[One of a series of posts posing questions that enterprise architecture can answer]

How can we improve our business design: how we structure, how we compete, how we manage?

One of the initial tasks an enterprise architect can undertake is the discovery and documentation of the business’ DNA – any existing mission statements, strategy documents and long-term plans. The purpose of the exercise is to determine the business INTENT – broad, high-level statements about the markets, products and services that will (and won’t) be targeted; and what will make this business different.

Depending on the management maturity in the organisation, this set of information may or may not exist in an easily-accessible form. Some of it may not exist in some formal sense at all, and on inspection the stated intent may not be what is being actioned in reality. This exercise alone may prompt some projects to (re-) establish the business intent in a form that all participants can subscribe to, and that creates a useful launching pad for enterprise architecture.

When the compiled DNA is combined with a capability model, any mismatch or misalignment between the intent and the reality can be highlighted – again prompting improvements to the business design. 

  

If you’d like to talk some more, contact us.

 

Other questions in the series:

Change: how do we handle change, whether we’re making it ourselves or it’s being imposed on us by the business environment?

Investing: how can we ensure that we invest to our best business advantage?

Management conversations: how can we ensure that internal management discussions use a common language and understanding of the business?

How do we know we’re getting value from our IT investment?