Something I have noticed that seems to be lacking in the field of business architecture is pragmatism.  Many BA’s I speak with are frustrated at the difficulty they are having in expanding their business architecture practices and in building relationships with business leadership.  I believe this is often rooted in unrealistic expectations built from reading BA literature, listening to exaggerated success stories at conferences, and the assumption that what worked somewhere else will work for their company.  To all aspiring business architects out there, let me give you a tip: be realistic.  Business architecture is definitely more art than science.  The following are five examples of how to pragmatically approach working with the business.