Aggregated enterprise architecture wisdom
I think best with a marker in my hand. Always have. My workspace, and all paths to and from it, are littered with box and line diagrams, doodles, code snippets, and my (at that moment) best idea ever, on any scrap of paper, notebook or whiteboard within reach. Quirky, my friends think. But, I’m far … Read more
As technology and data increasingly pervade our everyday, technologists and teams are incorporating new practices, especially design thinking, as a means to deliver digital products, services and experience that fit. The person. The situation. The system. Teams responsible for these new digital endeavors and transformations often model their practices on elite technology companies, fast moving … Read more
Connective thinking ability cited as key trait in newly published Isaac Asimov essay on Creativity: But what if the same earth-shaking idea occurred to two men, simultaneously and independently? Perhaps, the common factors involved would be illuminating. Consider the theory of evolution by natural selection, independently created by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. There is […]
Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EaPatterns/~3/q-_enC-d6JI/80234379824 From EA Patterns 00
Link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EaPatterns/~3/rHRxUw-lE5s/80234379824 From EA Patterns 00
I’ve often said the future belongs to the dot-connectors. Webber’s Rule of Thumb #7, the System is the Solution, describes it perfectly:
My point is that embedded in every company, in every organization, is a system. When you see the system and not just the individual pieces you increase your chances of winning.
Most people look at a company and see the organization chart. Or the pyramid of functions. Or the products and services the company offers as output.
Systems thinkers see the relationships, not the functions. They see the processes, not the stand-alone components or the final products. It’s the difference between looking at a fence and noticing the barbed wire running horizontally rather than the fence posts standing vertically.
Sometimes it helps to do something as simple as drawing a picture with arrows to show what would otherwise be invisible connections. A drawing of a three-legged stool isn’t a sophisticated operations chart, but it makes the point about how magazines need to operate as a system.
Systems thinking can also help when you’re trying to solve a perplexing problem. If you want to untangle the clues as to how something went wrong, think like a detective: figure out who all the players are and how they relate to each other. Usually it’s the system, not one person or department, that explains the real cause of the problem.
One thing is sure: the future belongs to systems thinkers.
For extra credit, see Rule #10 A Good Question Beats a Good Answer:
Why do questions matter more than answers? If you don’t ask the right question, it doesn’t matter what your answer is. And if you do ask the right question, no matter what your answer, you will learn something of value.
Questions are how we learn. Which means questions are how we create change…
Source: Webber, Alan M. (2009-04-10). Rules of Thumb (p. 32). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
From the fantastic Brain Pickings:
“Dubbed Prospero’s Precepts, these eleven rules culled from some of history’s greatest minds can serve as a general-purpose guideline for critical thinking in all matters of doubt:
via Was Shakespeare Shakespeare? 11 Rules for Critical Thinking | Brain Pickings.
“Meaning: rather than taking what already exists as the basis of our thinking, we break the problem down to its most fundamental truths and examine each piece. Even though a problem has already been solved, we start from the problem’s most basic elements to reexamine whether a better solution might be possible.”
“…Reasoning from first principles helps to ensure that you develop the smartest, leanest possible solution to a problem. It may even result in some astounding innovations. The downside is that it’s a much harder path than reasoning from analogy. A one-question problem now becomes a 100 question problem. But when you’re working on something that truly matters to you, this process of hard thinking will truly be worth it.”
Source: microlancer
via Diigo
From Baked Idea, this scathing critique of a favourite enterprise architecture cliche…
“Unless you are some sort of corporate stowaway that has secreted yourself into an organisation just for shits and giggles, you are part of ‘the business’…
There is no gigantic creature called ‘The business’ sitting in your stationery cupboard saying “no!”..
Referring to ‘the business’ is a sign of laziness. It is a sign that you can’t be arsed to put the effort into thinking about your context…
From Baked Idea, this scathing critique of a favourite enterprise architecture cliche…
“Unless you are some sort of corporate stowaway that has secreted yourself into an organisation just for shits and giggles, you are part of ‘the busi…
Author: Alex Matthews – Twitter: @remembermytweet “Complexity theory predicts that we cannot rely on predictions.” This post is a series of excerpts from the following brilliant presentation on Complexity Theory. […]