> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/gea/developing-a-gov-enterprise-architecture-gea.md).

# Developing a Gov Enterprise Architecture (GEA)

Knowledge base for the \*Developing a Gov Enterprise Architecture (GEA)\* video series — the concepts, the AI plays, and the worked example, in one place.

36 videos in five modules · about 146 minutes of video · 36 AI plays · self-paced · free and open

This is the companion to the video series on building a national Enterprise Architecture anchored on PAERA, the Public Administration Ecosystem Reference Architecture published under GovStack. The videos give you the concept in four to five minutes each. This knowledge base is where you do the work: every subtopic ends with a **play** (a structured prompt you run against your own country's context), a worked example on the fictional country Progressa, and an annotated reading of the result.

You do not leave with a certificate. You leave with a briefing pack about your own country.

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/0bd2MJl2Pic>" %}
Introduction to the course (\~8 min)
{% endembed %}

**Watch first (\~8 min).** Then come back for the play. The video's recap slide carries an on-screen practice box — it is not narrated — and this page is where that box points.

## Outline

| Module                                                                                                | Topic                                           | Persona    | Videos | Plays   | Status      |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------ | ------- | ----------- |
| [1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea.md)                       | Why a PAERA-anchored EA                         | Strategist | 7      | 7 plays | Videos live |
| [2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers.md)  | Principles, the metamodel and the BDAT layers   | Architect  | 7      | 7 plays | Videos live |
| [3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance.md)          | EA repository, tooling and governance           | Architect  | 7      | 7 plays | Videos live |
| [4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector.md) | Progressa end-to-end — the method on one sector | Architect  | 8      | 8 plays | Videos live |
| [5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case.md)                 | Evidence, rollout and the case                  | Strategist | 6      | 7 plays | Videos live |

*Prompts live — concept and play on every page, worked example pending. Worked examples live — Progressa run and annotated. Videos live — embeds on every page.*

{% hint style="success" %}
**How the course works.** **Watch** the video → **Play** it on your own country → **Read** the output the way an architect would → **Carry** the artefact into the next play. Each play produces a numbered artefact, and the artefacts feed each other; run a module and the outputs assemble into [your country workbook](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/your-country-workbook.md).
{% endhint %}

## Audience

| Persona        | Who that is in practice                                                   | Modules                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   | What you leave with                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Strategist** | CDO, Director-General, sector minister or ministerial-equivalent sponsor  | [1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea.md), [5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case.md)                                                                                                                                    | A cabinet-ready case for commissioning a national EA: the fragmentation diagnostic, the re-use business case, the four asks to put to your minister, and the cross-country evidence that the method works.            |
| **Architect**  | Chief or senior architect in a national digital agency or sector ICT unit | [2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers.md), [3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance.md), [4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector.md) | The working method: reading a government in four layers, the shared metamodel, PAERA's principles adopted rather than drafted, a repository and an EA Board that can say no, and a full five-phase run on one sector. |

Both tracks share the [Start here](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here.md) chapter and the same demonstration country. A Strategist who watches only Modules 1 and 5 gets a complete argument; an Architect who watches only 2 to 4 gets a complete method. Most teams send one of each.

This is not a course for developers. It covers what to commission, how to judge it and how to govern it — not how to build a registry or configure an exchange layer.

## All videos

<details>

<summary><strong>Module 1 — Why a PAERA-anchored EA</strong> · ~31 minutes across seven videos</summary>

| #                                                                                                                                                           | Video                                                                   | Runtime | Status                                |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [1.1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.1-why-your-country-needs-a-national-ea.md)                                  | Why your country needs a national EA                                    | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/_wqJhBxG0hk) |
| [1.2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.2-what-an-ea-actually-is-in-one-breath.md)                                  | What an EA actually is, in one breath                                   | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/Lhk7jqX9Q1g) |
| [1.3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.3-why-projects-cant-do-this-themselves.md)                                  | Why projects can't do this themselves                                   | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/GbuFFt5NiF4) |
| [1.4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.4-why-an-ea-matters-more-now-and-what-it-lets-your-minister-actually-do.md) | Why an EA matters more now — and what it lets your minister actually do | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/CHtYlj1UZxs) |
| [1.5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.5-why-paera-anchored-the-head-start-you-do-not-pay-for-twice.md)            | Why PAERA-anchored — the head start you do not pay for twice            | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/zP6eZvJ4OHg) |
| [1.6](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.6-the-lifecycle-on-one-page.md)                                             | The lifecycle on one page                                               | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/6B_itQVbMgU) |
| [1.7](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.7-what-you-will-need-from-your-minister-and-how-to-ask-for-it.md)           | What you will need from your minister — and how to ask for it           | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/x9Z_s31UAx0) |

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Module 2 — Principles, the metamodel and the BDAT layers</strong> · ~32 minutes across seven videos</summary>

| #                                                                                                                                                                            | Video                                                                 | Runtime | Status                                |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [2.1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.1-read-any-government-in-four-layers.md)                                | Read any government in four layers                                    | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/6zlQEhfwcys) |
| [2.2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.2-the-shared-vocabulary-that-makes-re-use-possible.md)                  | The shared vocabulary that makes re-use possible                      | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/Sehx-cX-YjM) |
| [2.3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.3-adopt-your-principles-dont-draft-them.md)                             | Adopt your principles, don't draft them                               | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/msyeumtCnV0) |
| [2.4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.4-classify-any-public-body-before-you-model-it.md)                      | Classify any public body before you model it                          | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/4jmR8196iNc) |
| [2.5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.5-bdat-on-a-real-ministry-the-progressa-walkthrough.md)                 | BDAT on a real ministry — the Progressa walkthrough                   | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/6RjCtfJ4wPg) |
| [2.6](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.6-run-a-phase-2-assess-what-good-looks-like-and-the-gaps-youll-find.md) | Run a Phase 2 Assess — what good looks like, and the gaps you'll find | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/9YLWyUql6wg) |
| [2.7](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-2-principles-the-metamodel-and-the-bdat-layers/2.7-the-two-traps-to-catch-at-assess-bespoke-and-vendor-driven.md)        | The two traps to catch at Assess — bespoke and vendor-driven          | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/w0-t_f_UJA8) |

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Module 3 — EA repository, tooling and governance</strong> · ~29 minutes across seven videos</summary>

| #                                                                                                                                                     | Video                                                | Runtime | Status                                |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [3.1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.1-set-up-the-one-place-your-architecture-lives.md)       | Set up the one place your architecture lives         | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/wQlxQscO6n0) |
| [3.2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.2-choose-ea-tooling-without-locking-yourself-in.md)      | Choose EA tooling without locking yourself in        | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/svzkAS-lZlQ) |
| [3.3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.3-keep-the-repository-true-the-update-discipline.md)     | Keep the repository true — the update discipline     | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/PB7gpWBRwK8) |
| [3.4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.4-stand-up-an-ea-board-that-can-actually-say-no.md)      | Stand up an EA Board that can actually say no        | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/hwxnHnQ5Pzc) |
| [3.5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.5-review-projects-against-the-architecture.md)           | Review projects against the architecture             | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/S-kPZmf6ZmQ) |
| [3.6](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.6-show-the-ea-is-working-the-few-metrics-that-matter.md) | Show the EA is working — the few metrics that matter | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/UmlE-NFgROo) |
| [3.7](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-3-ea-repository-tooling-and-governance/3.7-keep-the-practice-alive-past-year-two.md)              | Keep the practice alive past year two                | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/pBQe_4KfaDA) |

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Module 4 — Progressa end-to-end — the method on one sector</strong> · ~28 minutes across eight videos</summary>

| #                                                                                                                                                                          | Video                                                            | Runtime | Status                                |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [4.1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.1-meet-progressa-a-real-sector-with-a-real-fragmentation-problem.md) | Meet Progressa — a real sector with a real fragmentation problem | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/6A4gev1E_DI) |
| [4.2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.2-phase-1-discover-map-what-the-sector-has-today.md)                 | Phase 1, Discover — map what the sector has today                | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/lb3DIjim2uI) |
| [4.3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.3-phase-2-assess-find-the-gaps-and-rank-them.md)                     | Phase 2, Assess — find the gaps and rank them                    | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/eU4cKNvP5r4) |
| [4.4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.4-phase-3-adapt-fit-paera-and-decide-build-buy-or-share.md)          | Phase 3, Adapt — fit PAERA and decide build, buy or share        | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/AMh9r8JI9tg) |
| [4.5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.5-phase-4-plan-design-the-target-architecture.md)                    | Phase 4, Plan — design the target architecture                   | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/nZf9WPZaatU) |
| [4.6](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.6-phase-4-plan-sequence-the-roadmap-and-cost-it.md)                  | Phase 4, Plan — sequence the roadmap and cost it                 | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/ywmhNGtPHM0) |
| [4.7](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.7-phase-5-execute-and-govern-stand-up-the-living-ea.md)              | Phase 5, Execute & Govern — stand up the living EA               | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/qmdt-kregBU) |
| [4.8](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-4-progressa-end-to-end-the-method-on-one-sector/4.8-run-this-on-your-own-sector-the-transferable-recipe.md)            | Run this on your own sector — the transferable recipe            | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/wuM_eMIeP_A) |

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Module 5 — Evidence, rollout and the case</strong> · ~23 minutes across six videos</summary>

| #                                                                                                                                                                | Video                                                                  | Runtime | Status                                |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------- |
| [5.1](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.1-is-this-proven-or-just-theory-evidence-from-real-programmes.md)          | Is this proven, or just theory? — evidence from real programmes        | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/_XLpj-5n4Tc) |
| [5.2](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.2-what-the-evidence-says-works-and-what-quietly-kills-these-programmes.md) | What the evidence says works — and what quietly kills these programmes | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/FhdHOFi67u8) |
| [5.3](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.3-roll-it-out-across-sectors-and-why-the-second-is-cheaper.md)             | Roll it out across sectors — and why the second is cheaper             | \~5 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/UbvX5DU5yNk) |
| [5.4](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.4-win-the-commitment-the-business-case-that-gets-your-minister-to-yes.md)  | Win the commitment — the business case that gets your minister to yes  | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/nTntAR4IV2c) |
| [5.5](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.5-build-your-teams-capability-with-open-knowledge-products.md)             | Build your team's capability with open knowledge products              | \~4 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/N-5FQyyEEnI) |
| [5.6](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-5-evidence-rollout-and-the-case/5.6-the-closing-case-proven-portable-and-necessary-now.md)                   | The closing case — proven, portable, and necessary now                 | \~3 min | [watch](https://youtu.be/-S0v5iWQiV4) |

</details>

## Something to see

Before you commit an afternoon, open one page and look at what a play actually produces.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>▶️ A finished play, end to end</strong></td><td>1.1 carries the prompt, the Progressa input, the raw model output and a four-point annotated reading of it — what is earned, what is invented, what is missing.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea/1.1-why-your-country-needs-a-national-ea.md">1.1 Why your country needs a national EA</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>🚩 The demonstration country</strong></td><td>Progressa: bodies, systems, symptoms and a stalled flagship. Paste it into any play in the knowledge base and follow along without using your own country's data.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/progressa-the-demonstration-country.md">Progressa — the demonstration country</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>📒 What you walk away with</strong></td><td>The artefact chain in dependency order — the pack of documents about your own country that the plays assemble.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/your-country-workbook.md">Your country workbook</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Prerequisites

**No enterprise-architecture background is assumed.** You do not need TOGAF, ArchiMate or any certification; the vocabulary is built up from Module 2 onwards. If you already practise EA in a private-sector setting, Modules 1 and 4 are where the public-sector difference shows.

**What you do need:**

|                                  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **A real subject**               | A ministry, sector or national programme you can describe in a few paragraphs. The plays act on your context, not on a case study. No subject to hand? Run everything on [Progressa](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/progressa-the-demonstration-country.md) instead. |
| **Enough access to describe it** | You should be able to name your country's main registers, digital programmes and institutions, or spend an afternoon on [Play 0](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/play-0-build-your-country-context.md) building that picture from public sources.                     |
| **An AI assistant**              | Any general assistant — Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini. A free account is enough. Nothing to install; the [ea-plays kit](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/the-ea-plays-kit.md) is optional and only sharpens the plays for Claude users.                                      |
| **Reading comfort**              | You should be at ease with a policy document and a simple system diagram. No code is written anywhere in this Knowledge Product.                                                                                                                                                        |
| **About fifteen minutes, once**  | The first three pages of [Start here](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here.md) cover how the plays work and the ground rules for using an assistant on government material. Read them before your first play.                                                              |

Time: each subtopic is a four-minute video plus a ten-to-fifteen-minute play. A module is an afternoon. The whole Knowledge Product is roughly two working days spread over as long as you like.

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h3>🛡️</h3></td><td><strong>Working with AI</strong></td><td>What an assistant is good for, the four ways it misleads you, and the safeguards. Read once; applies to all four Knowledge Products.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/working-with-ai-the-ground-rules.md">Working with AI — the ground rules</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3>🏁</h3></td><td><strong>Module 1 — Why a PAERA-anchored EA</strong></td><td>Seven videos and seven plays for the Strategist making the case: symptoms, definition, business case, lifecycle, the four asks.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/module-1-why-a-paera-anchored-ea.md">Module 1 — Why a PAERA-anchored EA</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3>🔍</h3></td><td><strong>Play 0 — Build your country context</strong></td><td>Seven research prompts that produce the context pack every play asks you to paste. Run once, reuse everywhere.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/play-0-build-your-country-context.md">Play 0 — Build your country context</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3>📒</h3></td><td><strong>Your country workbook</strong></td><td>The artefacts the plays produce, in dependency order — the retention mechanism of the course.</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/gea/your-country-workbook.md">Your country workbook</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Where this sits

This course is the first of four Knowledge Products. [Building a Government Interoperability Framework (GIF)](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/government-interoperability-framework-gif/building-a-government-interoperability-framework-gif) is the second and [Education Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Roadmap](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/roadmap/education-digital-public-infrastructure-dpi-roadmap) the third, and [Designing Digital Government Services using a Building Block Approach](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/building-block/designing-digital-government-services-using-a-building-block-approach) the fourth. All four use [**Progressa**](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/progressa-the-demonstration-country.md) as the single worked example and share one set of [ground rules](/experience-digital-transformation/gea/start-here/working-with-ai-the-ground-rules.md). The underlying method is GEATDM, the Generic EA Target Architecture Development Method; PAERA v1.0 is at [paera.govstack.global](https://paera.govstack.global).

{% hint style="info" %}
**Use this knowledge base from your AI assistant.** Every page is also published as plain Markdown, and the knowledge base exposes an `llms.txt` and an MCP endpoint at `/~gitbook/mcp`. Point Claude, ChatGPT or another assistant at the knowledge base and ask it to *run play 1.1 with the following context* — the knowledge base becomes the tool's reference, not just yours.
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions
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## Querying This Documentation
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