How Enterprise Architecture Leaders Can Lead Business Transformation

by Betsy Burton

I am happy to share with all of you that I have almost finished Aragon Research’s premier Aragon Research Globe of the tPaaS (Transformation as a Service) market. In this Aragon Research Globe market evaluation, we look into the major players delivering effective tPaaS solutions, which requires iPaaS technology capabilities as well as tPaaS business capabilities.

This got me thinking about the role that Enterprise Architecture (EA) leaders can have in this market. Interestingly, I often find that business transformation projects are led by business leaders who bring in IT when needed, or worse as an afterthought.

The reality is business transformation needs people who can bridge the gap between business and IT.

What is Business Transformation?

Business transformation means your organization is making a significant investment in defining, creating, and deploying new digital business models that are then supported and enabled by technology investments.

Business transformation is a business change that is enabled by and often inspired by technology, particularly emerging technology and services. As a result, the need for business and technology services to equally provide business transformation is critical.

Business transformation is not about business + technology, or about technology + business. It is about business and technology together equally.

EA Leaders Bridge Business and Technology

One of the core goals of Enterprise Architecture is to help business and IT leaders define and understand its business strategy-driven future-state, and then guide investment decisions based on that future-state vision.

Business architects and enterprise architects are focused on looking at the business from an outside-in perspective and inside-out perspective in order to provide vision, counsel, guidance, and expertise on business, information, solution, and technology changes that need to take place in order to support business transformation and change.

EAs can be an invaluable resource to support the holistic view that is needed to support business transformation.

Lead tPaaS Services

tPaaS is a new market we see emerging that consists of the set of providers of cloud services that specifically enable customers to reimagine and transform their business by providing business architecture and design tools and services, embedded AI, advanced analytics, automation, as well as integration to new and emerging technologies.

Enterprise architects must be an integral part of defining and using tPaaS services, particularly business architects. They can help facilitate decision-making by providing actionable deliverables, including:

• Future state business strategy
• Business model and capabilities
• Process design, optimization, and enhancement
• Operating models
• Integration, application and information architecture and design
• Security, governance, regulatory architecture for solutions on-prem, cloud, and hybrid
• Continuous evaluation and integration of emerging solutions and technology.

Bottom Line

Make sure to include EAs, business architects, and IT leaders as an integral part of any business transformation efforts. EA and business architects should take on a trusted advisor and guide role with business transformation by creating deliverables that speak to business leaders, IT leaders, developers, program managers, and process leaders about how to enable business transformation.

Chances are your Enterprise Architecture leaders and business architects are eager to help; leverage their role and expertise.