Business Architecture 101

A basic guide to understanding Business Architecture practice by Aniekan Okono

What is Business Architecture?

Object Managment

GroupSource:Bawg.omg.org

“A blueprint of the enterprise that provides a common understanding of the organization and is used to align strategic objectives and tactical demands.”

BLUEPRINTSource: Oxford Dictionaries

"Something which acts as a plan, model, or template for others."

BLUEPRINTExamples

● Business Models● Operating Models● Organisation maps● Value Chain Models

● Capability Models● Business systems & Information

flow Maps● VMOST(Strategy)

● Supply Chain Models● Balanced Score Cards● Business Process Models

Align strategic objectives and tactical demands, how?

Strategy AS IS Execution

● Vision ● Mission● Objectives● *Controls● *Performance

Measures● *Contracts

● Operating Model● Capability Model

● Target Operating Model

● Target Capability Map

● Organisational Re-design

Source:ArchValue

VMOST Example

People Process Technology(Tools)

People ● Organisation Design● Culture● Vision, Mission,

Objectives, Strategy● Governance Models● Training● Capabilities● Performance

Management(KPI)● Etc

Process● Value Chain● Supply Chain● Business Processes● Functions

Technology● Databases● Security● Websites● Mobile Apps● Line of Business

Systems● Integrations● API ● etc

Some of the blueprints

● Stakeholder Matrix● Organisation Chart● Organisation

Unit/Actor/Location catalog (Organisation decomposition map)

● Contract/Measure catalog

● VMOST

● Business Functions Map

● Business Processes● Business Events

Flow Map Business services /information flow map

● Value Chain Map● Supply Chain Flow

Map

Solution Concept Diagram

ProcessPeople Technology

Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise

In terms of its architecture

Source: Enterprise Architecture Team, USDA-OCIO - The USDA Enterprise Architecture Program

Enterprise Architecture Frameworks

Source:Dennis E. Wisnosky - Engineering Enterprise Architecture: Call to Action

Why TOGAF?

Business Architecture Benefits

Links Execution to Strategy:● Associate which capabilities support the strategy

pillars.● Align funding to core capabilities● Assign, measure and monitor key performance

indicators

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

Competitive differentiation by focusing on Core Capabilities:

● Invest into core capabilities and leapfrog competition

● Standardize the context capabilities and outsource the commodity capabilities

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

360 Degree view of the Enterprise:

● Coherent and comprehensive view of business motivation, capabilities, processes, data and resources

● Ability to understand interconnectedness, overlaps and synergies

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

A Common Language:

● Provide business and IT an actionable framework and a common language

● Communicate across the organization that is devoid of business speak and technical geek

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

Better Business Definition:

● Business architecture help provide a better business definition which leads to effective and efficient technology solutions

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

Fosters Reuse of IT assets:

● Build once and use the IT assets many times by leveraging capabilities and processes

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition

Helps breaks down Business Silos and hence IT silos:

● Focusing on conceptualizing, creating, managing and evolving capabilities over the long-term will help defocus annual funding cycles and silo’ed functionality development

Source: Business Architecture Value Proposition