So what is the value of Enterprise Architecture, and how can it really guide transformation in an enterprise. How do you crisply attribute the value of good planning, and articulate it to others? (… as we read in my previous posts, Enterprise Architecture is largely a planning function at heart). Many EAs struggle with this and are constantly working to get over this hump in their respective companies.
I have always tried to look up to some spectacular examples that have been extensively written and talked about – for both motivation and learning. The above picture captures one such IT transformation journey by IBM.
This is some serious consolidation:
- # of CIOs reduced from 128 to 1
- # of Datacenters reduced from 155 to 6
- # of Applications reduced from 16,000 to 4,500
But there is more – in early 2009, senior business executives started to define a set of global Level 1 business processes with clearly identified Enterprise Business Owners. They continued to decompose the processes making significant efficiency and effectiveness gains.
The rest is history.. Please take a look at the following for a more detailed read:
- MIT’s Sloan School of Management
IBM: Building the IT Function for a Global Business (Stephanie L. Woerner and Jeanne W. Ross) https://blog.itu.dk/EB19-F2013/files/2013/04/building-the-it-function.pdf - IT University, Copenhagen
IBM’s Transformation Story / The Essential CIO https://blog.itu.dk/EB19-F2013/files/2013/02/essential-cio_ibm-transformation1.pdf
Thank you for reading and I always love to hear from you, whether you agree or not 🙂
I wish all of you the very best of luck and always look forward to discussing the macros and micros of Enterprise Architecture!
