Course Outline:
I. Architecture Key Concepts
Workshop participants will be introduced to some key terms and the value proposition for building a business architecture. Industry best practices are introduced.
- Workshop Glossary
- Why Business Architecture
- Value of Key Components
- Business Need for Subsets and Stakeholder Views
- Business Architecture in Context with other Enterprise Architectures
- Industry Best Practice Frameworks and Methodologies
- Reusing Organizational Assets
Hands-On Exercises:
- Terminology and asset gap assessment
- Which components would you use and why
- Which framework would you use and why
II. Prepare to Build a Business Architecture
There is a general approach to creating any architecture. We will step through the approach needed to build a business architecture, but before we do there is a few steps of preparation! Do we know if we have the competencies to perform in this role? Is our organization ready to support the effort?
- Business Architecture Maturity Model and Governance Processes
- Needed Individual and Organizational Competencies
- Review or Assist in Creation of Inputs
- Business and Operating Models, Balanced Score Card and Strategies
- Identify Artifacts (Static or Dynamic and Granularity Level)
- Identify Applicable Techniques, Tools and Notations
- Architecture Development and Transition Roadmap (High Level Plan with Iterations to Future State)
Hands-On Exercises:
- Current state competency assessment
- Facilitate creation of a business model based on scenario
III. Build a Business Architecture – Models and Maps
The business architecture artifacts must contain graphics, matrices, maps or any visuals that can assist in stakeholder communications and in uncovering improvement opportunities. These are just a few that have been integrated in the workshop. Others may be discussed by the facilitator depending on workshop participant interest.
- Business Process Models
- Capability and Services Map
- Organizational Model
- Value Streams
- Alignment Maps (e.g. Alignment to information or technology architectural components)
- Ownership Matrices
Hands-On Exercises:
- Build a Current State Model
- Build a Business Capability Map
IV. Build a Business Architecture – Techniques, Tools and Methods
There are many techniques and tools that can assist us in building a business architecture. Typically only a few of these are used. Which techniques and tools will depend on the maturity of the enterprise, governance processes and availability of organizational assets. Others may be discussed by the facilitator depending on workshop participant interest.
- Document Analysis
- Benchmarks and Surveys
- SWOT Analysis and Other Business Decision Making Tools
- Business Event Analysis
- Business Policy Identification
- Measures and Metrics
- Review and Obtain Approvals
Hands-On Exercises:
- Identify the Domain under Discussion
- Build a Future State Model
V. Analyze at the Enterprise Level
The business architectures gives you the information needed to look for areas of improvement; whether it is reducing redundancy of processes across business units, reducing cycle times, or responding to competition with new products and services. We start with eliciting high level requirements for the solution by facilitating the future state and uncovering the solution scope boundaries. Further high level solution idea generation and solution assessment will help us to provide an initial estimate to justify recommendations.
- Applying Root Cause Analysis and Questioning Techniques
- Identify Problems and Clarify Vision Statements
- Uncover Business Requirements
- Defining Scope and Applying Stakeholder Views for Analysis
- Generate and Assess Solution Alternatives
- Estimate and Document Assumptions (Delphi Technique)
Hands-On Exercises:
- Create a problem or vision statement
- Identify the domain under discussion and generate solution ideas
- Estimate and document assumptions for a solution alternative
VI. Justify and Communicate
At the enterprise level, some justification is necessary to obtain funding and resources in addition to providing a method to equally compare and prioritize the businesses portfolios. The opportunity assessments and analysis conducted in the previous workshop session will provide the necessary information to justify moving forward. But it doesn't end there. The business architecture assets must be revisited and kept up-to-date. The enterprise must be able to trust the information for future use.
- Moving from Strategy to Tactical
- Creating a Business Case and Feasibility Study
- Tracking Business Value
- Assisting in Prioritization Efforts
- Hints and Tips for Presenting Solutions to Management Teams
- Keeping the Business Architecture Dynamic
- Other Industry "Hot Topics" and its Influence on the Business Architecture (AGILE, SOA, ITIL, ICLOUD, etc.)
Hands-On Exercises:
- Present a solution to an executive committee
- Identify impacts to the business architecture based on a scenario
- Optional depending on available time: Identify any technique or tool for more practice
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