Technology strategy, issues and trends

Business Architecture – A Coming Of Age As IIBA Endorses Training

Recently while hosting one of our Business Architecture Information Sessions I found myself reflecting on how far Business Architecture has come as a profession. I pondered an episode from our past which many would now find hard to believe. It was around early 2007 and as a provider of architecture talent, EA had developed a very sophisticated view of the architecture job family framework and there was a discussion around our board table where we entertained the question: Is Business Architect a valid member of the Architecture Job Family framework?

The 5 V’s of Big Data

Too often in the hype and excitement around Big Data, the conversation gets complicated very quickly. Data scientists and technical experts bandy around terms like Hadoop, Pig, Mahout, and Sqoop, making us wonder if we’re talking about information architecture or a Dr. Seuss book. Business executives who want to leverage the value of Big Data analytics in their organisation can get lost amidst this highly-technical and rapidly-emerging ecosystem.

Webinar: Business by Design

On Tuesday the 29th of April 2014 I delivered a webinar in conjunction with our US partner IAG Consulting. If you missed the opportunity to participate, I have provided a summary of the presentation and the recorded webinar video below.

Business Function: Does it still have a place in Business Architecture?

Capability modelling has become something of a de facto standard within contemporary Enterprise Architecture practice. Capability-based planning is also a proven tool when it comes to change portfolio management and the development of strategic roadmaps. However, I wonder if we architects aren’t guilty at times of being overzealous in our readiness to label anything that a business does or needs as a ‘business capability’, resulting in capability models that are in reality a mixture of capabilities, services, business functions and processes?

What‘chu Talkin’ ‘Bout, Business?

I’ve been around a few organisations now where I still see Enterprise Architecture being nothing more than a thing that IT people do.  There is a terrible lack of trust between the Business and IT organisation, and we still haven’t gotten any closer to having significant and productive discussions about things that matter to getting business done. 

The Secret to Business Relevance

In reading the literature available on Business Architecture it strikes me that most of these mention Business Architecture in the context of the entire organisation or ensuring IT alignment to organisational strategy. While these are true statements, Business Architecture provides a lot more.

Data is NOT Information

Data is not information, neither is data architecture the same as information architecture, despite the two terms often being used interchangeably.

Webinar: Using Business Architecture to Enable Customer Experience and Value Strategies

On Friday the 21st of February 2014, I delivered an Open Group webinar titled ‘Using Business Architecture to Enable Customer Experience and Value Strategies’.

The Digital Playing Field: Positioning the CIO & CMO

You don’t have to look too far these days before you come across a story about the demise of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Some argue that IT consumerisation, cloud and mobile are bringing into question the need for the CIO.  With the ability of practically anyone with a credit card to procure IT services some even go as far as to question the need for an internal IT department all together.  Those arguments however come under question when one considers more complex challenges such as the management, integration and utilisation of ‘big data’, information management, experience management and, more recently, digital.