Business Architecture

Paul Turner

Kiev November 2012

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 The breadth of Business Analysis

Strategic analysis

Business analysis

Business case

Requirements engineering

Solution development

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 The breadth of Business Analysis
Business Architecture
Strategic analysis

Business analysis Systems Thinking

Business case
Systems Modelling

Requirements engineering

Solution development

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 The breadth of Business Analysis
Business Architecture
Strategic analysis

Business analysis Systems Thinking

Business case
Systems Modelling

Requirements engineering

Solution development

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 What is Architecture?

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 What is Business Architecture?

“The structure and behaviour of a business system . Covering business functions

or capabilities, business processes and the roles of the actors involved in these.
Business functions and business processes are mapped to the business goals
and business services they support, and the applications and data they need”

"A blueprint of the enterprise that provides a common understanding of the

organization and is used to align strategic objectives and tactical demands."
Business Architecture Guild
or simply:

“The business strategy, governance, organization, and key business

processes.” TOGAF

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 Uses of a Business Architecture
• Develop a perspective on an organisation’s strategic/competitive
differentiators, and fully understand what it is and what it is doing

• Understand the key value streams used to deliver its value proposition

• Provide a way to quickly and effectively implement strategy through

defined approaches, processes and organisation wide frameworks

• Make better-informed and more comprehensive business decisions

• Solve complex enterprise business problems

• Define detailed business needs, to be used as input for business and IT

solutions

• Ensure the success of an overall Architecture by serving as the driving

force for the IT Architecture

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 Business Architecture in relation to other architectures

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 The impact of Business Architecture

Consider the relationship with:

• Strategy
Focuses on WHAT the
• Governance business
F needs to do
rather than HOW it
does it
• Business Capabilities

• Business Change

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Business Architecture fit within an organisation

Creates a direct, clear linkage between executive intent and organisational action

Strategy drives changes to Architecture translates

Architecture Strategy for Execution

Strategy Architecture Execution

Architecture informs and Execution enables and

refines Strategy generates improvements to
Architecture
Provides a structured approach to making strategic and operational investment decisions

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 Systemic change

Systemic change is one where

the impact of any change is considered
in respect of the whole ,and the
relationships between the individual
parts to one another

i.e. see the bigger picture

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 Cause and effect

The solution to one

problem may cause
another bigger
Problem

We may act to produce

short term benefits
leading to long term
costs

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 The role of the Business Architect

The Business Architect converts high-level

business strategy and business needs …….

……. into an integrated vision of the future

……. and then redesigns the business capabilities

necessary to deliver the goals of the vision.

This provides a holistic, complete and co-ordinated

set of business models the best of which become
roadmaps for future profit and growth.

These roadmaps can then broken down into initiatives

for implementation
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 Aspects of a Business

Capabilities

Organisation Information

Value
Streams

Source: Business Architects Guild

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 Aspects of a Business
Customers,
Partners &
Competitors
Policies, Vision,
Rules, Strategies &
Regulations Capabilities Tactics

Organisation Information

Products &
Value Initiatives
Services
Streams & Projects

Metrics &
Decisions
Measures
& Events

Business Architecture

Source: Business Architects Guild

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 POPIT™ – taking a holistic approach

Business
Motivations

Organisation

Information
&
Technology
People Processes

Business Architecture Blueprints

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 POPIT™ – taking a holistic approach
Business Models
External Business Environment
Organisational Capabilities
Organisational Memory

Organisation

Information
&
Technology
People Processes

Business Architecture Blueprints

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 POPIT™ – taking a holistic approach
Business Models
External Business Environment
Organisational Capabilities
Organisational Memory

Organisation Value Propositions

Value Chains
Core Business Processes
Information Business Services
&
Technology
People Processes

Business Architecture Blueprints

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 POPIT™ – taking a holistic approach
Business Models
External Business Environment
Organisational Capabilities
Organisational Memory

Organisation Value Propositions

Value Chains
Roles and Job Descriptions
Core Business Processes
Skills and Competencies
Management Activities
Information Business Services
Culture &
Communication Technology
People Processes

Business Architecture Blueprints

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 POPIT™ – taking a holistic approach
Business Models
External Business Environment Business Information Models
Organisational Capabilities Information Standards
Organisational Memory Technical Architecture
Application Architecture

Organisation
Roles and Job Descriptions Value Propositions
Skills and Competencies Value Chains
Information
Management Activities Core Business Processes
Culture
& Business Services
Communication Technology
People Processes

Business Architecture Blueprints

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 Business Architecture scenarios

Example business scenarios might include:

• Mergers and acquisitions

• Business unit consolidation
• New product deployment
• New line of business
• Outsourcing of a business capability
• Regulatory compliance
• Divesting a line of business
• Implementing a new way of working

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 Business Architecture Framework

Business
Motivations

Business
Architecture
Scenarios

Business Architecture views

(Blueprints)

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Examples of Business Architecture documentation

• Business Context
• Business glossary of terminology and concepts
• Business capabilities (represented in a Business
Capability Model)
• Detailed Business Capabilities (Business Requirements)
• High level business processes (often represented in a
value stream model)
• More detailed business processes and workflows
• Organisational units and roles
• Business rules
• Business data elements and metrics

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 So how does this effect Requirements Engineers?

• To contribute to the bottom-up construction of the

Business Architecture

• Help evaluate business ideas and initiatives

• Assess impact of suggested changes

• Encourage re-use

• Model using architecture artefacts

• Understand knock-on effects of change

• Ensure changes are reflected back into the architecture

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 Business Architecture

Paul Turner

paul.turner@assistkd.com
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