Conceptual Enterprise Architecture Driven Framework for Information Technology Decisions in SMEs

IT investment decisions influence the way Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operate, attain growth and compete. However, the IT decision making process can be quite challenging to SME owners-managers because they often lack sufficient IT skills and information to make optimum choice. IT decisions in SMEs are often based on the owners' intuition and cognition because of the limited information decision makers rely on when choosing IT. Decision makers can optimally use quality information as a formal technique to assess business requirements, leverage business capabilities, define criteria to surmount constraints and explore possibilities of employing IT to overcome business challenges. This study proposes that the IT decision process of SME owners-managers can be strategically formalised and optimised by holistically assessing business needs, capabilities, constraints and potentials. To that end, this paper presents a conceptual EA Driven Framework (EADF) grounded in the findings from previous empirical investigations of the typical IT decision-making process of South African and Nigerian SME owners-managers. This study highlighted the challenges of IT decision making in SMEs and how the principles of enterprise architecture can help in overcoming the several IT decision challenges. The EA driven framework provides a general guideline for IT decision-making process in SMEs. The efficacious adherence to the principles of the EADF will offer SME owners-managers a roadmap to improve IT investment decisions.