader with management and leadership skills rather than technical expertise. The major components of the new EA are target architecture and EA practice. The target architecture ,consisting of architecture principles, architecture governance, conceptual reference architectures, and emerging technology, is designed to maximize integration. EA Practice oversees five domain disciplines: IT Strategy and Governance, Application, Technical, Information, and Platform architecture. While multiple sources of business value were created by the new EA, its implementation faced important challenges in terms of loss of dedicated staff and fuzzy lines of responsibility. On the upside, Chubb is now adept at handling demand management and IT leadership development. Chubb has reached the next level of EA maturity.2