Business Architecture Plays a Crucial Role in Aligning Digital Strategy, Says Info-Tech Research Group

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May 17, 2023, 17:07 ET

The firm suggests positioning business architecture as a critical front-end planning function for seamless organizational integration.

TORONTO, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - In the current market, organizations are working to rapidly innovate to respond to the changing forces and successfully compete in their respective industries. However, many companies struggle to achieve tangible results from their IT projects within a reasonable timeframe. Info-Tech Research Group reports that successful companies embrace agile strategies that prioritize and execute customer-driven initiatives quickly. To assist organizations in executing their business strategy more effectively, Info-Tech has launched a new research blueprint titled Map Your Business Architecture to Define Your Strategy. The blueprint aims to connect organizational strategy and execution and promote efficient use of resources.

Info-Tech Research Group's "Map Your Business Architecture to Define Your Strategy" blueprint outlines the firm's approach to developing a business architecture, which serves as a critical planning activity to support key decisions in organizations. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

"Business architecture plays a vital role in establishing the connections between the organization's business capabilities and processes and the IT resources that support them," says Crystal Singh, research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "Without a well-defined business architecture, it becomes challenging to demonstrate that IT initiatives are driven by organizational needs."

Info-Tech's new resource explains that organizations may face hurdles in comprehending decision-making processes, prioritization of areas, and planning functions while transitioning from strategy to execution. The firm advises that a business architect can play a pivotal role in modeling and documenting these processes, providing crucial insights for achieving fruitful project execution.

The firm also outlines the several challenges that can hinder building an effective business architecture, including the absence of a complete reference map of the organization's capabilities, which can impede strategic decision-making, difficulty identifying and prioritizing the capabilities that are crucial for achieving the organization's customer-driven goals, and trouble with aligning resources to achieve common objectives. A shared enterprise vision is vital for everyone to understand how the organization delivers value.

"A robust business architecture enables organizations to connect their business and IT strategies with project execution by using models that offer clarity and actionable insights," explains Andrea Malick, research director at Info-Tech Research Group.

Info-Tech recommends that organizations create an effective business architecture to accelerate innovation and transformation initiatives. To achieve this, the firm suggests beginning with a business reference architecture that maps out the organization and using architectural blueprints to inform critical decisions. Engaging stakeholders throughout the process and promoting real value to the organization by assessing current projects, identifying opportunities, and prioritizing projects with the most significant impact is also crucial for driving business architecture forward.

The firm suggests that organizations use the following approach to develop a business architecture that serves as a critical planning activity to support key decisions in a business:

Understand the business context and drivers: Collect business strategies and goals while engaging key stakeholders to get a holistic view of the organization's priorities.
Define value streams; understand the value provided: Collaborate with senior leadership to understand customer experiences and industry value while assessing value streams for exploration and focus areas.
Customize Info-Tech's reference industry business architecture; develop a business capability map: Engage with architects to customize a reference industry business architecture, creating an enterprise-wide map of the organization and capabilities.

To ensure effective integration into the organization's planning process, it is crucial to position business architecture as a front-end planning function. By branding business architecture as an early planning prerequisite, organizations can enhance the clarity of communication and foster accurate awareness of how strategic decisions are formulated and implemented.

For full insights on developing an effective business architecture, download the Map Your Business Architecture to Define Your Strategy blueprint.

For more information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group