Doctoral Researcher, Digital Transformation
In today's rapidly evolving business environment, organisations must adopt a proactive and strategic approach to stay ahead of the competition. With the introduction of new technologies and the increasing volatility in the business, it is essential for companies to align their business objectives and operations with their technological landscape. To achieve this, organisations require a chief enterprise architect (EA). As a key player, the Chief EA ensures that the organisation's technology strategy aligns with its overall business objectives. The first 100 days of a Chief EA's tenure are particularly critical as it is the time for them to establish a robust foundation by building a strong relationship with stakeholders, defining EA value through credibility, and embedding the EA practice in the organisation.
During a webinar organised by Vlerick Business School’s Centre for Enterprise Architecture and Digital Design, three experienced chief enterprise architects shared their insights and experiences from their first 100 days in this role. The speakers were Anthony De Lepeleire from Honda Motor Europe, Panos Nikolaidis from Barry Callebaut and Wim Van de Water from Azelis. The webinar was hosted by Pascal Dussart, an independent Enterprise Architect and Manager of the Vlerick Centre for Enterprise Architecture and Digital Design.
Below are the main takeaways from the webinar.
Projects can become increasingly risky as the IT landscape increases in complexity. An enterprise architect can then step in to reduce these risks, maintain a holistic view of the IT landscape, and ensure they fit with the business processes. Big companies usually realise the need for an EA whenever misalignment problems occur.
Panos: “At Barry Callebaut, the need for a dedicated EA role arose quite naturally with the growth of business demands for new technologies and the consequent escalation of our IT landscape complexity. The increasing requests for new services resulted in a series of systems which all needed to be integrated and communicate with one another. As such, fitting all the pieces together required a holistic approach. We realised we needed a team to manage this complexity and to ensure a seamless information flow between the systems without disrupting the business operations. Moreover, we needed a team to guarantee a robust architecture aligned with the IT and business objectives. This was when we decided to set up a dedicated EA team.”
To operate on a limited budget and with little bandwidth, the EA team often faces questions like "How do you pick your battles?" and "Which projects do you prioritise?"
Anthony: “Usually, we have some sense of direction of where we want to go in the coming year. A couple of years ago, we established the IT architecture board consisting of enterprise architects, solution architects and project managers. Prior to any program or project implementation, it must undergo a board review to determine if it aligns with the wider EA and company strategy and necessitates EA guidance. Once the project kicks off, EA acts as a gateway for the overall architecture, verifying whether the solution fits within the EA's strategy and seeing that it receives the necessary guidance.”
The first 100 days of a Chief Enterprise Architect can be particularly daunting. A good roadmap or tool such as TOGAF, ARCHIMATE or any other means can offer guidance through these challenging times.
Anthony: “Enterprise Architecture is all about road mapping. I personally really like TOGAF, but there is more than that. Generally, it is crucial to recognise that your roadmap is subject to constant revision and adaptation in line with the organisation's strategic objectives, business requirements, and technological advancements. Therefore, flexibility and adaptability are essential. The EA team should take the business roadmap, adapt it by identifying gaps and potential challenges, and eventually determine how and where EA can provide value.”
All three guests agreed that defining the value of enterprise architecture can be challenging as it depends on various factors unique to each organisation. However, one key aspect lies in demonstrating EA value to key stakeholders and translating it into business value.
Wim: “I was originally hired as a solution architect, but I used my EA background to add another layer of value on top of the transformation process. I found that taking the time to understand the business processes and IT landscape was crucial. By asking questions such as "Why are we doing this like this?" and "Why aren’t we streamlining certain services?" I was able to identify areas for improvement and show management the proof of EA value through these process improvements.
Process improvements can be as simple as streamlining print services across multiple locations to take advantage of scalability benefits. However, it is essential to build credibility as an EA by clearly demonstrating the value of your work to the business. Failure to do so may result in your contributions going unnoticed. Ultimately, the key to demonstrating the value of Enterprise Architecture is to show stakeholders how it can improve business outcomes and drive success.”