Enhancing SAFe® Project Delivery with Enterprise Architecture and AI Integration
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The integration of Enterprise Architecture and Artificial Intelligence into the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) can significantly improve project delivery by addressing the limitations of traditional EA and enhancing decision-making, governance, and collaboration. By adopting a decentralized, and value-based approach to EA, aligning with detailed value streams, and incorporating AI-driven insights, organizations can create a more agile, responsive, and efficient SAFe environment. Ultimately, this combination enables organizations to deliver value faster, reduce costs, and maintain the flexibility needed to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape. As organizations continue to evolve, the synergy between Enterprise Architecture, AI, and SAFe will play a critical role in shaping the future of agile project delivery.
Welcome our New AI Partner: Aidon
We are proud to partner with Aidon, the owner of the Aidon.ai solution for generative AI training for architects, architecture model customization, and deployment for your business strategy delivery. By providing architects and their planning ecosystem with the knowledge and tools they need to leverage the potential of AI within their specific environments fully, Aidon.ai allows them to deliver the required information consistently across all projects.
Your First 90 Days as Director of Enterprise Architecture
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Taking on the role of Director of Enterprise Architecture (EA) in a 5,000-employee private organization is both a significant opportunity and a formidable challenge. The first 90 days are critical for establishing your credibility, understanding the organization’s landscape, and setting the stage for strategic, impactful, profitable, and transformative initiatives. This period should be focused on 10 main activities to learn, build relationships, and develop a clear vision and roadmap for your EA practice.
Planning and Delivering an AI Project Successfully
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According to the Harvard Business Review, 80% of AI projects fail to deliver on their promises. This high failure rate is attributed to a variety of factors, including a lack of clear business objectives, insufficient data quality, and the complexity of integrating AI solutions into existing business processes. To achieve tangible results with your AI projects, follow these 24 essential steps encompassing strategic planning, project planning, development, deployment, and post-deployment phases.
Selecting the Right Applications for Your Business Capability
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In today’s fast-evolving business environment, the selection of the right application is critical for enhancing productivity, efficiency, and innovation for your organization. Applications are tools that allow businesses to execute tasks, manage data, and deliver products or services. However, the challenge of selecting and managing the right applications for your business capabilities can vary significantly depending on your situation. Here, we will explore how to select applications for your business capability under three common scenarios, 1- no application is currently supporting the business capability, 2- too many applications are supporting the business capability, or 3- there are not enough, or not the right, applications supporting the business capability.
Our New Education Business Architecture Framework
Take a look at our Education Reference Framework and Examples offered by Business Architecture Info for universities and education organizations. It includes over 2,800 business capabilities, over 890 information types, 37 detailed value streams, 180 stakeholders, and over 300 diagrams.​​
The Strategic Importance of Enterprise Architecture
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Enterprise Architecture (EA) plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of organizations by aligning business capabilities, business processes, knowledge/information/data, technology, and IT infrastructure with organizational strategic goals. As companies face increasingly complex challenges due to constant digital transformation, regulatory pressures, and market competition, the strategic importance of EA has never been more asserted. This article explores how enterprise architects serve as critical enablers of business strategy, driving efficiency, agile delivery, and innovation.
New Release of our Pharmaceutical Business Architecture Framework (version 3.2)
On top of its over 3,450 capabilities and 48 value streams, the Pharmaceutical Business Architecture Reference Framework now consists of over 1,500 information types that are several levels deep. The pharmaceutical information types are currently segmented into 29 level-1 information types.
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Explore our offerings:
Pharmaceutical Workshops:
i- Business Architecture Fundamentals
ii- AI for Architects
iii- AI Customization
Pharmaceutical Framework:
i- Complete Set of 5 PDF and Excel files
ii- Excel Dataset
iii- Diagrams in PDF file
iv- Our Pharmaceutical Framework Committee​
How to Calculate Precisely the ROI of Your Enterprise Architecture Practice?
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Calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) of an Enterprise Architecture (EA) practice can be challenging due to the complexity and indirect benefits it provides. However, a structured approach can help you quantify the ROI effectively. Read this article about the seven steps to calculate the ROI of your EA practice over a year.
New Release of our Manufacturing Business Architecture Framework (version 3.2.2)
On top of its over 2,950 capabilities and 37 value streams, the Manufacturing Business Architecture Reference Framework now consists of over 1,000 information types that are several levels deep. The manufacturing information types are currently segmented into 24 level-1 information types.
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Explore our offerings:
Manufacturing Workshops:
i- Business Architecture Fundamentals
ii- AI for Architects
iii- AI Customization
Manufacturing Framework:
i- Complete Set of 5 PDF and Excel files
ii- Excel Dataset
iii- Diagrams in PDF file
iv- Our Manufacturing Framework Committee​
Finding Quick-Wins Using Enterprise Architecture
While examining projects, it's tempting for enterprise architects to focus on major, complicated initiatives. However, pursuing quick wins is often a safer and more effective approach. Major projects frequently face delays, budget overruns, and often fail to achieve their initial business objectives. In the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of enterprise management, identifying opportunities that yield quick wins is a strategic imperative. These projects can deliver immediate value with minimal effort and resources, catalyzing broader organizational improvements. Enterprise architecture offers a powerful framework for pinpointing these opportunities, enabling organizations to align their initiatives with business objectives, optimize resource utilization, and enhance overall efficiency.
Heather Hagan, Head of Business Architecture Strategy & Engagement at HSBC, Now Member of Our Financial Services Framework Committee
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We are thrilled to announce that Heather Hagan, Head of Business Architecture Strategy & Engagement at HSBC, is now a member of our Financial Services Business Architecture Framework Committee.
Learn more and join one of our industry-based framework business architecture framework committees.
7 Reasons to Use Generative AI in Enterprise Architecture
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Generative AI is starting to revolutionize the business and enterprise architecture landscapes by offering innovative solutions that drive efficiency, scalability, and profitability. By understanding rapidly complex capabilities and processes and by providing deeper insights generative AI presents compelling economic advantages for enterprise architects (“EAs”). Here are seven reasons to integrate generative AI into your enterprise architecture (“EA”) practice.
The Importance of a Modern Data Architecture for Successful AI Projects
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Organizations are not limiting themselves to static IT-driven data architectures anymore, called data warehouses. They take too many resources to implement and change. Today’s data architecture needs to be ready for speed, flexibility, and innovation. The key to a successful data architecture upgrade is agility. As shown in Figure 1 below, modern data architecture may still include a data warehouse and data marts, but they need to be more flexible, adaptable, and agile. Read and learn more here.
Using Architecture to Improve Product Management
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Product management is an essential ingredient to a successful customer-centric business transformation. For many mature organizations, product management will sometimes be involved in the creation of a new product, but much more frequently it will involve revamping existing products, or more precisely architecting appealing value propositions made of tailor-made products for each specific customer segment or persona targeted by the organization. Identifying key capabilities that are needed to deliver optimized value proposals more rapidly and with lower risk is critical. More broadly, fine-tuning product management with business and enterprise architecture is all indicated. The same applies to services and even IT microservices.
Seven AI Use Cases for Business Architecture
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Planning, managing, and delivering business requirements are daunting undertakings in any organization. It requires a lot of human resources and despite great efforts, the success rate of digital transformation project delivery is usually very low in most organizations. In this article, we’ll touch base on two methodologies that address today’s challenges of managing and crafting valuable business requirements, one of which is based on generative artificial intelligence.
How To Architect And Deliver AI At Scale
According to Gartner, it takes on average, organizations 7 months to develop AI initiatives, with 47% of the surveyed companies taking between 6 to 24 months from prototype to production. Delivering AI at scale includes addressing several key challenges to make sure that artificial intelligence (AI) systems can be effectively deployed and managed across a wide range of applications and use cases.
Our New Insurance Business Architecture Framework Is Now Ready
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We are thrilled to announce that our Insurance Business Architecture Framework version 3.1 is now ready and available. While elaborating on this latest version of this framework, we have also taken into account the very valuable input from our 6 Insurance Business Architecture Info Committee members, for which we are very grateful.
Crafting Valuable Requirements Using Business Architecture and Artificial Intelligence
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Planning, managing, and delivering business requirements are daunting undertakings in any organization. It requires a lot of human resources and despite great efforts, the success rate of digital transformation project delivery is usually very low in most organizations. In this article, we’ll touch base on two methodologies that address today’s challenges of managing and crafting valuable business requirements, one of which is based on generative artificial intelligence.
The Art of Measurement in Enterprise and Business Architecture
Structuring an enterprise and/or a business architecture model without measuring any of its key elements is a waste of time. It’s critical to any architecture model to have key performance indicators (KPIs) in place – and these strategic and tactical measurements should not be limited to IT. It’s also helpful to understand the sources of KPIs for various industries.
Welcome Our New Manufacturing Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee Members
We are proud to announce the nomination of our fourteen new Manufacturing Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee members. With version 3.1, we also have taken into account the input from our Pharmaceutical Architecture Reference Framework Committee. We are really looking forward to showing it to our customers. ​
Our New Partner in Africa
Business Architecture Info is very proud to have NOVILS Consulting as a new regional Partner. In partnership with Business Architecture Info, NOVILS Consulting, located in South Africa, can now provide business and enterprise architecture training and consulting for firms located anywhere in Africa.
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NOVILS Consulting is a dedicated force in steering businesses toward success through our specialized suite of services throughout Africa. With expertise in Business Architecture, we craft bespoke strategies for enterprises, overseeing implementation, process management, and change initiatives. Our offering spans from IT/Business Analysis to Project Management, ensuring streamlined operations. Conducting comprehensive Business Architecture Maturity assessments, we guide transformative Digital Transformation Journeys.
Architecting and Delivering Optimal Customer Journeys
Marketers and product managers are getting very good at the elaboration of enticing and optimal customer journeys. Their organizations use various agile methodologies in the hope of speeding things up and yet most of them struggle in delivering these journeys on time and within budget. This article intends to show how enterprise and business architecture can unravel and prioritize customer journey initiatives early on by identifying and focusing foremost on the problematic and enabling capabilities of their organization using a “Personal Loan” customer journey map example. ​
Newly Offered AI-Driven Features from EA Tool Vendors
Recently, many EA software applications have incorporated, or are about to include, artificially intelligent features to enhance their products. They have enlightened me with some of their artificial intelligence (AI) features already in use or to be delivered soon to their clients. These AI features include a recommendation engine, natural language processing, automation and orchestration, semantic understanding, and data integration.​
Welcome Our New Pharmaceutical Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee Members
We are proud to announce the nomination of our five new Pharmaceutical Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee members. With version 3.1, we also have taken into account the input from our Pharmaceutical Architecture Reference Framework Committee. We are really looking forward to showing it to our customers. ​
Welcome Our New Financial Services Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee Members
We are proud to announce the nomination of our eight new Financial Services Business Architecture Reference Framework Committee members. With version 3.1, we also take into account the input from our Financial Services Architecture Reference Framework Committee. We are really looking forward to showing it to our customers. ​
Webinar: Enterprise Architecture in the Pharmaceutical Industry
The pharmaceutical, biotech, life science, and medical device industries operate within a highly complex and regulated environment, where the development, production, and distribution of life-saving drugs and therapies require meticulous planning, coordination, and optimization. In this context, Enterprise Architecture (EA) plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless integration of business planning, business capabilities mapping, information technology, and business processes.
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Learn more about this subject in this 45-minute long free webinar to be held on November 10 at noon Eastern time.
The Place of Business Architecture within Enterprise Architecture
Business architecture, one of the four foundational domains of enterprise architecture, is too often neglected and even dismissed altogether in budget constraints. Rarely do enterprise architecture initiatives start with business architecture as they should. To succeed, an organization and its CIO(s) need to focus more resources on building and communicating business architecture change maps that will involve not just its enterprise architects, but also its business executives, its business architects, its product managers, IT portfolio managers, obviously its CIO(s), and all its short-term and long-term planning ecosystem.
Webinar: Choosing the Right Cloud Architecture for your Firm
Choosing the right cloud architecture for your firm is a critical decision that can significantly impact your business's efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Learn in this webinar how choosing the right cloud architecture for your firm is a critical decision that can significantly impact your business's efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
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Learn more about this subject in this 45-minute long free webinar to be held on October 12 at 10:00 AM Melbourne/Sydney time.
Our Industry-Based Business Architecture Framework Committees Are Growing
Our industry-based business architecture framework committees are growing. We are up to five industry-based committees. They are energy and utilities, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and our newest addition, manufacturing. We shall deliver later in 2024 the retail and insurance business architecture reference frameworks.
Webinar: Zero Trust and Enterprise Architecture
Without taking a new approach, like Zero Trust, enterprises will face continued friction with user access, experience disruptive and expensive security events, and be unable to transform and grow their businesses. Learn How EAs can take into account the Zero Trust methodology to improve security in their organization.
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Learn more about this subject in this 46-minute long webinar that was held on September 12, 2023.
Providing Value with Business Architecture and IT Architecture
​Enterprise architecture needs sufficient resources to plan and map proper customer-driven business architecture, but the 3 domains of IT architecture should not be neglected, which are application/service, information/data, and technology/infrastructure.
Enhancing and Validating a Capability Framework: An Example
Business Architecture Info has been providing industry-based reference business architecture frameworks for years based on the feedback provided by its over 100 customers over the last 10 years. It formalized this offering by launching its website a year ago. Most of our clients purchase our pre-built, ready-to-go, and customizable reference frameworks to fine-tune their own capability map and understand how they can be used in their everyday strategic and tactic planning and architecture initiatives. In the past, our industry-based frameworks have been built based on our customers’ feedback. On top of the feedback from our customers, we are now also starting to receive feedback from our industry-based committees. It’s been so far very successful. Here’s how we proceed.
Using Enterprise Architects to Increase the Success Rate of SAFe® Project
Any organization with a digital transformation success rate lower than 50%[i] will find that they can improve this ratio substantially if they start using their enterprise architecture task force differently. To increase their value in an organization that uses SAFe® or any other sophisticated agile methodology, enterprise architects need to get a lot better at focusing on providing value to clients, patients, partners, key managers, and key employees using detailed value streams with identified participating stakeholders, enabling business capabilities, and last but not least required information concepts.
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Our New Partner in the Asia Pacific and Australia Region
Business Architecture Info and its owner, Daniel Lambert, are very proud to have Axel Dancoisne as a new Partner. With his unique experience, Axel is a great addition to our team and can now provide business and enterprise architecture training and consulting for firms located in the Asia Pacific, including the Australia/New Zealand region.
How to Build a Grounded Capability Model
Business Capabilities are at the heart of an organization’s planning ecosystem. Capability mapping serves many purposes, two of which are critical. First, business capabilities are instrumental in setting priorities more quickly focusing on the most profitable initiatives first. Second, well crafted and grounded detailed capability-based roadmap allows agile project planning that is more accurate, less risky, and takes less time.
The 7 Phases of Strategy Mapping
Well-crafted strategic plans are mapped in detail from business design to agile solution delivery and execution to enable the necessary changes within an organization in response to customer needs, competition, and innovation. To achieve its strategies and goals, a firm needs to map and disseminate them cohesively throughout its organization using its entire planning ecosystems from executives, mid-level managers, strategists, business architects, enterprise architects, change managers, process experts, business analysts, and agile experts using the 7 phases of strategy mapping.
4 Steps to a Successful Digital Transformation Project Using Business Architecture
Following the 4 steps of a well-crafted business architecture practice will increase the cohesion within the planning ecosystem of your organization and significantly improve the rate of success of your digital transformation projects.
Seven Skill Sets of Great Business Architects
The success rate of your business and digital transformation projects can be improved significantly by including business architects within the planning ecosystem of your firm. Great business architects are very customer-driven, excel at finding value for their organization and customers, communicate well both with business and IT personnel, are not enterprise & business architecture model freaks, know measurement techniques inside out, meet their organization’s objectives, and are finally involved with the delivery of their firm's roadmaps.
Increasing your Digital Transformation Success Rate with Enterprise Architecture
The success rate of your digital transformation projects can be improved significantly by incorporating a business architecture practice into your enterprise architecture and by following the five “Agile Strategy Execution Steps”. Read this article to learn more.
BOOK - Practical Guide to Agile Strategy Execution: Design, Architect, Prioritize, and Deliver your Corporate Future Successfully
"The book is loaded with some of the best visual models I have seen. The Strategy Execution Model alone is worth purchasing the book. Even if you are in an organization that you think is very “agile”, I would challenge you to read this book." -- Amazon Reader
