Coming off its first year with over 5200 members, the Association of Open Group Enterprise Architects (AOGEA) is seeking to grow beyond its original role of EA certification to a more broad-based professional society.

According to Leonard Fehskens, vice president and global profession lead for enterprise architecture for The Open Group, who spearheads AOGEA, the shift is a change from the group’s original mandate. The group, one of several spun off by the Open Group to provide professional certifications (the other is geared around IT specialists), the original purpose was to formally recognize enterprise architects based not on their book knowledge, but their professional experience. That’s in contrast to the Open Group’s well-known TOGAF certifications, which cover knowledge of a specific enterprise architecture framework.

With just under half of its 5200 members have achieved IT architect certification, it makes sense that the group is looking for its next act. The goal is pretty familiar: get the workings of more local, grassroots chapters that in turn create discussion and foster development of the kinds of best practices and community that professional associations are known for. “A common problem has been that working architects were too busy with heads-down in project work to have the chance to communicate with others in the profession,” said Fehskens.

At this point, the group has not yet formulated what its next steps are. But the groundwork has been laid with formation of seven chapters, five of which are in North America, with others in Bangalore and Australia.

AOGEA is hardly alone. Other groups plying the field include the Global Enterprise Architects Organisation, originally formed 2002 in New Zealand, currently provides chat rooms, regional conferences and workshops, and publishes a journal of best practices. Then there’s the Association of Enterprise Architects, a 375-member body that is heavily tied in with the rival Zachman Framework, and the Institute For Enterprise Architecture Developments, which is active in Europe and the U.S.

We asked Fehskens why Open Group didn’t initially partner with existing bodies rather than starting a new one. He responded that some were too regional in nature, while some were not that “visible.” “And had others been more visible at the time of our development and subsequent launch we certainly would have approached them to explore a partnership – this is what The Open Group is all about,” he responded in an email, adding that the group might be open to partnering with Institute for Enterprise Architecture Development, GEAO, and others down the road.

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