Transform Architecture

Sharm Manwani and Oliver Bossert, 2024

We transform the architecture if we have not only strong personal skills, but also the right professional skills. Develop architecture, data, technology and business skills to set up a robust governance. Build a roadmap for an innovative business model using advanced technologies. 

Being a skilled architect is the foundation of building great architectures. While the personal skills we described earlier are necessary they are not sufficient for building a cost-efficient, sustainable and innovation-enabling architecture. 

This is where the second layer of the capability map comes into play. We have covered so far the core skills it takes to become a great Enterprise Architect. However even if you are a great doctor you can’t really help others without a hospital, without a team and without equipment . 

The same is true for the Enterprise Architect. We need tools, frameworks and the right governance setup and we require the collaboration from colleagues in IT, data management and the business in order to be effective and move the company forward. 

These lead to the four areas that are reflected in the second row of the capability map:

When it comes to architecture we want to make sure that the Enterprise Architecture accountability is set up in a way that they can be successful. There are often barriers to making this happen. For example, the governance may be set up in a way that EA is accountable for an outcome such as reducing technical debt.  However if EA does not have the mandate to really move the needle through a strong voice on new projects, it may preside over even more technical debt. This emphasizes that EA must first focus on the value it is generating. The way that EA typically structures its contributions is through a wide range of architectural artifacts that together articulate the business and IT design of the enterprise. Governance supported by the right professional methods is then required to ensure that the design, management and implementation of the architecture delivers the intended value through a better target landscape.

Within the overall architectural landscape, the technical, data and business domains all have their own structures and contributions.. 

So far all the topics covered have been rather agnostic of technical management,which is by design. We find that  often the discussions in architecture focus too quickly on the technicalities rather than starting with the value that should be created and the requirements to deliver against this objective. 

Naturally a successful Enterprise Architecture implementation depends on technology and this is reflected in this section. Enterprise Architects require technical skills to manage the technology stack ensuring compliance with a wide range of industry and enterprise standards. Components are not stand-alone so it is vital to analyze and decide about the tradeoffs between integration patterns to drive reuse and reduce technical debt. Additionally, architects  require enough knowledge and skills to engage in productive discussions with the colleagues from development and operations. 

Applications without the right data do not work hence the need for data management. Depending on the specific setup the management of data might be more integrated or rather separated from the architecture on the organizational side. No matter how it is set up in the organization there needs to be a  a holistic approach to manage data and functionalities in one consistent way. This requires a mix of technical and data management skills.  

Hence the starting point is data strategy which then leads to data models that articulate the master and transaction data requiring governance of both the operational and analytical databases. These need to be monitored to ensure that data quality is fit-for-purpose.

The focus on data quality leads appropriately in connecting technical to business management skills. Just as the IT-focused architect should have a solid understanding about DevOps and Cloud patterns in order to discuss these topics with technical colleagues, a business-focused architect requires a solid understanding of core processes such as cash flow calculations to have detailed conversations with business colleagues. 

When it comes to business strategy one of the key challenges we see is how to engage in a true dialogue with the business stakeholders and co-create a digitally enabled strategy rather than execute the “orders” from the business side. This engagement is key to translating the strategy into a business operating model that drives the enterprise architecture. In doing this, the architect needs to analyze the implications of the architectural changes which enables the value focus highlighted earlier. In doing this effectively, the architect can broaden their scope and contribution by working with business leaders on enhancing their business capabilities and processes. Finally it is important to link the architecture to, and advise the business on, the operational resilience and agility of the enterprise.

This combined set of requirements understandably represents a key challenge to build great teams in architecture. At an individual level choices may need to be made. Is the skill toolbox of an architect one of a jack of all trades or can they demonstrate strong knowledge and skills in multiple areas.  

Naturally there is some overlap between these four architectural management skills and together they form the core professional layer for EA. What we have found to be missing from most EA education is the broad and deep understanding of the combined architecture skills that make a big difference to creating the capabilities that enhance enterprise value.

With this second professional layer alongside the personal layer. we have the foundation to create a great architecture. For this architecture to be impactful and sustainable it has to be embedded in the broader context of an organization. The skills to  build a team to truly transform the organization will be covered in the third layer. 

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