What's the best way to balance strategy alignment with operational efficiency?

1 Understand the value streams

One of the key concepts of business architecture is the value stream, which is a sequence of activities that delivers value to a customer or stakeholder. By mapping and analyzing the value streams of an organization, business architects can identify the strategic outcomes, the value propositions, the customer segments, and the performance indicators that drive the business. This helps to align the strategy with the value delivery, and to prioritize the initiatives and projects that support the strategy.

2 Assess the capabilities

Another important concept of business architecture is the capability, which is a combination of people, processes, information, and technology that enables an organization to perform a specific function. By assessing the capabilities of an organization, business architects can evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that affect the strategy execution. This helps to identify the gaps, redundancies, dependencies, and risks that impact the operational efficiency, and to design the solutions and improvements that address them.

3 Leverage the frameworks

Business architecture is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it requires adaptation and customization to the specific context and needs of each organization. However, there are some frameworks and methodologies that can help business architects to structure and standardize their work, and to communicate and collaborate with other stakeholders. For example, the Business Architecture Guild provides the Business Architecture Body of Knowledge (BIZBOK), which is a comprehensive guide to the best practices and standards of business architecture. Similarly, the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas are useful tools to visualize and validate the business model and the value proposition of an organization.

4 Engage the stakeholders

Business architecture is not a solo activity; it involves multiple stakeholders from different levels and functions of an organization, as well as external partners and customers. Therefore, business architects need to engage and involve these stakeholders throughout the process, from defining the vision and goals, to designing and implementing the solutions and changes. This helps to ensure the alignment and buy-in of the stakeholders, and to incorporate their feedback and insights into the business architecture. Moreover, business architects need to communicate and educate the stakeholders about the value and benefits of business architecture, and to demonstrate how it can help them achieve their objectives and solve their problems.

5 Monitor and adapt

Business architecture is not a static or linear process; it requires constant monitoring and adaptation to the changing environment and conditions of the business. Therefore, business architects need to measure and evaluate the results and outcomes of their work, and to compare them with the expected and desired ones. This helps to identify the gaps and deviations, and to adjust and improve the business architecture accordingly. Furthermore, business architects need to anticipate and respond to the emerging trends and opportunities, and to innovate and experiment with new ideas and approaches that can enhance the strategy alignment and the operational efficiency of the organization.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?