Anticipate. Challenge. Insight.
Strategy has never been more challenging, or more important, than in today’s environment of global competition, in which, corporate strategies must transcend the borders of nations and markets. Too many organizations try to be everything to everyone, wasting resources in markets that may never provide a worthwhile return on investment.
More and more organizations are learning that past experience is not always the best basis for developing future strategies. Executives need to thoughtfully consider how to create value for customers. The exercise of strategic planning, while important, tends to answer the “how” and “when” of business planning and rarely captures the essence of what it means to think strategically. That’s where strategic thinking comes in. Strategic thinking is the “what:” and “why” of the planning process. It answers the question, “What should we be doing, and why?”
Strategic Leadership requires innovation and creativity and includes examining the voice of the customer, the employee and industry best practices. It is a process of examining everything we do in our various roles, understanding the needs of our customers and ensuring that all of this is linked to clearly defined strategic imperatives.
Broad Domain Knowledge
Application programs solve real‐world problems. If you want to build software for Geologists, you must first understand Geology. If you want to understand business, then you first must learn to talk business.
Build Partnerships
Building partnerships with the business and corporate leadership is a critical component of Architectural success. Without understanding and anticipating business needs, architecture becomes reactive and can never reach its full potential.
Technology as an Enabler
While new technology can be a great enabler, it does not open up new markets on its own. What you want to make sure is whatever you are creating, it must be linked to value, with or without technology. That is how you will grow in the future.
Creativity & Innovation
Along with others, the role of Enterprise Architecture is to promote a culture of creativity & innovation in problem solving - informed by solid experience and understanding of risk.
Discover Hidden Opportunities for Growth
Far too many companies fail to achieve their growth targets in revenue and profitability. However, the probability of achieving profitable growth is heightened whenever an organization has a clear growth strategy and strong execution infrastructure. One without the other impairs the probability of success.
Edge strategy is an approach in which you look for new opportunities and profit sources on the edge of your core business--through the sale of ancillary goods and services which already satisfy customers. It sounds like common sense. Yet according to research, fewer than 10 percent of companies make a disciplined effort to probe at the edges of their core for growth opportunities. Why so few? For one thing, companies are almost too relentlessly focused on the core to probe around the edges. It's very easy for that effort to crowd out a lot of other discoveries, because you can spend every waking hour on the core alone. In addition to this inclination to stick too closely to the core, leaders challenged by growth sometimes try too hard to swing for the fences--searching in vain for the blue ocean or miracle acquisition.
Instead, as both a business and technical leader, a successful architect can help you identify those opportunities. The positioning of that role, straddling as it does between business and technology, allow for a unique set of insights that your company can leverage.
Curiosity brings Opportunities
Being curious and using questions as a way to tap into the business knowledge of your company builds deeper connections - with customers, team members, stakeholders, and investors. Harnessing the power of curiosity helps individuals become better team players and leaders.
Being curious can help you find things that others may not spot, gives you opportunities to make new connections, ask better questions and solve big problems.
Curiosity is a door opener to new ideas and the ultimate problem-solving tool. Being curious helps us see things differently. It allows us to paint a picture, without the boundaries and restrictions that every day life can, over time, impose on us.
Curious about me and what we can accomplish together?
