Enterprise IT architecture presentation for IASA roundtable, February 2016 on rationalizing IT systems architectures

1. Overcoming complexity in the face of
rapid change
Rationalizing Systems
Joe Roushar
February, 2016

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Regulatory Changes
Competitive Forces
Industry Evolution
Technology Advances
Mergers and Acquisitions
External Change Makes Us Adapt

3. GROUP EXERCISE
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What are the costs of unnecessarily
redundant systems and data?

4. The costs of non-alignment include:
 Complexity that slows IT/business down
 Inconsistent data
 Inconsistent workflows / processes
 Lack of cohesion
 Barriers to agility and innovation
 Increased maintenance costs / expensive skillsets
 Increased risks of data or process errors
 Increased security/privacy risk
 Uneccessary duplicate infrastructure costs
Silos and Duplication can be costly
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Making decisions and taking action to:
 Improve vertical alignment
◦ Ensure every system contributes to the vision/mission
◦ Realign or eliminate non-aligned systems
◦ Implement more end-to-end “lifecycle” capabilities
 Improve horizontal alignment
◦ Replace silo systems with systems that serve:
 Multiple business units
 Multiple functional areas
 Multiple geographies
◦ Consolidate core capabilities, data and processes
Rationalization means…

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Ahead of the Curve: application
rationalization is the outcome of
business strategy
“IT leaders should manage the
expectation with business leaders, or …
IT will lose the trust of business
leadership.”
Erik van der Voorden
Feb. ‘16 LinkedIn “Pulse” Post

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Break down boundaries between:
 Business and IT
 Acquiring company and acquired company
 Business Units
 Geographies
 Any other fiefdoms
Place high value on every stakeholder’s input:
 Obtain buy-in and get signatures
Begin with Collaboration

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“Start opportunistically, doing the things you can do
behind the scenes first and seizing the opportunities
provided by business change.
Get the basics right - make sure you have an up to
date and complete application repository and project
portfolio, link both systems and projects to
organizational structures, business processes etc.”
Architecture 101
Erik van der Voorden

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 Business case
◦ Define expected value capture
 Thorough planning, architecture
 Architecture Review
 Security and Privacy Scrutiny
 Senior Leadership Cognizance and Final Nod
 Track and report on value capture
◦ Costs vs. savings
◦ Process efficiencies
◦ Data insights
◦ Risk reduction
Governance

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 Capability Mapping
 User Journey Assessment
 Gap Analysis
 Solution Selection Process
 Documentation
◦ Narrative with business and technical explanations
◦ Illustrations from high-level to detail
 Architecture Review
 Engineering Coordination
Architecture Discipline

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The architecture process, Documenting the Current State, Defining
the Target State and Drafting a Roadmap, can be done at a high level
to provide a basis for modeling.
“I want to warn you: don't get lost in modeling. Keep things simple.
Do not model the world. TOGAF, Archimate, UML, BPMN are all
great, and have their sweet spot where you can be productive …,
but in many cases they are too complex. Focus on those things that
matter to the audience.
It can happen that the only right model is incomplete and
unbalanced, but still loved by the business people, as they can
relate to it and recognize their priorities.”
Erik van der Voorden
Too much documentation may impede decisions
Right-Size the Architecture Views

12. Perform Holistic Modeling
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Holistic models should incorporate all four key
elements of strategy:
PPTI – The Diamond Model
People
Process
Information
Technology

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Poor documentation may impede good decisions
Criteria for successful documentation:
Does it convey the right meaning?
Can the audience fully comprehend it?
Does it support a decision?
Tailor Documentation to Audience

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“The IT target state is not necessarily the 3rd normal form of the
application portfolio. Redundancy can be of great importance to
an organization. Having a single instance of an application for
each type of business capability needed, ties the hands of
business leaders: change in one area has impact in another, or
even worse: inertia in one area, blocks the evolution of the
whole organization. So it matters where you centralize,
standardize, co-ordinate, or leave decisions open to certain
business functions. This is driven by the business model.
The business model tells you which functions are centralized, are
tied to a division, product or product group, are organized by
customer type, or are set up on per country basis. The IT
organization should be aware of it and should align its
relationship functions, to be sure business needs are captured at
the right level, and place.”
Erik van der Voorden
Tempered decisions – better outcomes

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You end up with fewer systems
that cost less to own and
operate, while making your
people more effective.
They’ll trust you.
You know you’ve succeeded if…

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Your projects don’t improve
business value nor improve
users’ journeys.
Users won’t trust you.
You know you’ve failed if…

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Clarity
Consistency
Predictability
Empathy based on good
listening
Key Architect Deliverables

19. GROUP DISCUSSION
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