Practical mechanisms to align Business Architecture with Technology Architecture

Our September meet-up was always going to be exciting and did not fail to deliver. Three great speakers and a lively audience = a recipe for a good meet-up.

The subject in question was how do align Business Architecture with Technology Architecture? This has always been a subject close to my heart and great to see some good debate around the subject. Without doubt some subject matter for future events.

Harsh Mishra
Chief Technology Officer
S4G Consulting

Harsh is an award-winning Enterprise Architect with prevalent Multi-Cloud technical expertise and extensive ICT services and customer-facing background. Harsh’s key objective is to deliver innovative enterprise solutions for successful business outcomes. He is passionate about aligning business value and outcomes with current and emerging technology specifically focusing on Enterprise Level end-to-end Digital Transformation, and Continuous Delivery using Intelligent Cloud, and Intelligent Edge Platforms, with hands-on knowledge in many enterprise technologies” He has recently partnered with S4G Consulting Pty Ltd

As Chief Technology and Innovation Officer and helping businesses such as ARTC, Bendigo Bank and others to achieve their transformation goals.

#1 How business architect and tech architect shake hands

Harsh’s Slides

Philip Dove
Director of Partners & Alliances
Capsifi

Philip is Capsifi’s Director of Partners & Alliances (www.capsifi.com), prior to which he spent the best part of twenty years as a consultant focusing on Operating Models, Organisational Design, and Change Management across Financial Services in the UK and Australia. He has also been the Head of the Business Analysis and Project Management, at AMP, where he focused on the uplift of the Business Architecture capability and the development of the Business Capability Maturity Model.

#2 Synopsis: The importance of developing a Digital Operating Model:

We live in an age of exponential change
The growing power of “The Customer”
Need for continuous transformation
Impediments to continuous transformation
- Annualised strategic planning & funding cycle
- The ‘invisible operating model’ – only funded and evolved on CAPEX funded initiatives
  - Need to eliminate enterprise archaeology by developing a digital operating model
    - Make the Operating Model a corporate asset – visible to all
What should a digital operating model include:
- Operating Model on a Page (slide)
  - Advantages
    - Rapid analysis and response – Customer, Regulator, Market…and Pandemic
    - Increased accountability
    - Common understanding
    - Eliminate single-point dependency / reduce risk
    - Democratisation of enterprise innovation
    - Increased accountability
    - Drive behavioural change

Phil’s Slides

Heidi Beets
Transformation Management Consulting & Presales
Capsifi

Heidi has recently joined Capsifi in Pre-Sales and Consulting and was previously helping organisations establish integrated architecture and design practices to drive successful business transformations. Having over 20 years experience and education/qualifications in strategy, design, architecture & accounting, she has helped industry-leading clients across multiple sectors in London, Sydney and Brisbane through strategic transformation leadership and advisory and serves as an advisory board member on several boards.

#3 Synopsis: The benefits of integrated Architecture & Design

Companies have been disappearing – takeovers/mergers/administration/bankruptcy rapidly changing customer expectations & market conditions competitive landscape is changing with new entrants unencumbered by legacy constrain regulators have increasing demands with a decrease in risk tolerance across industries
Stakeholder Views through layers in an Outside-In Approach

Customer – Customer problems & expectations > Journeys & Customer Metrics
Business – changing market conditions, shareholders/board outcomes, strategic objectives > Strategy, Capabilities, Value Streams & Information
Technology – Rapid technological advancements & increasing tech debt, cost of switching vs over-engineering legacy products > Tech landscape & Architecture

The missing LinkService Design > benefits of linking business & technology layers to a contextual & orchestrated E2E view that is relevant to a customer (both internal & external) & everything associated with providing that service across front & backstage, not one or the other (CX vs Bus/Ent Arch)Bringing it all together integrated Arch & Design Stack (model)Two examples – Superannuation & Travel
Conclusion To extract the value of integrating these disciplines, it begins with the practitioners, find ways to connect and collaborate with other practices to avoid ‘discipline bigotry’ (Peter Grant’s term)

Heidi’s Slides

Heidi’s key takeaways from the evening –

✔ Start with profit as your main measure to move the dial. Models help to derive business insights but are not the whole picture
✔ To gain traction, listen & deliver value as soon as possible to become relevant to leaders & build your network, understand their needs and challenges
✔ Create a digital twin of your organisation to embed data-driven decisions and transform your operating model to support curious leaders
✔ Connect with practitioners out of your discipline silos and find a shared way of working across your differing outcomes you create

Video capture of the night……