Resource Library

Back to business architecture school one more time. In our last installment, we talked about how to map out (a.k.a write down) the “core” business architecture that included capabilities, value streams, organization and information. Here in this installment, we’re going to talk about mapping the “extended” business architecture domains.

Okay, time to go back to business architecture school. Having our business architecture written down is at the heart of us being able to do cool stuff with it, so we better talk a little more about mapping it out.

In this StraighTalk installment, we’re going to talk about the “core” business architecture domains. That means those four boxes in the middle of our favorite diagram below.

Here we go one more time looking at business architecture in action. This time we’re going to focus on how business architecture helps to assess and integrate organizations during mergers and acquisitions.

Keeping with our theme of business architecture in action, this post focuses on how business architecture helps with analysis, rationalization and decision-making related to project investments (a.k.a. project portfolio management) and system applications (a.k.a application rationalization and application portfolio management).

This post focuses on the significant role that business architecture plays in making business transformation a reality.

Post No. 8 is all about answering those burning questions around organizational structure and such. Here goes.

Okay, thanks to Post No. 6 we know all about business architects. Now let’s talk about how we assemble them into an all-star cast to make magic.

So what does a business architect do anyway? There are three focus areas of the business architect role in any organization: applying business architecture to various scenarios (a.k.a. “architecting”), building the business architecture knowledgebase and creating the business architecture practice infrastructure.

The bottom line is that to be successful, business architects cannot work as an isolated function. It’s not about creating enterprise maps and expecting magic to happen when people see them. Business architects work within a bigger ecosystem and must always remain cognizant of their role as an enabler of other teams.

Knowing what business architecture is: Check.
Knowing why we do it: Check.
Knowing where it fits within the strategy execution life cycle: Double Check. Knowing where to start: Not so much.

Starting business architecture within an organization can be a fairly organic process, but there are a proven set of steps to follow.

“Houston, we have a problem.” “Uh, this is Houston. Uh, say again please.” We have a strategy execution problem. Remember that whole deal in Post No. 2 about how constant change is the new normal as customer expectations increase and the external environment evolves at an escalating pace? That means the ability for organizations to get their ideas—things like strategies, transformations, innovations and regulatory changes—into action has never been more important than it is right now.

Why should we do business architecture? Good one. That’s the million-dollar question. Simon Sinek says, “Start With Why.” A big part of the answer is not just why business architecture is so important, but why it is so important now, so we’ll start there.