Transformation teams come in all shapes and sizes. Ultimately, the team's goal is to evaluate and develop an actionable high level plan that will allow the organization to move from its current state to the desired target state. In today's complex world, that usually means diagnosing details around multiple dimensions of an organization. Without listing in any specific order of importance, those dimensions include:
- An organizational aspect - what does the org structure look like, what people and skills need to exist to ensure success?
- A business process view - what processes exist today but require modifications? What new processes need to be developed? Process views are a key component to integration, high level processes see across typical boundaries of organizational structures, while detailed processes can touch on key information that needs to be shared across business units.
- Technology - technology is a common component in most business services and thus is a key component to ensure successful transformational efforts. Technology aspects need to be mapped and aligned. Gaps in functionality must be documented and connected to gaps or inefficiencies in processes and how information flows through an organization.
- Shared data - relevant data that may be missing or duplicated in the current state need to have the following to occur; alignment to processes, security aspects related to people need to be identified and map how technology will most efficiently use the data.
- Determine how all of the above work together in the most efficient and effective manner.
Organizing this overall process is usually the job of a business architect. Business architects act as the guide on this journey. They help identify the objectives of the transformation, and how best to measure those objectives in the future state. The business architect is responsible for helping the team visualize and design that target state. The desired target state could be "blue sky" thinking towards a long term strategy or a smaller, more tactical change. Business architects are skilled in seeing the bigger picture and are not weighed down by the way operations are currently executed. [A full description for a Business Architect's role within transformation efforts will be addressed in future posts].
Once the target state is designed and approved, the process of identifying gaps and overlaps between current state and target state begins. This process requires intensive research to uncover all aspects of the organizational dimensions mentioned above. Once the details are identified the process continues, the building blocks are stacked and re-stacked until the most stable map emerges. This is an iterative process; the final product is rarely developed on the first pass. As more layers are uncovered, it usually provides insight into changes to previous blocks, eventually developing the full picture.
In larger transformation teams, each of these disciplines are represented by a specific individual skilled for that respective dimension. The business architect often acts as the coordinator to pull together the relevant information from each dimension, but ultimately the team needs to work together to diagnose and resolve. Some related roles to a transformation team include but are not limited to:
- Business Architect
- Process Engineer [In future posts, we will address the overlapping responsibilities of a business architect and a process engineer].
- Information and/or Technical architects - Obviously the structure and role of technology-related architecture disciplines can have different meanings; what you need are architects who understand how information is used, organized and structured. On the technology side, you need technical people with broad knowledge of the technical landscape within an organization and aren't afraid to seek out additional contributing parties that reach out for assistance with the challenges they don't fully understand.
- Change management - if your transformation effort can afford this resource, it will go a long way to ensure success. Transformation equals change and the number one reason for failure is resistance of that change. [We will also address in future posts the many reasons why transformation efforts fail].
In smaller teams (even teams of one) the business architect can be responsible for many or all dimensions. This business architect will usually have a specific background from IT and process which allows for success. In any size teams, the need for subject matter experts is guaranteed (sometimes the business architect can also play the SME).
Obviously this information won't guarantee you a successful transformation but it does highlight some important aspects and necessary components to help guide you on your journey.
- An organizational aspect - what does the org structure look like, what people and skills need to exist to ensure success?
- A business process view - what processes exist today but require modifications? What new processes need to be developed? Process views are a key component to integration, high level processes see across typical boundaries of organizational structures, while detailed processes can touch on key information that needs to be shared across business units.
- Technology - technology is a common component in most business services and thus is a key component to ensure successful transformational efforts. Technology aspects need to be mapped and aligned. Gaps in functionality must be documented and connected to gaps or inefficiencies in processes and how information flows through an organization.
- Shared data - relevant data that may be missing or duplicated in the current state need to have the following to occur; alignment to processes, security aspects related to people need to be identified and map how technology will most efficiently use the data.
- Determine how all of the above work together in the most efficient and effective manner.
In larger transformation teams, each of these disciplines are represented by a specific individual skilled for that respective dimension. The business architect often acts as the coordinator to pull together the relevant information from each dimension, but ultimately the team needs to work together to diagnose and resolve. Some related roles to a transformation team include but are not limited to:
- Business Architect
- Process Engineer [In future posts, we will address the overlapping responsibilities of a business architect and a process engineer].
- Information and/or Technical architects - Obviously the structure and role of technology-related architecture disciplines can have different meanings; what you need are architects who understand how information is used, organized and structured. On the technology side, you need technical people with broad knowledge of the technical landscape within an organization and aren't afraid to seek out additional contributing parties that reach out for assistance with the challenges they don't fully understand.
- Change management - if your transformation effort can afford this resource, it will go a long way to ensure success. Transformation equals change and the number one reason for failure is resistance of that change. [We will also address in future posts the many reasons why transformation efforts fail].
In smaller teams (even teams of one) the business architect can be responsible for many or all dimensions. This business architect will usually have a specific background from IT and process which allows for success. In any size teams, the need for subject matter experts is guaranteed (sometimes the business architect can also play the SME).
Obviously this information won't guarantee you a successful transformation but it does highlight some important aspects and necessary components to help guide you on your journey.
