Executive Education With Penn State: Enterprise Transformation & Integration

Enterprise Transformation & Integration: Beyond IT/Business Alignment. Accelare and Gartner Research have partnered with Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Enterprise Architecture to create a unique program: Enterprise Transformation & Integration: Beyond IT/Business Alignment. This program is designed for CIOs, EAs, business architects, strategists, and other senior business and IT leaders to provide the current theory, […]

The Business Architect’s Service Portfolio Part Two: Organizational Performance Services

For some time now I have been promoting the idea that the practice of business architecture is not about creating blueprints and models but applying a set of tools and techniques to form broader perspectives, create deeper insight, and solve business problems. If business architecture is a practice then what is its portfolio of services? […]

The Business Architect’s Service Portfolio Part One: Strategy Development and Articulation Services

For some time now I have been promoting the idea that the practice of business architecture is not about creating blueprints and models but applying a set of tools and techniques to form broader perspectives, create deeper insight, and solve business problems. If business architecture is a practice then what is its portfolio of services? […]

Future State versus Vision – Where are you headed?

Many business architects and strategists use the terms “vision” and “future state” synonymously. While similar in the sense that both are describing a future target, they are distinctly different concepts aiming at different types of change. Since creating a long range target is often the first step of major change initiatives, getting this wrong can […]

The Architect’s Transformation: From Master Technician to Business Strategist

We are now well into the fourth era of information technology evolution. Along the way IT professionals have been challenged to evolve their skills to keep pace with advancing technology as well as evolving business expectations. Here is my skills view of the architect’s transformation:  Mastery – For the first 25 years of business computing, […]

Creating a Powerful Vision

Organizations with a strong inspiring vision of who they want to become have higher levels of performance than purely goal-based organizations. If you aren’t sure you need to create a vision statement for you organization, go back and read “Why Most Organizations Have Weak Visions.” A powerful vision statement clarifies management’s aspirations. It sets broad […]

Why Most Organizations Have Weak Visions

We do a lot of strategy work with organizations big and small. It is very curious to me that few organizations create strong vision statements. A powerful vision statement clarifies management’s aspirations. It sets broad direction and inspires people to go beyond the norm. If you create a set of reasonable goals people will meet […]

THE FIVE “Vs” OF LEADERSHIP

There are lots of models around describing leadership characteristics and roles. Here is one I have been using for a number of years to introduce the role of the leader. While not a complete model, it does get across some of the more important attributes of excellent leaders. VISION – One of the first roles […]

What Do Business Architects Do?

 NOTE: When I refer to “Business Architects” here, I am referring to anyone playing the role of the business architect. This could be business managers, enterprise architects, business analysts, strategists, etc. We don’t need the title of business architect to be one. When we do “business architecture things” we are acting as business architects. There […]