Unlock data in the enterprise architecture repository to support execs

Unlock data in the enterprise architecture repository to support execs

How to find and connect the right data to make impactful insights that influence digital transformation decisions

As architects, we’re in a unique position to leverage an enterprise view to ensure that boardroom-level executives have the data they need to drive business outcomes. This is especially important in the digital age, where executives look at us for data to support strategic transformation data-driven decisions.

Although your organization may have valuable data that could be useful for this, the chances are that it’s not being leveraged (or not leveraged enough). Instead, this data may be residing in silos, unused.

You can support this informed decision-making by using BiZZdesign Horizzon as a central data store that aggregates data from numerous sources and locations. Connecting your organization’s data sources to the interconnected enterprise model will give you a rich, multi-dimensional perspective of your organization from where you can run complex analyses.

I’m providing you with the most critical steps on how to leverage data for data-driven decision-making below. However, if you want to learn more, read our Guide: Use Enterprise Architecture to support boardroom decisions on transformation

Support your Boardroom to make data-driven decisions – see how

1. Find the unrecovered treasure: data
   To build an aggregated data store in your enterprise architecture tool, you need to find and tap into valuable data sources that you probably already have in your enterprise. By ‘valuable’ data, we typically mean that you need to look for specific data that will support you in answering your execs’ questions. For example, if they want to know whether the organization is agile enough and where you spend money, time and effort, you can find valuable data in a work management system such as JIRA.Alternatively, if execs want to identify a possible disconnect between the organization’s current operating expenditure versus what is important, you can look for financial information from a system like Apptio.
2. Connect different data sources
   Now that you’ve found your valuable data sources, it’s time to connect the data. Integrate data with other systems of record to get a single repository for business data, applications, technologies, and security.The good news is that BiZZdesign Horizzon is set up to incorporate, combine and calculate data from different sources and people, thereby significantly reducing your data integration efforts. You can automate the process as much as possible so that your current state becomes effortless and given.
3. Create impactful insights for your execs from the data
   Once you bring your data into BiZZdesign HoriZZon, you’re able to connect different datasets with powerful modeling techniques to help execs make sustainable decisions on digital transformation. We’re providing you with a couple of scenarios below:

Question: How can our enterprise move from operational to transformational spending?

The key here is to identify operational spending waste so you can re-allocate budget to your transformation initiatives. Identifying redundancies in the application portfolio is one possible way to do this. You need to know what exactly you’re running, what you are paying for it, and what purpose each asset serves. Do you really need all these content-management systems?

Question: Are we investing in the right change initiatives?

Ask yourself what initiatives you’re currently undertaking, what the expenses are, and what capabilities they’re improving. Align this with the strategic value and differentiating potential of your capabilities. You may be dumping budget in some commodity capability and underfunding what differentiates you from the competition.

Question: How can we mitigate the key risk in our enterprise’s portfolios?

If you would like more information on how to use BiZZdesign Horizzon to help you with boardroom decision-making, please watch our webinar or book a demo.
Evaluate what technologies you have and their support status, and track what you’re using them for. Maybe you’re running your most critical business processes on some tech that went out of support two years ago? Yikes!