How Does Business Architecture Assist Organizations from Strategy to Execution?

Gregg Rock interviews Ed Hunt in November 2021.

GR: How does business architecture assist organizations from strategy to execution?

EH: Gregg that's a very important question. BA helps across the organization, and I think one of the most important ways is its use of models to convey concepts of the organization; it begins with capabilities, all the way through process information and understanding. It helps an organization understand the operational complexity of the business. The business has a real clear idea of what they do, and they might have an idea of what they want to do, but the hard part is solving the business problem. I always like to say it's never a technology problem: While our industry loves the new technology, and we think the new technology is going to magically solve the problem, it just gives us another tool in the toolbox to address it. It always comes back to a business problem. “What's the operational implication to my business?” What’s the implication of adding this new product, new service, new market, and consolidating or acquiring a new business? Business architecture plays a key role in communicating that to the business.

So many times, business architecture understands “Well, if I do this every time you build a capability, not only can you meet the immediate need, but it gives you an ability to do something that's next.” And the business architect keeps saying “What's next?” and then going back to the business and the strategy to say not only can we meet this need, but if we take this new business function or service and apply it to the existing business or a new opportunity, we can build that into the solution, we can build that into the structures, and then we can achieve agility because we've already anticipated what that dimension needs to the business.

GR: And I think it's critical with the speed that the marketplace is moving in and as fast as things are changing, business architecture provides organizations with that roadmap so they can figure out “Do we have these capabilities, do we need to acquire these capabilities, are there new opportunities, new services, or new products that we can develop?”, and business architecture really helps to lay that out in a very tangible way.

If you’re looking to see some more information and more expertise from ED, please check out our new Business Architecture 101 on-demand course.

Relevant Courses: BA 101; Building a Business Architecture: Part 1; Building a Business Architecture: Part 2; Launching Your Business Architecture Practice

Relevant Certificates: Business Architecture Professional Certificate (BAIP) ; Digital Transformation Certificate 

Editors Note: 

Watch the entire Need to Know: Business Architecture video series. 

Read the other articles in the series here: 

Article 1: What is Business Architecture? 

Article 2: Why is Business Architecture Important to IT Delivery? 

Article 3: How Does Business Architecture Improve Business Outcomes?

Article 4: What is the Connection Between Business Architecture and Digital Transformation?

Article 5: How Does Business Architecture Enable Execution?

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