LOB Managers can be the key to EA

Generating support for EA in a federated organization can be a slow and difficult process. Line of business owners often wish to maintain autonomy and power to make decisions that benefit their local needs because they are the ones “getting work done”. Their support for EA initiatives is critical as a gateway to their constituencies. Most companies by now have an EA program which has been mandated and is supported by upper level management as they work to realize the full value of their IT investments. These local line of business managers are the ones who if listened to, can help drive the business process automation,  and efficiency that EA seeks. This is because they understand how the information they have, and their daily tasks interface with other points in the organization. Communication (great and poor) is very often the culprit of process loss as the understanding of each groups “needs” and “nice to have’s” may not be a 1; 1 match. Much of the value EA can provide is directly related to the translation and standardization (to whatever degree possible) of that information.

So why does this process happen poorly so often?

People see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Every individual has a unique viewpoint through which they approach change and to many it change inspires fear. Setting a  groundwork of openness, a culture of transparency and an atmosphere of trust is critical to the success of an EA initiative. This means gaining their trust so the EA team can gain the deep experiential knowledge line of business manager have as they functionally meet day-to-day business challenges. We all know that executive support for EA is critical but a 37,000 foot view of an organization will not fully optimize the value of EA. Actually solving the daily problems faced by the majority of the organization will give the most time back to those employees. The questions should be asked:

What do I want my employees doing?

How do I want them spending their time?

Does this task actually add value to the organization?

Automate the administrative tasks so people can spend their time on what actually matters: Your customers. 

BLOG # 1 - IT Tools and the Customer Experience

As I reflect on the reading this week I can’t help but think about the magnitude and scope of an EA program in most organizations and how to make them agile enough to respond to ever-changing business needs of a firm. This led me to the low hanging fruit – “Make your Enterprise Architecture flexible also”. However, this is easier said than done. As many organizations look for more effective ways to structure themselves around the customer experience the IT systems and governance must adapt. We live in the world of 1 hour Amazon delivery and manufacture on demand that have changes customer expectations. An organization that provides a poor customer experience will never stay on top of a business. This means setting EA cycles not just more often but with the “Just Enough, Just In Time” mentality described by Allegga in “Enterprise Architecture: “Just Enough, Just in Time”.

This (re)new(ed) customer focus demands no silos and a singular customer facing voice that is a contrast to how most organizations are structured. Even in matrix and project based organizations silos can develop as different teams adopt different tools to meet the daily needs. However now with the expectation of “no boundaries” companies are tending to tear down these traditional silos and this means IT tools need to be more flexible as they reach greater constituencies and also more scalable to each constituencies size. This is why it is critical to socialize EA and make sure the communication component is robust.

In my experience implementing new IT applications can be distasteful to the end user and management as learning a new system often reduces production in the near term. To me, early and frequent communication is not only the most effective but also an inexpensive solution ignored by project teams. This also involves taking the time to listen to those same end users and not just upper level management. To me that is the core challenge of EA – How do we identify the best solutions for the enterprise with many competing viewpoints?

 What would our ideal tools look like in the future-state, where we organize ourselves in a way that is focused solely on our customers?