It took decades for IT to break free from Finance and rise as a strategic function. Now, Enterprise Architecture must make the same leap—reporting directly to the CEO to unlock its full enterprise impact.

In 1926, McKinsey & Company was founded by James McKinsey, a professor of accounting at the University of Chicago, with a singular focus on accounting.

At the time, accounting wasn’t just a department; it was the entire enterprise. Everything revolved around financial management.

historical progression from accounting-centric enterprises to IT as a standalone department and finally to modern Enterprise Architecture as a unifying framework. — Historical progression from accounting-centric enterprises to IT as a standalone department and finally to modern Enterprise Architecture as a unifying framework.

Organizations were structured around this singular function, and accounting governed nearly every aspect of the enterprise. The concept of separate departments like marketing, HR, or IT had yet to emerge, as accounting was considered the enterprise’s strategic backbone.