A federal programme for the unified modernisation of Germany’s tax administration — with an annual budget of over €350M and a total programme budget exceeding €2 billion — was operating without a unified EA governance framework or a consolidated target architecture. Portamus established the EAM for the programme, designed the target architecture, and led the development of the open-source strategy for the German tax administration. Today, 300+ IT applications are governed through EAM, approximately 150 architects have been trained through a purpose-built programme, and architecture decisions are validated through regular presentations to steering committees at federal and state level.
Public Sector
Public Authority: Enterprise Architecture Management Enabling Modern Tax Administration
EAM establishment, target architecture design, and federal open-source strategy for a programme spanning 300+ IT applications and a total budget exceeding €2 billion.
Executive Summary
The Engagement at a Glance
Challenge
Where the Organization Stood
An authority responsible for the joint IT modernisation of Germany's tax administration lacked a unified EA governance framework to steer over 300 heterogeneous IT applications across federal and state bodies.
No EA Governance Across State Bodies
300+ IT applications were operated by different agencies and data centres without sufficient overarching architecture governance or unified standards.
No Consolidated Target Architecture
The KONSENS programme lacked a target architecture that could serve as the binding strategic basis for investment and modernisation decisions.
Distributed Architect Network Without Common Training
Architects across the programme had varying levels of EAM knowledge — a unified training programme for the distributed architect network was missing.
Solution
What We Did
Enterprise Architecture Management Establishment
Portamus established EAM to ensure business-IT alignment across all 300+ IT applications — including architecture principles, review processes, and compliance monitoring.
Target Architecture Design
A comprehensive target architecture was developed and now serves as the strategic basis for all IT investment and modernisation decisions within the programme.
Open-Source Strategy"
Portamus led the development of the open-source strategy for the German tax administration, creating a policy framework applicable across all federal states.
Results & Outcomes
What Changed
300+
IT Applications Governed
EAM ensures business-IT alignment for 300+ IT applications across the federal and state tax administration.
~150
Architects Trained
An EAM training programme was designed and delivered to approximately 150 architects across the distributed network.
€350M/year
Annual Budget
The KONSENS programme has an annual budget of approximately €300M — architecture decisions directly impact these investments.
Target Architecture
Designed
The target architecture serves as the binding strategic baseline for all modernisation measures in the programme.
Key Takeaways
What Made This Engagement Work
EAM as a Governance Instrument
In distributed federal IT landscapes, enterprise architecture management is the central instrument for ensuring business-IT alignment across organisational boundaries.
Target Architecture as Investment Compass
A clearly defined and widely accepted target architecture prevents misdirected investments and significantly accelerates decision-making in governance committees.
Open Source Requires Architectural Framing
The open-source strategy demonstrates that technology policy decisions require an architectural perspective — policy mandates alone are insufficient without implementation architecture.
Related Case Studies
More Client Outcomes
Business Process Management
European Aviation Authority Designs ECCAIRS-Integrated Occurrence Reporting System
Challenge
Optimisable digital system for managing internal aviation occurrences, required integration with European ECCAIRS standard
Solution
Process design for IORS, ECCAIRS integration architecture, SAP integration evaluation, staff training
Outcome
IORS live (easa.europa.eu/iors), ECCAIRS integrated, EU-wide incident data exchange enabled
Authority
Digitalisation
EU-wide
Incident Reporting
Business Process Management
Fashion Retailer Builds ITIL-Compliant ITSM with Automated CMDB
Challenge
No unified ITSM, missing CMDB, manual release processes without unified automation for host and Java workloads
Solution
ITIL CMDB with automated asset discovery, Nagios monitoring, ChangeMan z/OS release management, Serena PPM
Outcome
Automated CMDB live, release management brought into production, SLAs and OLAs defined
live
to date
automated
Asset Discovery
Healthcare
National Healthcare System Consolidates ITSM Architecture Across 22 Hospitals
Challenge
Fragmented ITSM across 6 hospital clusters, no unified monitoring for health-critical SLAs
Solution
End-to-end ITSM architecture across 8 process areas, SLA monitoring design, 4-system integration blueprint
Outcome
Unified ITSM blueprint for $54M programme, SLA-capable monitoring, integration architecture delivered
22
Hospitals
$54M
Programme Budget