Here’s an article by Jeanne Ross and Cynthia Beath called “Why You – Yes, You – Need Enterprise Architecture”, https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/why-you-yes-you-need-enterprise-architecture (7 minute read) [MIT Sloan Management Review, 24-Aug-2020]
The article defines enterprise architecture as “the holistic design of people, processes, and technology to execute digitally inspired strategic goals”. Ross and Beath note that flat, evidence based, automated and digitally aligned organisations are well placed torespond faster to operational problems and business opportunities. For us, this is part of organisation design, tribe accountability and organisational change management.
Some things to consider:
Finding the edges of process and products. Key outcomes becoming components.
Empowering cross functional teams. Diverse talent owns the delivery of key outcomes.
Influencing strategy. Continuous learning informed by evidence that shapes top down and bottom up strategy.
What is your squad empowered to do? Where are the edges of your processes and products? What evidence will you look at? Where is the opportunity to influence strategy?
How does this thinking apply to you in your Tribe / Support Function? What outcomes are you comfortable with? What outcomes make you uncomfortable? Whose talent are you looking forward to surfacing? What are you learning?
Why is this important? Good question. When we start out on any journey, business or otherwise, we have a clear goal and look for the simplest, most effective way to do things. This often involves bringing different products, people and ways of doing things together to work in ways that they may not have been intended. Over time these different things become replaced with people and things that work exactly as intended. Our journey loses its newness and becomes complex. Challenging ourselves to reduce complexity may invite clearer goals and more effectiveness.
For further viewing / reading:
Ingenious Enterprise, https://www.bcg.com/en-au/bcg-henderson-institute/ingenious-enterprise (Interactive) [BCG, Henderson Institute, retrieved 4-Sep-2020]
WZMH Architects Designs Smart Screening and Testing Pod for COVID-19, Christele Harrouk,https://www.archdaily.com/941878/wzmh-architects-designs-smart-screening-and-testing-pod-for-covid-19 (511 Words)[ArchDaily, 17-Jun-2020]
Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.
[Originally posted internally in my role in IS Governance at The Warehouse Group.]