Business Transformation

Business transformation is a big topic with many complex and potentially confusing attributes…….but it does have a basic pattern and structure to it that in overview looks something like the figure below (click on it to see an enlarged version in a new window).

Each of the major stages of a business transformation proceeds along the path of the roadmap outlined to the left.  Whilst there are interactions and some iterations between the stages they generally proceed along the sequential lines depicted here.

As we have stated elsewhere this website is about business transformation, but with a particular focus on business architecture.  Therefore, we are not going to dive too deeply into each of the business transformation stages, other than to define them and thus use them to paint the landscape and context in which business architecture lives.

This is partly because for the purposes of this website we are assuming that the typical reader will already have a certain level of subject matter knowledge on the general governance and business change related topics that are inherent to each of the business transformation stages; i.e. that they already know the basics of programme, project, risk, stakeholder, etc. management……so there is no real need to repeat them again here.

Partly it is also because these general governance and business change related topics have already been covered many times in many places before.  We don’t feel we would be adding tremendous value (what we can, over time, we will) to the myriad of materials that have been published on them elsewhere…..just ‘Google’ them and see!

But perhaps most importantly it is because the topic of business architecture is to date largely under-appreciated and under-exposed…..so pound-for-pound we feel we will make the largest positive contribution to the success of an organisation’s business transformation efforts by focusing on business architecture…..which to us is a business transformation CSF writ large!

If you follow the links below, each representing a major stage of the business transformation roadmap, you will find an outline of the purpose and role of that stage which should help to bring the entire roadmap as a whole into sharper focus.  This in turn will position you well to continue on into the detail of our take on business architecture.

There are eight key elements displayed on the Biz4ge business transformation roadmap (follow the hyperlinks to learn more about each):

• Conceive – setting the vision and strategy
• Assess – conducting feasibility studies, reviewing scenario options and preparing an overall architectural framework
• Plan – scoping and planning the delivery programme release(s)
• Design – accomplishing the detailed design work within the scope of a programme release
• Build – building and testing what has been designed and agreed
• Run – placing what has been built into operational service
• Next Release – detailed planning for the next planned programme release (as applicable)
• Continuous Improvement – further incremental refinements to ongoing operations

And a further two ‘enabling’ elements not shown:

• Coordination and Preparation – governing and controlling the change initiatives, and accomplishing any pre-work items required for their success
• Methods and Tools – the standards and conventions that enable the interoperability, consistency and coherentness of deliverables and products

Now that the topic of business transformation has been covered more generally lets proceed onto the specific area of business architecture, either by clicking on this Architecture link or by using the navigation tab of the same name at the top of this page.

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