XPLUS Breakfast Session

Balancing the time horizons

June 4th 2021, 8.30am –

9.30am

www.dssmith.com

Our speakers

Chris Peltier

Lead Business Architect at XPLUS

Business-driven roadmaps - Business Architect

as an Agent of Change

Caroline Van CromphautHead of Enterprise & Technology Architecture at Belfius

Balancing the short, medium, long term time-

horizons: a key arena for architects

Tom WybailliePartner at XPLUS

The competencies of a domain architect and what are the key ingredients of a domain architecture

Jean François CollinChief Architect Business Solutions at Euroclear

Charting feasible evolution paths of thelandscape to realise ambitions

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-francois-collin-a215861/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/twybaillie/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-peltier-1b4782/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-van-cromphaut-37a05b6/

www.dssmith.com

Some Practical details

- Don’t hesitate to interact and ask questions via the chat 💬

- Please stay muted during the webinar 🔈

- Stay tuned as we are going to do some Polls during the session 📊

- For additional questions after the event: info@xplus.eu

- Enjoy the session!

4

SHORT vs. LONG TERM

ARCHITECTURE XPLUS SEMINAR

CAROLINE VAN CROMPHAUT ARCHITECTS Belfius

Head of Enterprise & Technology Architecture

Belfius Bank & Insurance 2021

date

Belfius Bank & Insurance

5

Belfius is an integrated bank-insurer, currently owned by the Belgian federal state through the FederalHolding and Investment Company (FPIM – SFPI). Belfius Bank operates as the mother company, with BelfiusInsurance and various other companies as (fully owned) subsidiaries.

> 3.6 million customers

590 branches

9,400 employees

55 million digital interactions/ month

Belfius, meaningful & inspiring for the Belgian Society. Together

The Belfius Group: a unique Belgian Bank - Insurer

Zoom on Belfius Insurance

6

Belfius Insurance is major player in the Belgian industry market: 1 insurer, 3 brands, solution catered to the entire Belgian Market.

• Over 90 years of experience. • Strong local embedding with

over 300 offices. (often family business)

• Phygital strategy. • Wide range of products with

both live and non-live offerings.

• Over 350.000 families insured with DVV.

• Became subsidiary of DVV insurance in 1997.

• Direct insurer: no-one in between insurance company and the customer.

• Offers the most common non-life insurance.

• Unique offerings with “kilometer insurance” for cars and “volume insurance” for owners.

• One stop partner for all matters relating to banking and insurance with all synergies in between.

• An insurance partner for cities and communities.

• Leverages on the Belfius mobile app.

• Strong digital experience with both underwriting and the claims process integrated into the app.

IT Together

IT Belfius InsuranceIT Belfius Bank

Infrastructure & Cloud

Vendor MgtDigital

SecurityIdentity &

Access MgtArchitecture

WHAT WE DO (UNOFFICIAL VERSION)

When you want to build a house …..

You know already more or less which style you like, the rooms you want,…

-

But you need help of an architect to help you to translate it into a real executable plan…

-

And when he advices you for the real technical stuff such as heating and electricity, that’s

his thing; you follow his advice

-

But sometimes there is one topic where you are really convinced you know better…. Then

you know, you’re still in charge ☺

-

He’s not there every day… mainly in the beginning of the project… or when big decisions need to be made or somethings goes really

wrong…

When you want to execute a company strategy …..

Enterprise & Technology Architecture for Belfius Bank & Insurance

Mission Statement EVOLUTION FROM ARCHITECTURE TOWARDS URBANISM

Enterprise & Technology Architecture for Belfius Bank & Insurance

Mission Statement EVOLUTION FROM ARCHITECTURE TOWARDS URBANISM WE HELP TRANSLATING STRATEGY INTO IT

Architecture Level of Belfius for the past decennia has been focussing mainly on supporting project & program architecture. We want to

evolve towards domain & enterprise architecture in a methodology inspired by international best practices (TOGAF and ArchiMate).

Business capabilities &

Process, data concepts

& organisation

Software, application

and IT transversal building

blocks & services

Technology, cloud & on

premise infrastructure

horizon

5-10y

1-3y

now

Belfius has a very clear Corporate strategy

11

Architecture level of Belfius for the pastdecennia

Ambition level of Belfius Architecture in the future : but this requires also a change at business

1

2Today the Belfius organisation & maturity is enforcing us to work in mainly a bottom-up approach

3

Belfius Architecture : a pragmatic approach and roadmap for change for the company (2020-2022)

• Evolution of IT architecture to the higher levels • Proof the added value in day-to-day• Only then start a discussion about the business change & impact

Focus on communication and building a personal network

Business Architect as an Agent of Change

Christopher Peltier

June 2021

Senior Principal Consultant – Business Architecture

XPLUS Briefing Series

Business-Driven Roadmaps

About me…

Pieter DuboisChris PeltierName

Profile

ExperiencePrincipal

CONSULTANT

Business & Enterprise Architecture,

Transformation and Operational Excellence

+30 years of experience delivering successful & sustainable

solutions at all layers of the organisation

Trusted Advisor to CXO Management, Pragmatic experience

in the design & implementation of Business, Enterprise

Architecture, Operating Models Organisational Change

Experienced in Government, EU, Banking, Finance,

Container Shipping, Logistics, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas,

Energy, Insurance, International Postal Services, …

Dedicated & strategic minded person with a strong quality

focus driving Strategy to Execution through a pragmatic and

collaborative approach

XPLUS Principal Consultant & Architect

Outline

• Business Architecture

• New skills for Transformation Leaders

• Dealing with Uncertainty

• Characteristics of a Business-Driven Roadmap• Examples

• Readiness & Resilience

• Embedding an adaptive Process • Sense and Respond Paradigm - See, Rehearse, Adapt

• Conclusions

Business Architect and the Business Driven Roadmap

16

FACT 2: Business Architecture has very often

existed under the Enterprise Architecture &

the CIO office umbrella – IT Driven, IT

Roadmaps, IT Decision-Making, IT Targets or

Project Oriented

FACT 1: The current reality is that most

organizations are knowledge-poor

regarding Business Architecture as well as lacking

the basic understanding of its value & contribution

to change.

FACT 3: Business Architecture is an

“Enterprise” view of “the Business” - representing

all perspectives of the Organisation in

partnership with IT, from Business &

Operations, to the Ecosystem of Customers

and Partners

Business architects play a pivitol role as ”the guide”

within an organization’s story. They make order out

of chaos and create a path to transformationWhynde Kuehn S2E Transformation

Business Architect and the Business Driven Roadmap

17

Take-Away:

Business Architecture designs

the “blueprint” for executing

the Business Strategy & Target

Operating Model

Business Driven or

“Transformation” Roadmaps

visualise a comprehensive

business-driven approach to

achieve the Business Strategy

across Internal Silos &

extending across the entire

ecosystem of value creation

Business Driven Roadmap is fundamentally about bringing

perspectives together, Communicating Complexity,

Telling a Story & Thinking Differently

- Make it simple & inclusive across multiple perspectives, silos,

and levels of the organisation

- Use creative & tailored methods that resonate to your audience

to guide & inspire to move into action

- Remember most people will be hearing for the first time about

what a Business Architect & Business-Driven Roadmaps do

-The Business Driven Roadmap delivers a value centric

perspective & visualises a comprehensive transformative solution

over phases by blending dependencies & orchestrating change

- Fill the “Trust Gap” in both the Business, Operations, & IT

Organisations – Build Confidence & Create a Common narrative

Today’s Transformation Leaders need new Road mapping skills

18

Transformation Leaders

2.0

Today’s Transformation Leaders need new Road mapping skills

Business Centric approach puts the needs of the

business, customers, & partners at the centre of

the strategy (not Tool/technology as the centre of

decision making)

Take-Away:

New Disciplines to Master

The Art & Science of Communicating the Business-Driven Roadmap

Strategy to Execution guides transformation

requires thinking strategically; envision & design

the future state of the business, spearhead strategies

that create new products, services and business

models, ecosystems, and influence change

Therapist & Coach be passionate, have empathy,

and unlock peoples potential and acknowledge them;

address fear & anxiety and MotivationsEntrepreneur be passionate and evangelical about

change & the benefits it will bring; Show confidence

creativity, and decisiveness with agility to change;

don’t fear Risk; open-mindedness & accountability

Financial & Market Disruptor – understand societal

directions influencing Financial Investment & Market Drivers

e.g. ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) Investment;

Inclusivity, Equitability Data Driven & Technology enabled

Technologist who’s fully aware of current and emerging

technologies and their impact on business operations

and services (not the technician)

Story Teller & Influencer – be a strong business

communicator – expressing concepts and

solutions the business can understand then

translate those messages into actionable People,

Process, and Technology solutions tailored to

other peoples perspectives; Use Active Listening

19

Leader by creating safe environments where

everyone's voice can be heard, no single loud voice,

no wrong answers; “Failure” is accepted; Choose a

direction and Execute then Sense & Respond to

rapid cycles of stimulus

Dealing with Uncertainty - Roadmaps & Maturity Models

One of the most powerful and versatile tools in the transformation tool box is the Business-Driven Roadmap

But how do we approach making one and how do we

decide what message to convey through the Roadmap, how do we address the “uncertainty” of a future state

Dealing with Uncertainty - Roadmaps & Maturity Models

If you are having any of the following

conversations…

…Consensus Built Roadmap

…consist of plans caste in stone

…we must have certainty

…what level do we go to, is that the right level

…is that going to be a 6.7 FTE or a 8.3 FTE reduction

in year 3 or year 5

…we need more data insights to make a decision

…first time right; No Waste

…Tracking tool for Project Milestones

…3 yr plan, 5 year model, 10 year Horizon

…Let’s use “Sprints” to manage the Transformation

Then you are already in the deep end of the indecision and paralysis pool

Dealing with Uncertainty - Roadmaps & Maturity Models

Take-Away:

An effective Roadmap provides a single point

for the entire organisation to believe there is a

plan which they play a part in.

An effective Roadmap provides the living

canvas for story-telling & incremental

change

Roadmap what you can see to the best of

current thinking, trends, technology

Don’t dwell on Ambiguity !

e.g. Does anyone believe Jeff Bezos when he set

up his on line book shop that he sat around

designing year 10 or 15 ? Or FB, or…

Characteristics of a Successful Business-Driven Roadmap

Influencing Human Behaviours

• 95% of decision making is done in the subconscious brain and

not thru a series of rational, linear logical steps or arguments;

Individuals have already “decided” about the change and are only

backfilling positive or negative reason

• Change for an individual starts with perception

• Nudge Theory explains how to influence human behaviour in a

subtle way to enforce change. It is about taking small actions

which indirectly human behaviour towards change.

In real life, Strategy is actually very straightforward.

You pick a general direction and you implement like hell

~Jack Welch former CEO of GEArguably, the top five qualities of a good

combat “roadmap” leader are • Honesty & Trust

• Instil Confidence

• Communication & Story Telling

• An ability to inspire & Excite

• Empathy & Tact

Successful Roadmaps require leaders

that are like Battlefield Commanders

Successful Business-Driven Roadmaps• Are 50% Art and 50% Science

• Have cross silo (organisation) participation

• Provides a canvas for incremental change which is

constantly adjusted & tune

• Provides a sense of motion and evolution

• Includes multiple dimensions

• Links to but not driven by other roadmaps

• Provides a story & grand arc of change

• Inspires, easy to understand & persuasive

• Drives Readiness & Builds Resilience/Capacity

An effective roadmap will do more than 'tell:' it will also present a

simple, realistic visual representation of the company's vision

and how it is tied to company's goals such that everyone can

find their place & contribution in the transformation; de-escalates

fear & anxiety, provides confidence, and ensures inclusion

All-In- OneFrom Strategy to Project Delivery

Capability Roadmap & Maturity

The Business Driven roadmap identifies Organisational Readiness to weather disruption

Readiness & Resilience

M E N T A L M O D E L

1 2 3 54

O R I E N T AT I O N

C U L T U R E

V A L U E C R E AT I O N

C U S T O M E R & P A R T N E R S H I P F O C U S

T A S K O R I E N T E D C O N N E C T I O N A N D C O L L A B O R A T I O N

C O - E V O L V I N G N E T W O R K : A G G R E G A T O R S A N D M O D U L A R P R O D U C E R S

D E C E N T R A L I Z E D , A U T O N O M O U S , C O O P E R A T I V E N E T W O R K S

E C O S Y S T E M T H I N K I N G A N D B E H A V I O R

C O - C R E A T E D V A L U E P R O P O S I T I O N S

C O M P L E X V A L U E W E B S

A S H I F T T O V A L U E D E S I G N : C O -C R E A T E D V A L U E , D E L I V E R Y , & C A P T U R E

P R O F I T O R I E N T E D

P R O F I T / P E O P L E O R I E N T E D ; P U R P O S E O R I E N T E D I N I T I A T I V E S

P U R P O S E O R I E N T E D S O C I E T A L B E N E F I T S & L I F E E X P E R I E N C E S

P R O F I T O R I E N T E D , P U R P O S E O R I E N T E D M A R K E T I N G

E V O L U T I O N A R Y P U R P O S E O R I E N T A T I O N T O W A R D S S O C I E T A L B E N E F I T S ( E S G )

F I R M - C E N T R I C , V E R T I C A L ( S I L O ) O R I E N T A T I O N . T R A N S A C T I O N A L A C R O S S T E A M S

F I R M - C E N T R I C H O R I Z O N T A L O R I E N T A T I O N ; E C O S Y S T E M I N F O R M A T I O N S H A R I N G

E C O S Y S T E M -C E N T R I C C O L L A B O R A T I O N A N D I N T E G R A T I O N

F I R M - C E N T R I C , E A R L Y - S T A G E H O R I Z O N T A L O R I E N T A T I O N , I N T E R N A L C O L L A B O R A T I O N

E C O S Y S T E M -C E N T R I C C O L L A B O R A T I O N

T R A D I T I O N A L V A L U E & S U P P L Y C H A I N S

O P P O R T U N I S T I C , I N I T I A T I V E F O C U S E D V A L U E

E C O S Y S T E MF O C U S E D

O r g a n i s a t i o nO R I E N T E D

The Business Driven roadmap identifies Organisational Readiness to weather disruption

F r a n k D i a n a –R e i m a g i n g t h e F u t u r e

New Dimensional Awareness required for the Business 4.0

BUSINESS 4.0

The Business-Driven Roadmaps for the Business 4.0 ensure Adaptability & Resilience

ADAPTABILITY REQUIRES AGILITY, SPEED AND THE

STRENGTH TO ABSORB SUDDEN SHOCKS, WITH

RESILIENCE TO MISSTEPS AND UNFORESEEABLE

CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY

S O U R C E : L A B O R 2 0 3 0 : T H E C O L L I S I O N O F D E M O G R A P H I C S , A U T O M A T I O N A N D I N E Q U A L I T Y : K A R E N H A R R I S , A U S T I N K I M S O N A N D A N D R E W S C H W E D E L

LEADERS THAT SHIFT RESOURCES TO BUILD RESILIENCE

WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE BROAD ARC OF

THE COMING TRANSFORMATION AND COPE WITH

INCREASED VOLATILITY

The Business-Driven Roadmaps for the Business 4.0 ensure Adaptability & Resilience

Business Driven Roadmaps are essential to survive in the Business 4.0 world

providing a constant ability to sense, adapt and respond to volatility

How to Embed an Adaptable Process using the Roadmap as a Story Board

As the speed of business accelerates and the

amount of data flowing through company

ecosystems expands, the need to sense stimuli

and enable a real time response intensifies

The Business-Driven Roadmap is a key tool

in visualizing, responding, adapting as a

single point, big picture view of the

transformation

THE SEE PHASE

R E S P O N S E E X P L O R AT I O N

C R E A T E A P O R T F O L I O O F P O S S I B L E

F U T U R E S A N D A G I L E V I S I O N S O F H O W T O

E N G A G E , A D A P T , C R E A T E V A L U E A N D

R E M A I N V I A B L E U S I N G A S E N S E A N D

R E S P O N D B A C K B O N E

E C O S Y S T E M VAL U E D E S I G N

E X P L O R E E C O S Y S T E M F O R M A T I O N A N D

E V O L U T I O N , T H E S T A K E H O L D E R S , V A L U E

P R O P O S I T I O N S E N A B L E D , A N D P O T E N T I A L

P O S I T I O N I N G

E X P L O R E A R A N G E O F P O S S I B L E F U T U R E S

T H R O U G H S C E N A R I O T H I N K I N G A N D “

C O N N E C T T H E D O T S . ” U N D E R S T A N D

C O M B I N A T O R I A L A N D E X P O N E N T I A L B U I L D I N G

B L O C K S , A C C E L E R A T O R S , I N H I B I T O R S ,

P A T T E R N s , A N D S I G N A L S .

S C E N AR I O D I S C O V E RY

Sense & Respond might be familiar as a

marketing process; however; it has been used in

control theory for decades. Why? Because it

addresses volatility, unpredictability, complexity

and ambiguity.

Sense & Respond Stages

• The See Phase

• The Rehearse Phase

• The Adapt Phase

How to Embed an Adaptable Process using the Roadmap as a Story Board

As the speed of business accelerates and the

amount of data flowing through company

ecosystems expands, the need to sense stimuli

and enable a real time response intensifies

The Business-Driven Roadmap is a key tool

in visualizing, responding, adapting as a

single point, big picture view of the

transformation

THE REHEARSE PHASE

E X P E R I M E N TAT I O N

A C C E L E R A T E D A N D B R O A D E N E D I D E A F L O W A N D

W H A T I F ’ S T O E X P L O R E P O T E N T I A L I N N O V A T I O N S ,

A T D I F F E R E N T S T A G E S O F M A T U R I T Y

VAL U E C O N V E R S I O N

I N N O VAT I O N

Sense & Respond might be familiar as a

marketing process; however; it has been used in

control theory for decades. Why? Because it

addresses volatility, unpredictability, complexity

and ambiguity.

Sense & Respond Stages

• The See Phase

• The Rehearse Phase

• The Adapt Phase

I N C U B A T E , E X P E R I M E N T A N D T E S T I D E A S I N T H E

M A R K E T P L A C E T O F R A M E P R O M I S I N G R E S P O N S E S

A N D U N D E R S T A N D I N H E R E N T V A L U E

P R O P O S I T I O N S ; A B A N D O N O R R E W O R K L E S S

P R O M I S I N G R E S P O N S E S

S T R A T E G Y T O C O N V E R T V I A B L E V A L U E

P R O P O S I T I O N S A N D E M E R G E N T B E H A V I O R T O

N E W F O R M S O F V A L U E ; S U P P O R T E D B Y V A L U E

D E S I G N A C T I V I T I E S A N D E M E R G I N G E C O S Y S T E M

M O D E L S

How to Embed an Adaptable Process using the Roadmap as a Story Board

As the speed of business accelerates and the

amount of data flowing through company

ecosystems expands, the need to sense stimuli

and enable a real time response intensifies

The Business-Driven Roadmap is a key tool

in visualizing, responding, adapting as a

single point, big picture view of the

transformation

N E W E R A S T R U C T U R E

R E I M A G I N I N G M A N A G E M E N T , P O L I C Y , P R O C E S S ,

P R O C E D U R E , L E G A L & R E G U L A T O R Y

F R A M E W O R K S , L A W S , A C C O U N T I N G P R I N C I P L E S ,

O R G A N I Z A T I O N S T R U C T U R E , B U S I N E S S M O D E L S ,

O P E R A T I N G M O D E L S , G O V E R N A N C E ,

I N S T I T U T I O N S , C O R E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S

N E X T G E N E R AT I O N E X P E R I E N C E

C R E A T E A F O U N D A T I O N T H A T A L L O W S

T H E O R G A N I Z A T I O N T O S H I F T A S

I N T E R A C T I O N P A R A D I G M S T R A N S F O R M

E N A B L E A L E V E L O F P R O D U C T I V I T Y T H A T

R E D U C E S C O S T A N D P O S I T I O N S T H E

O R G A N I Z A T I O N T O E X P L O I T O P P O R T U N I T Y

H O L I S T I C A L L Y L E V E R A G E P L A T F O R M M O D E L S

A N D T H E E M E R G I N G G E N E R A L P U R P O S E

T E C H N O L O G Y P L A T F O R M T O E X T E N D

E C O S Y S T E M S

P L AT F O R M E V O L U T I O N

N E X T G E N E R AT I O N P R O D U C T I V I T Y

THE ADAPT PHASE

F r a n k D i a n a – R e i m a g i n g t h e F u t u r e

Sense & Respond might be familiar as a

marketing process; however; it has been used in

control theory for decades. Why? Because it

addresses volatility, unpredictability, complexity

and ambiguity.

Sense & Respond Stages

• The See Phase

• The Rehearse Phase

• The Adapt Phase

CONCLUSON: The Successful Business Driven Roadmap

33

The Business-Driven Roadmap must…

Remember the heart of all transformations are the

Fundamental changes in the Nature of Being Human

and the Human reaction to change and uncertainty

…guard against Organisational Sectarianism; this

requires bringing a Horizon View to the Execution of

Strategy and being inclusive of forces inside & outside

the organisation

…guard against asymmetry; this requires ensuring that

projects are building blocks of the overall strategy and

not the end solution to future state Business &

Operating models

…be a Story Teller that guides & promotes a coherent story

line from a common Challenge, with individuals & Heroes

pulling together – each playing their part, thru dramatic

moments of uncertainty & conflict, and finally to success

& renewal…

Take Away:

There is no “right” version of the

Roadmap; only the one that is “right”

for your organisation to drive

successful transformation

Be a catalyst – Be an Agent of Change

Charting feasible evolution paths of the landscape

to realise strategic ambitions

Jean-François Collin @XPLUS Breakfast

04 June 2021

Euroclear is a leading provider of Financial Market

Infrastructure post-trade services

35

Euroclear network Euroclear in the world

Corporate

Objectives

• Global headquarters in Brussels

• 4000 employees worldwide

• 2600 employees in Belgium

• 79 nationalities

• 17 offices across the globe

Corporate structure

Our journey: from Solution Architecture to Enterprise

Architecture

36

• Acquisitions of European CSDs

• Strategy “Deliver a domestic

market for Europe”

• Platform consolidation investments

• Post financial crisis, focus shifted to

increasing relevance to customers

• Fewer transformational investments

• Large regulatory programmes

• New IT leadership

• Launch of IT Transformation

programme

• Embracing digital,,,

2002-2010 2011-2018 2019-…

Dispersed Solution Architecture, Information Systems Architecture & Business Architecture teams

New central Enterprise Architecture function

Link Strategy to Execution through 5

perspectives & support the execution of the strategy to achieve desired outcomes

(L) Holistic outside in perspectiveLead & own the architecture agenda through

collaborative engagement at the Strategic level

(SP) Intra-Enterprise perspectiveFocus on architecture that delivers value and

outcomes, not only fixing problems

(G) Creating GuidanceContinue to Guide and interact with delivery to

deliver the right things.

(V) Giving GuidanceVerify to ensure outcomes are being achieved.

Listen and process any feedback towards the right

stakeholders on impacts and/or opportunities

Create & maintain Technology Strategies

Our EA practice “charts the path” from Strategy to

Execution across 3 time horizons by engaging a

very wide range of stakeholders

37

Entities &

Business Units

(incl. IT)

Create & maintain Target Architectures &

Roadmaps Domains

Guide the definition of solution intents & review

designsProducts

3-5y

6-18m

3-6m

Enterprise Architects

Business Architects

Domain Architects

Enterprise Architects

Business Architects

Domain Architects

(Solution Architects)

Domain Architects

Business Architects

(Solution Architects)

FocusArchitecture RolesTime

Horizon

Strategic

themes

FeaturesFeaturesFeaturesFeatures

User stories

EPICSEPICS

EPICSEPICSEPICSEPICS

FeaturesFeatures

Key Activities

CEOs, CIOs, CTOs

Division heads,

IT Leadership

Main

Stakeholders

Product Mgt

Operations Mgt

IT Delivery Mgt

Tribe Leads

Programmes,

Projects,

Tribes,

Squads

We delivered value by engaging the company

leadership to co-create an enterprise-wide 3-5

year strategic investment plan…

Strategic

conversations

captured through a structured process

CEOs

CIOs

CTOs

Division heads

IT Leadership

Prioritised strategic

investment plans

fed to portfolio

governance forexecution

3939

IT VisionIT Leadership

EB

Entities /

Business Units

Business

Strategies

Technology

Strategies

ESES

EUI

ESW

EFI

ESA Business

✓8 Pillars

ESA Cyber & BR

5yCorporate Strategy

Make the change happen

• Link the creation &

enablement of new digital

capabilities (foundations) to

business initiatives

• Secure their sponsorship &

execution (through the

portfolios)

… and by creating clarity on the direction of

travel with a Target Architecture

Business

Foundations…across entities &

business lines

Technology

Foundations… supporting Business

Foundations & new ITcapabilities

Shared

Business

Capabilities…across entities

The strategic vision was successfully moved to

execution…

40

• Following the initial cycle of Strategic Studies in 2019, several large-scale transformational programmes were initiated, re-focusing a significant part of the discretionary investment capacity towards the achievements of the company multi-year strategic goals

• These programmes are now under execution, which was possible thanks to a.o.

– the role of EA in the governance of IT investments (strategic & portfolios)

– the organisation’s capability to structure & manage large programmes

– the solution architecture capabilities in the EA team (heritage from past setup)

41

… but Domain Architecture is key to ensure an

optimal & sustainable execution of the strategy

• The shift to strategy delivery did not benefit yet from

– a fully mature domain architecture management practice

– a fully functioning operating model between EA and the IT delivery units

• Feedback from execution shows that things can be improved to ensure a smooth and optimal delivery of the strategy and to secure the value creation

- enablement planning for new foundations

- Syndicating the use of transversal foundations with programme stakeholders

- Synchronising the maturity journey of new foundations with their consumption by critical

programmes

- Adopting discovery & iterative learning approaches for non-mature topics

• The structural response to these issues is to

1. Increase maturity of domain architecture management practice in EA

2. Embed the role of the domain architects in the delivery process (incl. throughgovernance for solution designs) and transition solution architecture to delivery

The competencies of a domain architect and what are the key ingredients of a domain architecture

June 2021Tom Wybaillie – Partner at XPLUS

43

44

Evaluating how someone functions as an architect

Domain Competence Short description (ability in context of change initiatives)

Core Horizon Ability to address the ST/MT/LT time span.

Scope Ability to cover a Business/IT scope/footprint .

Architectural practice Ability to apply relevant architectural methods/techniques.

How Problem analysis

& judgement

Ability to identify and evaluate relevant options.

Decisiveness Ability to get to considered decisions

Work mgmt Ability to self-manage or coordinate architectural work.

Interaction

with others

Effective contributions Ability to guide others to make their contributions more effective.

Stakeholder concerns Ability to make sure the expectations and concerns of stakeholders are

addressed.

Engagement Company empathy Ability to understand and translate the company ambitions.

Adaptability Ability to adapt to new organizational/technology scope or ways of working.

The key competences of a domain architect to catalyze change

Competency descriptions – Domain Architect

45

Domain Competence Knowledgeable Skilled Master

Core

HorizonDefines ST architectures, considering existing MT and LT architectures.

Defines different ST and MT architectures, considering existing LT architectures. Manages the interdependencies.

Defines different ST/MT/LT architectures and be able to balance the different horizons.

Scope

Works mainly in a single architectural practice (business, data, application, infrastructure, …) and within a limited set of IT/business domains. Understands the interdependencies within a single practice and across domains.

Has deep knowledge of one or more architectural practices and has a broad understanding of multiple practices. Works in multiple IT or business domains. Actively manages interdependencies within and across practices.

Has deep knowledge in different architectural practices and is able to have an overview and understanding end to end across practices. Has deep knowledge within different IT/business domains and has on overview of most of them.

Architectural

practice

Knows and can use different architectural techniques (e.g. modelling) within a single architectural domain, according to provided standards and guidelines.

Selects the appropriate architectural techniques according to the specific architectural problem within one of or more architectural domains. Participates in the management of the architecture practice (processes, methods and tools).

Broad knowledge of different architectural techniques and be able to apply and adept them on the context. Design and coordination of the architectural practice and the integration within the organisation.

How

Problem

analysis

& judgement

Be able to describe problem situations, analyse relevant information and frame issues. Be able to define and evaluate different options according to a given evaluation framework.

Be able to frame a problem from different perspectives, depending on the context. Defines and selects an appropriate evaluation framework and generates different options. Be able to balance contradictory requirements.

Be able to formulate, to scope and to prioritise a problem in an appropriate perspective. Be able to define a decision argumentation that provides a clear balance for the audience between rational clarity and inherent ambiguity.

DecisivenessBe able to take a clear position on a given architectural problem and to communicate the reasoning.

Manages a decision-making process with multiple stakeholders. Balances multiple potentially competing decisions.

Manages multiple simultaneous decision-making processes, balancing the dependencies and potential contradictions. Designs and coordinates architectural decision-making processes.

Work mgmtBe able to scope and to structure the own work, analysing priorities and reporting progress. Be able to express what you need from others and to follow up on their contributions.

Be able to scope, structure, follow-up and report on the architectural work for yourself and other contributors. Adapt your communication and way of working according the needs of different types of contributors.

Structures and manages the architectural work of one or more teams. Coordinates the contributions of the different stakeholders. Integrates architectural delivery with other connected processes.

Interaction

with others

Effective

contributions

Be able to help and guide others in architectural work. Communicates to other contributors the architectural way of working.

Coach other people on architectural work where appropriate, given an understanding of their personal growth opportunities. Pro-actively provide feedback or guidance to different contributors and other stakeholders in an appropriate manner.

Coaching and mentoring of different people and teams within the organisation. Setup and participation in structures to facilitate knowledge sharing and skill development.

Stakeholder

concerns

Be able to identify and understand the expectations and concerns of the different stakeholders. Communicates the approach and status of the architectural work to all stakeholders.

Identify required stakeholders and involves them within the architectural work according a given framework. Clearly communicates status to all stakeholders and monitor their evolving expectations and concerns.

Uses different informal and formal processes to involve the different stakeholders. Design and coordination of structural stakeholder processes. Continuous identification of new stakeholders. Active monitoring of the expectations and concerns of the different stakeholders and their fulfilment.

Engagemen

t

Company

empathyBe able to express the company objectives and know how the company it is organized.

Can position how the architectural work contributes to the company ambitions, both on short and long term. Understands the company culture, history, values and specific way of working. Adapt the architectural way of working and communication to it.

Pro-actively identify where architecture can contribute or challenge the company ambitions.

AdaptabilityUnderstands the specific way of working in different IT/business areas.

Understand and be able to compare the different way of workings within the industry. Adapt own way of working to a changing context or to other IT/business areas when necessary.

Challenges the status quo, continuously tries to improve the way of working, taking into account different industry trends. Flexible to work in different areas, depending on the need.

Key ingredients of a domain architecture (1/2)

46

-

For each of the architecture building blocks:

• Description of the as is: The logical building blocks realizing the IT capabilities and the products

and/or physical applications implementing the logical IT components (underlying solution bb’s)

• Evaluation of the pain points of the current state and linked risks

• What should be banned (applications, technology, ….)

• Description of the target state of the capability and how it should be realized / are additional RFPs

needed

Use cases• Some examples of use cases to illustrate the target

A roadmap towards the target:

• Projects in the functional/technology area and how they can contribute to the target

• How we can enforce a change towards the target? What about new projects and how to move

the as is to the target? What are leveraging points?

• What is the lifecycle of some components in the current landscape? How long can we cope with

the as is? And what are the risks we take in keeping them too long.

Organizational impact of the target:

• Stakeholder identification: who knows this functional/technology area, contributed to the target,…

• What is the current ownership at IT & business of the functional/technology area? Are there gaps or

should something change?

• Do we have the competence in house do support the target, do we need training or do we want

outsourcing?

Architecture Plateau’s

Pla

tea

us

Ro

ad

ma

pO

rga

niz

atio

n

Current Projects & Roadmap

Organization

Exa

mp

les Use cases

Key ingredients of a domain architecture (2/2)

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A domain architecture will deliver the following :

Strategic Vision Pain Points

Conceptual Data Model

De

fin

itio

nC

on

text

Prin

cip

les

A definition of the functional area

• What is the scope of the functional/technology area (what is in and what is out)

• A common vocabulary of concepts of the functional/technology area (based on the corporate data

model when applicable)

“Let’s first make sure we all understand each other”

Some context

• What are trends we see in the market (customer, IT, regulatory, social)

specific for the functional/technology area

• What is the business strategy of the functional/technology area

• What are current day-to-day and project challenges of the functional/technology area

A set of (future) principles for the functional/technology area

• Business principles that we can use to judge tomorrow’s decisions and to which we can refer in giving

advice

• Architecture principles that we can use to judge tomorrow’s solution design of projects

• A list of standards that are adopted within the functional/technology area (e.g. international

standards,…)

An overview of the building blocks

• An overview of high level business capabilities within the functional/technology area

(optional, when relevant)

• A set of IT architecture and solution building blocks provided by the functional/technology

area (IT capabilities)

A target architecture overview

• An architecture showing how IT capabilities are connected into one target vision.

• A blueprint defining the standard relationships/integrations between the functional/technology area

and other functional/technology area

Principles

IT Capability Map

Bu

ildin

g

Blo

ck

s

Target vision

A t

arg

et

www.dssmith.com

Our next breakfast session…

… will be about:

“Communities, guilds and chapters. Or how to make the

architectural mayonnaise stick”

This webinar will take place on Friday September

24th, 2021!

www.dssmith.com

Next Steps

Next Breakfast Session

Next steps:

You will get next week an e-mail with the link to the

presentations.

Follow XPLUS at LinkedIn for additional information:

Next Breakfast Session (24/09/2021):

Communities, guilds and chapters. Or how to make the

architectural mayonnaise stick

https://www.linkedin.com/company/xplusconsultants

Thank you for your participation!

Balancing the time horizons

How can we help you?

Get in touch: info@xplus.eu