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The “Enterprise” is an entity that is formed to serve a purpose of value to society via visions, goals, and strategies. Let us review a few forms of an Enterprise. 

•  Federal, state and local government agencies
•  Non-profit organizations
•  Business companies 

All of the above-mentioned enterprises share something in common; they all have internal components that govern and guide operations. These components [must] be constantly improved to maintain and enhance the life of an “Enterprise.” 

The three “primary” components that govern and guide operations of the Enterprise are: 

• Enterprise Architecture Plan (EAP)
• Enterprise\Business Process Management (EPM or BPM)
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 

Enterprise Architecture Plan 

The Enterprise Architecture Plan (EAP) is derived from the vision, goals, and strategies of its creators. The EAP will present the five W’s and the How of Enterprise Architecture. The following are the five W’s and the How. 

• The What of the Enterprise (Data)
• The Where of the Enterprise (Network)
• The Who of the Enterprise (Organization)
• The When of the Enterprise (Schedule)
• The Why  of the Enterprise (Strategy)
• The How  of the Enterprise (Function) 

Enterprise Architectural Principles 

The specifics of enterprise architectural principles will depend on the vertical market the Enterprise is in, the long-term strategy of the Enterprise (to-be), and the short-term imperative goals of the Enterprise (as-is). The following is by no means an exhaustive list of specifics to the architectural principles. This short list is the core elements of the architectural principles. 

The EAP should encompass some, of if not all, of these enterprise architectural principles: 

1. 1. Organization-enabling
2. 2. Value-enabling
3. 3. Brand-name advancing
4. 4. Market-share expanding
5. 5. Processes-simplifying
6. 6. Processes-minimizing
7. 7. Optimized-continually
8. 8. Customer-centric
9. 8. Scalable
10. 10. Reconfigurable 

These principles along with the five W’s and the How will lay the foundation to the construction of the Enterprise. 

Enterprise\Business Process Management

The flow of tasks, objectives, events, and transactions through the Enterprise is governed, managed, and implemented by processes. Theses processes have to be governed and management in a way that all tasks, objectives, events, and transactions flow efficiently within and outside of the Enterprise to accomplish the set goals and strategies. 

Process management in its simplest form is defined as tasks and or events that receive stimulus inputs that in turn produces a predetermined outputs (even in the case of exceptions). 

This is accomplished by and through human and technology process interactions. 

Let us use the case of an admittance or discharge to the hospital from the emergency room. 

One may feel ill enough to go to the emergency care at the local hospital. Once the person enters the doors of the ER and the receptionist greets the person, two essential processes are initiated into action. 

They are: 

• Collect information about the illness (human-centric)
• Collect information about the patient (human-centric) 

The collected information is then pushed to a database (technology-centric) for use by other processes associated to the emergency protocol. Based upon the illness or symptoms of the patient, the next [technology-centric] process will determine which doctor to summon to the assigned examination room (human-centric and or technology-centric). The doctor will then interact with the patient to determine, which course of action to take which will lead to an admittance process or discharge process. Now this is a very short and simple snapshot of actions taken for someone who may visit the emergency room but I trust you have the gist of have these processes interact for this given case. 

Therefore, you can see how Enterprise\Business Process Management is the heart of the Enterprise functionality. Processes MUST be well defined and optimized to provide best performance for an organization. This in turn will grant the enterprise agility and increase successfulness of the desired goals and strategies. 

Customer Relationship Management 

As the BPM provides functionality to the Enterprise, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) methodology provides life to the Enterprise. Most enterprises operate in a product service-centric manner, which means they created product(s) and or service(s) without the thought of the customer in conducting business. 

A product service-centric enterprise is destined to demise for lack of customer integration. Here is a great quote that all members of Top management should hang on the wall:         

“Businesses are not paid to reform customers. They are paid to satisfy customers.” 

-Peter Drucker 

A CRM solution allows the enterprise to transform into a “customer-centric” entity. CRM in its general definition is; processes and methodologies which an enterprise uses to communicate, track, and organize its interactions with its current and prospective customers. 

A well-implemented CRM solution will provide a ROI of increased customer loyalty and continuous growth of new customers. 

In Summary 

We have learned that the Enterprise is an entity that is formed to serve a purpose via visions, goals, and strategies. An Enterprise Architecture Plan (EAP) is then created from theses visions, goals, and strategies. The EAP will capture and present the What, Where, Who, When, Why, and How of the Enterprise. 

Processes within an Enterprise are controlled through Enterprise\Business Process Management methodologies.  Processes are all tasks, objectives, events, and transactions that flow within and outside of the Enterprise. Process management in its simplest form is defined as tasks and events that receive stimulus inputs that in turn produces a predetermined outputs (even in the case of exceptions). 

The Customer Relationship Management methodology is the bridge that connects the Enterprise to the customer and the customer to the Enterprise. A CRM solution allows the Enterprise to transform into a “customer-centric” entity. CRM in its general definition is; processes and methodologies an Enterprise uses to communicate, track, and organize its interactions with its current and prospective customers.  

Contact dotNet Framework Solutions for an evaluation of your enterprise! 

To enable Enterprise Process Management (EPM), there must be a mindset shift in top-management and a new set of leadership behavior. EPM involves the transition from communicating strategy in general or fiscal terms into observable and measureable terms of business processes.

The shift in top-management mindset must understand that the foundation of its fiscal goals is the collaboration and cumulative results of the enterprise business processes functionality. Strategy is not transformed into action without a clear and shared understanding of the accountability for advancement to the enterprise business processes. Hence, this leads to an established governance of business processes within the enterprise.

The governance of the processes will provide a stage to solidly communicate the enterprise process view, provide key accountability owners and high-level goals that all members of the enterprise will engage.

Understand that EPM does not replace functional units focus; it adds an additional tool for top-management practices that emphasize the way in which the enterprise create value for it customers.

EPM Benefits

The Enterprise Architect The primary responsibility of the Enterprise Architect is the management and implementation of the “Enterprise Architecture Plan.” In most company structures the Enterprise Architect reports to the CIO and has a staff of both technical and business knowledgeable members. 

The primary responsibility of the Enterprise Architect is the management and implementation of the “Enterprise Architecture Plan.” In most company structures the Enterprise Architect reports to the CIO and has a staff of both technical and business knowledgeable members. 

Since the Enterprise Architecture Plan (EAP) is a living methodology the Enterprise Architect is constantly monitoring and enhancing the EAP. The Enterprise Architect is the liaison between top management, stakeholders and end users of the “How’s,” “Why’s,” “What’s,” “Where’s,” and “When’s” of the EAP.

Since the EAP is not implemented as a pure technology or business methodology the Enterprise Architect must be able to communicate in an understandable language throughout the enterprise at any given moment.  They must wear the hat of a technologist, business strategist, business analyst, project manager, product manager, and end user. They must be creative in thought, innovative in implementations, very organized, energetic, and most of all – a people person.

In today’s construct of businesses the Enterprise Architect serves a vital role in the continues success and growth of the enterprise. Statistics show that companies without an EAP lag behind those which do in performance and growth.

Are you building a track home – where the architect just moves rooms to provide a different look; or are you building a custom home – where the architect builds for growth and renovation?  

Contact dotNet Framework Solutions for your Enterprise Architecture consultation

What is a business model? The business model can be defined as the purpose or construction of the business and the goal(s) that it is “architected” to pursue.

The business model in terms of architecture will define a complete and comprehensive plan of implementation. It will categorize functions of the business and specify the requirements of it function. It will also provide identification of “Line of businesses (LOB’s)” within the function of the business model.

Functions of the Business Model

The function of the Business Model is the set of “actions” that are conducted by the enterprise. These functions are steered efficiently through business process management (BPM).

Within the enterprise architecture – functions can be viewed as the components that create the end results of the enterprise such as “sales” and/or “services” of widgets. Recall the business model will define implementation.    

Tasks of Creating and Evaluating Functions of the Business Model

·  Define All Major Functions of the Enterprise

·  If Possible, Divide The Major Functions into Sub functions

·  Decompose the Functions until Single Actions are Defined

·  Order the Function Hierarchically

·  Once in Utilization Review the Quality of the Functions

·  Continually Evaluated the Performance of the Functions through BPM Methodology

In Summary

The business model defines the implementation of the enterprise.  They are actions of the enterprise. The enterprise utilizes these actions to create the end results of “sales” and/or ‘services”.

Contact dotNet Framework Solutions for your Enterprise Architecture consultation

The Enterprise is Human

Enterprise architecture methodology is used to construct and define an organization direction based on philosophy, culture, and technology mechanisms. We will take a hard look at the human capital contribution of the EA (Enterprise Architecture) methodology.

Since the beginning of time men and women have worked together for the common good of the community. Men would hunt and build and the women would management the families and inner works of the community. Within this construct of human harmony a defined culture was created.

Given this created culture, let’s now bring it into the 21th century of business. The enterprise (business entities) has evolved from different homogeneous societies or cultures. These cultures bring to the enterprise a wealth of different thoughts, religious, work methods, and ethics.

This makes the enterprise uniquely human in all sense of the definition. Remove the human capital from the enterprise and what do you have?    

The Human Capital in the Enterprise

The human capital along with the vision of the enterprise architecture comprises the foundation on which to build the enterprise. A typical enterprise has this formation of an organizational structure:

·  Executive management

·  Line management

·  Labours

It is the executive management team duties to inspire the vision and lead fully the creation of an enterprise architecture that both recognizes and enhances the human culture of the enterprise. If the executive management team does not fully commit to an EA implementation then the enterprise will be doomed to failure in today’s business structures.

The executive management team must formulate a means in capturing the essences of the culture to which it directs. Once the team fully understands it culture (the human capital) then the process of directing that culture towards the vision will be in harmony of the culture.  

The line management teams are the enablers of the EA design. Their responsibilities are to place into effect, and review the efficiency of the EA design. Their daily activities with the culture or in regards to this post, the human capital are to develop, and manage the capture points of the enterprise architecture that recognizes the culture knowledge contributions to feedback into the future content of the design so that the culture contributions remains harmonizes.

The labours implement the how’s, why’s, when’s what’s and where’s of the EA design. They individually and collectively bring to the enterprise a unique cultural ability to accomplish the aforementioned elements of the enterprise.  

This is the key to success of an enterprise architecture design which is to capture and utilize this diverse wealth of knowledge and social being. This knowledge and social being is the foundation of the enterprise.

Contact dotNet Framework Solutions for your EA consultation