In my last post, I blogged about Enterprise Architecture roadmaps across domains to be layered and reconciled. The intent of such reconciliation is rather straightforward - to inform and address strategic questions with sufficient insights and assumptions that can guide business transformations. This requires continual engagement with business and functional stakeholders, but while doing this, there are a couple of challenges that Architects will have to address:

Identifying business and functional stakeholders

Planning a mode of stakeholder engagement based on context





Identify your Functional stakeholders – follow the money

Enterprise Architecture frameworks, including TOGAF highlight the need for Business Architecture and a continuum of stakeholder engagement. Technology teams may sometimes find the term “business” to be nebulous, and will need to contextualize it against roles and people in the organization – influencers and decision makers.

EAs may have to work with Business Architects to facilitate stakeholder interactions, but this can be challenging in organizations that don’t use formal designation of ‘Business Architect.’ Business Architects may be called by different names like Business partners, Engagement Managers, Relationship managers, and their span of influence may vary across organizational domains.

Most organizations will have a cadre of functional experts who straddle the middle ground between operations and projects. These Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) may come from Finance, Procurement, HR, Legal, Facilities, Marketing and other operational domains. The SMEs may also be aware of the technology and processes in the landscape, and may report into the functional while engaging closely with Information Technology teams.

Business Architects will have to identify such SMEs across functional areas while gathering inputs and reviewing roadmaps.

Planning the mode of engagement

Engaging with business stakeholders requires insights on organizational context, governance model, and an understanding of business and technology transformations underway. Such stakeholder engagement can range from point-in-time or project based reviews to a continual, well defined governance.

Organizations and roles rarely remain static. Therefore, Business Architects need to continually update their stakeholder engagement maps to reflect changes in the organization, emerging initiatives and transformations.

Business divisions or regions in an organization may designate a senior business leader responsible for technology transformations. Similarly, a functional manager responsible for a large transformation - like redesigning the CRM processes and platforms – may also take on the role of a Business Architect.

The functional leaders may periodically schedule planning forums and sessions for which, BA’s and EA’s may be invited. Inputs from such sessions can help Architects:

Get a heads-up on key programs and transformations being planned. These inputs are key input for EA roadmaps.

Requirements for new capabilities and technology platforms may arise during such planning sessions and interactions with functional leaders. EA’s may need to evaluate vendors and solutions that may address such requirements.

Architecture realization depends projects and initiatives being funded. For instance, an EA roadmap may call out the need for standardized data mappings and integrations. However, they may not have the budget to realize the roadmap and will have to ensure the interfaces being designed for individual projects align with the roadmap.

Bottomline: An understanding of the roles of Business Architects, Partners and functional stakeholders in an organization can ensure successful engagement to ensure roadmap realization. This will also enable the identification of architecturally significant requirements and funding for such transformations.

My views on EA Roadmaps continue to evolve, and I look forward to hearing about experiences in your organization too. Previous posts - Enterprise Architecture Roadmap 101: Tips for reconciling them across an enterprise || Reconciling roadmaps across enterprise domains.



