Enterprise Architecture Transformation

It is often said "if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" so I will try to make this first article of mine as (overly)simple as possible to unwrap the juggernaut that Enterprise Architecture Transformation is.

The term is on front burner as organisations scramble in the post-pandemic world to better appeal to their customers for loyalty and jostle for talent attraction and retention.

I thought of sharing my ideas over What, Why and How - Enterprise Architecture Transformation and will focus on WHAT portion in this post.

The What?

Enterprise : Pronunciation /?en.t?.pra?z/?

An organisation, activity or a plan that comes together to achieve a goal . An enterprise varies in size, processes involved or market addressed. This could lead to generating money for sustenance but not necessarily all the time. Common Social Good is slowly taking its place as core value why many Enterprise function. For ex: Oil & Gas Refinery, Multi-National Bank or a Non-Profit Organisation.

Architecture : Pronunciation /?ɑ?k?tekt??r/

The structure or blueprint of an organisation which captures the relationship between all its parts. Ideally, a complete architecture should encompass both internal and external engagements of an Enterprise. The better an organisation understands these intertwined relationships, the better control they have in steering a change and are better equipped to navigate challenges that arise from it.

Transformation : Pronunciation /?tr?ns.f??me?.??n/

A complete change in character or way of operating to better meet the needs of the business. This could mean an Enterprise totally overhauling their ways to improve on how they serve, who they serve or where they serve. For example: Bank facilitating digital payments, F&B capturing kerb-pickup trend or a city embracing smart lighting for citizen safety.

So, now that we have broken down Enterprise Architecture Transformation, let's take a look of what levers or pillars an Enterprise may comprise of :

• Business:

This pillar is a service or a product an Enterprise is bringing to the market. It can be further broken down into sub-parts like capabilities, markets, stakeholders, assets, strategies, rules etc. For example: Ride Hailing App, Auditing Services Firm or a Grocery Store.

• Application:

These are tools an Enterprise will use to run its business. In some instances this can be the sole interface between a company and its customers. This can be as simple as sticky notes, excel sheet all the way to complex ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. Businesses may have to deal with aspects like Application Development and Integration, Uptime, Alignment, SLAs in this pillar.

• Data:

Data is what an Enterprise will generate, consume or leverage while doing their business. This is a critical piece that shows how deft organisations are in picking up the signals markets, customers and employees are sending them. For example: Automated Driving leading to mapping roads, crossings and petrol kiosks in the journey which gives you complete and accurate map of the local area. Similarly, understanding behavioural analytics in an aisle and placing products accordingly. Enterprises will have to manage areas like Data Architecture and Modelling, Privacy, Data Management, Analytics, Dashboards, etc (or get someone else to do it for them).

• Technology:

Technology stack dictates the platform that business use to delivers their services. For example: E-commerce running solely via mobile app, MOOC delivered online or an MNC enabling remote work via thin client. As disruption happens at fast pace in all-things-tech this area is evolving fast that is giving organisations new avenues to capture markets and challenging already set businesses and mindsets. For example: Ride-hailing (Super)App swiftly branching into credit loans and payment services or AI driven lending agency that uses various background information to gauge how credit worthy a potential borrower is. You can relate all buzzwords like AI/ ML , DevSecOps, Cloud, Cybersecurity, IoT etc to this pillar.

• People, Process and Culture:

I have often noticed this aspect overlooked but it is indeed the centrepiece of any task at hand. Looking inward, people would be our peers, extended team, leaders, partners and suppliers that strive to go on about this journey of change. Externally facing, this would be customers, stakeholders, investors and industry analysts. It is critical to understand the aspirations, complexities and motivations of all those involved before an endeavour. This helps aligns the goals, efforts to achieve them and also address the frictions that could arise. Process and Culture in organisation throws limelight on synergy between Hiring and Business Partners. People in the team are face of the company and change makers. While some companies aspire to hire candidates cut-from-the-same-cloth, other teams may aspire to bring candidates from diverse cultures and backgrounds to complement each other. There is no magic formula to this as long as team works together as one cohesive unit towards a common business goal and navigate changes well.

• Sustainability:

This area is fast becoming a reason as to how organisations align towards social good and I already notice conversations and steps being taken across multiple industries. Although, the conversation would have to be uplifted from mere RRR (reduce, reuse and recycle) and material used, to every aspect of how an organisation does business. This will call for change how we have been functioning so far not just internally but also with our partners and suppliers. Great news is, more and more Enterprises listing this as their key strategic initiative and starting to act on it.

An organisation looking to disrupt a market or start new services for existing or new customer base would aim to bring about transformation in some or all of the Enterprise Pillars shared above. A classic example could be Netflix - Cloud Delivered Content via internet on mobile devices and constantly using data analytics to keep viewers engaged with relevant content. In doing so, it has permanently disrupted the decades old Cable and Entertainment Industry. Meanwhile, its subscription revenue model appeals to business appetite of stakeholders which ensures brand loyalty (to some extent).

In summary, organisations now constantly need to align and innovate to meet their customer needs and the speed with which this transformation will occur is not getting any slower. The better organisations have a view and understanding of these pillars and ability to move them the more equipped they are to be relevant in today's world.

To be continued.....

The views expressed here are strictly personal. At time of publishing, Khan Asif Azad works at Cisco Systems as Global Systems Architect and helps Global Enterprises with their digital transformation initiatives.

#thoughtleadership #digitaltransformation #disruption #changemaker #CIOadvisor

Credits: istock image and Cambridge Dictionary