1.0 Introduction

Let’s take a few minutes to explore a subject that’s at the heart of the challenge of running a business, and by extension, also at the heart of providing expert architectural services on behalf of business leadership. This discussion will focus on approach to analyzing and designing effective communications among disciplines and specialists.

“Man is the model-making organism par excellence … Myths, philosophical systems, and science represent different types of models of what social scientists call cognitive systems. The purpose of the model is to enable the user to do a better job in handling the enormous complexity of life. By using models, we see and test how things work and can even predict how things will go in the future. The effectiveness of a model can be judged by how well it works, as well as how consistent it is as a mechanical or philosophical system.” Edward T. Hall – Beyond Culture

Introduction

The ability to explore business issues through models lies at the heart of the business architecture discipline. Business architecture models capture the essence of the business, how the parts relate to one another, and how the business interacts with external entities and forces.

The Profession
Let’s take a little time to think together about this profession, this discipline, that we call business architecture.  It’s not uncommon to find discussions about how to define this discipline, its responsibilities, and where it should report in an organization structure.  Let’s take a slightly different perspective here on the nature of this work.

I suspect we all agree that it’s very important for business architecture to demonstrate valuable results in a reasonable timeframe.  There is nothing more discouraging for business architects and their sponsors than effort spent on modeling for its own sake, or continuous planning to plan the plan.  Here, in this article, we have a method that quickly leads to tangible results, while building the foundation for a continuous flow of valuable results from business architecture.