Introduction to Digital Transformation Roadmaps (Roadmap Series Ep 1)
Summary
TLDRGlenn Smyth, CEO of Fragile to Agile, discusses the importance of developing a clear roadmap for technology aligned with business strategy, often termed as the 'beacon' or 'north star.' His company specializes in creating digital transformation roadmaps that are 'shovel ready,' requiring prerequisites like a well-defined target state, a current state assessment, and a stable business model. Smyth emphasizes the need for a Business Capability Model to facilitate ongoing planning and design, ensuring the roadmap is traceable back to measurable business strategies, ultimately leading to an agile and adaptable organization.
Takeaways
- đ Glenn Smyth, CEO of Fragile to Agile, emphasizes the importance of developing a roadmap for technology aligned with business strategy.
- đ The 'Target State' is likened to a 'beacon on the hill' or 'north star', guiding the organization's business and technology systems towards the future.
- đŁïž A roadmap is essential for making an organization's strategy executable, providing direction and clarity on how to achieve strategic goals.
- đ While roadmaps may need to adapt to real-world conditions, having one and updating it is better than not having a plan at all.
- đ The term 'Digital Transformation Roadmap' is often used, but it's essentially a well-executed Business Transformation Roadmap in the digital age.
- đ Key prerequisites for an executable roadmap include gaining senior executive and board support, and ensuring the roadmap is of high quality and linked to strategy and benefits.
- đŻ A clear definition of the target state is crucial, including understanding the required solutions and business capabilities.
- đą The conceptual Target State architecture shows how systems will work together to support the business strategy.
- đ Understanding the current state is vital, achieved by mapping current systems onto a Business Capability Model to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
- đïž For large organizations, understanding the operating model and standardization of capabilities across different business units is critical for successful transformation.
- đ ïž The Business Capability Model (BCM) is a stable tool for understanding the current state and planning the Target State, promoting business and technology alignment.
- đ The Business Strategy should be articulated in measurable, SMART outcomes to connect the Target State and Roadmap to the organization's goals.
- đ A one-page communication vehicle summarizing the transformation journey is a powerful tool for internal and external stakeholders.
- đ Fragile to Agile roadmaps aim to make organizations more agile, adaptable, and flexible, setting them up for continuous improvement and agile delivery.
- đïž The Integrated Architecture Framework is a consistent design framework that has remained unchanged for 23 years, providing a reliable tool for successful execution and governance.
Q & A
What is Fragile to Agile and what does it specialize in?
-Fragile to Agile is a company founded and led by Glenn Smyth. It specializes in assisting organizations in developing, securing funding for, and governing the execution of a technology roadmap. This involves helping organizations understand their target state for business and technology systems to support their business strategy.
What is the significance of having a Target State and Roadmap for an organization?
-A Target State and Roadmap are crucial as they provide a clear direction for an organization's strategy execution. They help bridge the gap between strategy and action, ensuring that the organization has a clear understanding of where it is heading and how to get there.
What does Glenn Smyth refer to as the 'beacon on the hill' or 'north star' in the context of business strategy?
-The 'beacon on the hill' or 'north star' refers to the Target State for a business's technology and business systems. It is the ultimate goal that guides the organization's strategic direction and development.
Why is it important to have a roadmap even though it may not survive contact with the real world?
-Having a roadmap is important because it provides a sense of direction and purpose. Even though it may need to be updated periodically to reflect real-world changes, it is better to have a starting point and a plan that can be adjusted, rather than having no plan at all.
What is the difference between a Digital Transformation Roadmap and a Business Transformation Roadmap according to Glenn Smyth?
-According to Glenn Smyth, a Digital Transformation Roadmap is essentially a Business Transformation Roadmap done well. The distinction is that in the 21st century, most transformations are digital by default, and the goal is to adapt and evolve using digital tools and strategies.
What are the prerequisites for a roadmap to be considered 'shovel ready' or executable?
-For a roadmap to be executable, it needs to be accurate, linked to strategy and benefits, and of high quality to gain senior executive and board support. This ensures that the roadmap is not only theoretically sound but also practically implementable and financially viable.
What are the three components of defining a Target State according to the script?
-The three components of defining a Target State are understanding the required Solutions and the business capabilities they need to support, a conceptual Target State architecture showing how systems will work together, and a visually appealing representation of the Target State to aid in executive communication.
Why is it necessary to understand the current state of an organization's systems before developing a roadmap?
-Understanding the current state is essential to map out a journey to the Target State. Without knowing the starting point, it's impossible to plan the necessary steps and changes. This understanding also provides immediate value and insights into the current systems, such as identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.
What is a Business Capability Model (BCM) and why is it important for roadmap development?
-A Business Capability Model (BCM) is a tool that models what a business does, rather than how it's done or who does it. It's important for roadmap development because it provides a stable and less frequently changing model to understand the current state and plan the Target State, ensuring business and technology alignment.
How does the Business Strategy connect to the Target State and Roadmap?
-The Business Strategy should be clearly articulated in measurable, SMART outcomes. This provides justification and traceability for the Target State and Roadmap, ensuring that they are aligned with and support the overall business goals and objectives.
What is the significance of the Integrated Architecture Framework mentioned by Glenn Smyth?
-The Integrated Architecture Framework is a consistent design framework that covers all domains of an organization's design. It is a critical tool for successful execution and governance of transformation programs, having remained unchanged for 23 years and proving its effectiveness over time.
How does Fragile to Agile ensure that the organization becomes more agile through their roadmap development?
-Fragile to Agile roadmaps are designed to not only align with and trace back to the business strategy but also to recognize the importance of change in the modern world. The goal is to make the organization more adaptable and flexible, setting it up for continuous improvement and an agile delivery approach.
Outlines
đŁïž Developing a Technology Roadmap for Business Strategy
Glenn Smyth, CEO of Fragile to Agile, introduces the company's focus on guiding organizations to create and execute a technology roadmap aligned with their business strategy. He emphasizes the importance of a clear target state, often referred to as the 'beacon on the hill' or 'north star,' which is essential for making strategy executable. Smyth suggests that while roadmaps may need to be updated as they encounter real-world challenges, having one is better than not having any direction at all. He also touches on the prerequisites for an executable roadmap, including gaining support from senior executives and boards, and the need for high-quality planning to secure funding.
đïž Building a Foundation for Digital Transformation
The second paragraph delves into the prerequisites for creating an effective roadmap. Smyth discusses the necessity of defining the target state with clarity, which includes understanding the required solutions and business capabilities, as well as visualizing the target state architecture. He also highlights the importance of understanding the current state of the organization's systems and how they support the business strategy. The paragraph touches on the value of mapping current systems to a Business Capability Model, which can provide immediate insights and opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, Smyth explains the significance of having a stable business model to plan the target state and the role of the Business Capability Model as a tool for ongoing planning and design. He concludes by stressing the importance of articulating the business strategy in measurable outcomes and the role of Fragile to Agile's Integrated Architecture Framework in driving successful execution and governance of transformation programs.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄFragile to Agile
đĄRoadmap
đĄTarget State
đĄDigital Transformation
đĄBusiness Capability Model (BCM)
đĄShovel Ready
đĄAgility
đĄIntegrated Architecture Framework
đĄSMART Goals
đĄMarketecture
đĄTransformation
Highlights
Glenn Smyth introduces Fragile to Agile, a company specializing in developing technology roadmaps for organizations.
The importance of understanding the target state for business and technology systems to support business strategy is emphasized.
Roadmaps are compared to a 'beacon on the hill' or 'north star' guiding organizations towards their strategic goals.
The necessity of having a roadmap, even if it needs periodic updates, is stressed over having no direction at all.
Digital Transformation Roadmap is considered a subset of a well-executed Business Transformation Roadmap.
Pre-requisites for an executable roadmap include gaining senior executive and board support and securing funding.
The target state must be clearly defined, with three components: solutions, business capabilities, and a conceptual architecture.
A graphical representation of the target state, termed 'Marketecture,' is essential for executive communication.
Understanding the current state by overlaying systems onto a Business Capability Model is crucial for roadmap development.
The Business Capability Model (BCM) is highlighted as a stable tool for understanding the business's 'what' rather than 'how' or 'who'.
The BCM's role in driving business and technology alignment through a Target State and roadmap is discussed.
The need for a clear articulation of the Business Strategy in measurable, SMART outcomes is underlined.
A one-page communication vehicle summarizing the transformation journey is proposed for effective communication.
Fragile to Agile's approach to making organizations more agile through transformation is explained.
The Integrated Architecture Framework is introduced as a consistent design framework covering all domains.
The framework's longevity and adaptability over 23 years without change is highlighted.
An invitation to reach out for further discussion on specific challenges and how Fragile to Agile's approach can help.
Transcripts
Hi, my name is Glenn Smyth, founder and CEO of Fragile to Agile.Â
We specialize in helping organizations develop, Â
gain funding for, and govern the execution of a roadmap for their technology.Â
This requires a clear understanding of the target state for their business and technology systems Â
that are required in order to support their business strategy. This is often referred Â
to as the beacon on the hill or north star in marketing parlance or consulting speak these days.
Just by having this Target State and Roadmap we would argue greatly helps Â
fill the divide that many organizations face:Â "how do we make our strategy executable?".
Firstly, it's important to stress that while any roadmap won't survive contact with the real world, Â
or the enemy to revert to the original military quote, we strongly feel it's better to have one Â
and update it periodically than have no idea where you're heading or how to get there.
Of course these days this request is most often expressed to us as we need a Digital Â
Transformation Roadmap which in our opinion is basically just a Business Transformation Roadmap Â
done well, I mean who's going to do an analog transformation in the 21st century after all?
We're naturally delighted to do this work, it is our sweet spot after all, Â
but there's a few prerequisites required in our opinion for the roadmap if it is Â
to be executable or shovel ready as we like to say. What do we mean by that? Accurate and Â
sufficiently linked to strategy and benefits to gain senior executive and board support; Â
basically be of high quality and get the dollars approved.
Let's work backwards through our proven approach for developing these roadmaps Â
to understand these key prerequisites, noting that if you don't have any of them already, Â
we're happy to help work with you to address any gaps.
The first thing is the target state must be clearly defined: Â
you can't build a roadmap to nowhere or to somewhere vague after all. Â
We believe there are three components to this, otherwise where's roadmap taking you?
The first is an understanding of what Solutions you need and what business capabilities they Â
need to support as shown in this picture. The second is that conceptual Target State Â
architecture depicting how those systems will work together to deliver on your business strategy. Â
Finally a graphically appealing picture of that Target state to support executive Â
communication, what we refer to jokingly as "Marketecture" at Fragile to Agile.
The next thing you'll need is a clear understanding of your starting point Â
you can't map a journey to your target if you don't know where you're starting from.
This is achieved by overlaying your current systems onto a Business Capability Model, Â
and we'll talk about what that is in a minute, and then addressing qualitatively or Â
quantitatively how well these systems support you today and your future business strategy
Irrespective of being needed to support roadmap development, Â
this activity can deliver immediate value and insight to your current systems. For Â
example material gaps in Technology support, opportunities for systems Â
rationalization, that can often lead to simplification and cost reduction.
For large and complex or multi-business unit organizations, you'll need to understand your Â
operating model and specifically what that means for which capabilities should be Standardized Â
across the organization and which capabilities need to be different in different business units.
Missing this step in is in our opinion, and experience, Â
a key root cause of the failure of many attempted transformations Â
or the failure of an individual technology project within that transformation.
Next thing you need is a stable model of the business suitable to understand the current Â
state and plan and design that Target State. This is a key tool referred to as a Business Â
Capability Model or BCM for short. It's a model of "what" your business does rather Â
than "how" it's done (a process model) or "who" does it (an org structure model).
As what you do changes much less frequently than how you do it or who does it, Â
this makes this model the ideal planning and design vehicle to Â
develop a Target State and roadmap to drive Business and Technology alignment.
If you try to align to a process or organizational structure view of your business, Â
you're effectively aligning to jelly and this approach has proven to be fundamentally flawed
Finally in addition to its immediate value in supporting the development of a Target State Â
and a roadmap, the Business Capability Model will also be a powerful ongoing planning and Â
design tool for your organization. Many of our clients continue to use and gain Â
considerable value from this tool a decade or more after its delivery.
Fragile to Agile are proud that we were the pioneers Â
of this approach in Australia and remain market and thought leaders.
Next thing you need is a clear articulation of the Business Strategy in measurable, SMART (Specific, Â
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic or Timely) and not ambiguous outcomes; Â
basically a statement of what good looks like for your organization.
This provides a justification as well as clear traceability of the Target State and Roadmap Â
back to your strategy. This activity is crucial to connecting the Target State and Roadmap to Â
the Strategy and thereby communicating this to the people who'll need to fund it and then Â
of course to the people who need to deliver on that vision when executing the roadmap.
Once all complete, the combination enables you to produce a powerful one-page communication Â
vehicle for the transformation, summarizing "where are we now?", Â
"where do we need to be?", "what do we need to get there?" and "how do we make it happen?".
It's worth adding that a particular value-add to Â
a Fragile to Agile Roadmap is in addition to the Target State and Roadmap being driven by Â
and traceable back to your business strategy (or your business intent), Â
Fragile to Agile Roadmaps recognize that change is the new black in the world and a key component Â
of any such transformation is at the end your organization should be materially more agile: Â
adaptable and flexible, it's in our name after all, it's part of our reason for existing.
Done well, it'll be the last large-scale transformation you will need as thereafter Â
you'll be set up for continuous improvement and a more agile delivery approach.
Finally we believe one of the critical success factors for a successful execution Â
is to have a consistent framework covering all domains of design. Â
Our Integrated Architecture Framework shown here: debatably the oldest such framework in the world, Â
which has stood the test of time and remained unchanged for 23 years, and by that we mean Â
we've been able to find a home in the framework for every aspect of the design of an organization Â
without change ever since its inception, and it is Public Commons IP and it provides the final Â
tool you need to drive successful successful execution and governance of the program.
Reach out via any of our channels and we would love the opportunity to explain any of the Â
content in this video to you in more detail discuss your specific challenges and how the Â
above approach could help address them thank you for your time and I hope it was a value
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