Enterprise Solution Design is about addressing business challenges with thoughtful technology solutions that take into account the impact on the organization as a whole.
Modern enterprises are incredibly complex socio-technical systems, resulting in fragmentation, constraints, and process friction that emerge from systemic inefficiencies (and the attempts to resolve them) over time.
Changes to the underlying architecture of an enterprise could be disruptive or introduce instability, and require deep systems and application design expertise to mitigate the risk. The approach to enterprise solution design that I have honed over the course of three decades in enterprise technology is multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary.
Every organization is unique, but if you break down what makes an organization unique or how we can think of common attributes that describe the ways in which organizations achieve uniqueness, observable patterns emerge.
These patterns show us the ways in which the organization and its systems can be designed in a manner that solves today's problems, anticipates and mitigates tomorrow's risks, and capitalizes on new opportunities as they emerge.
In terms of problems that can be solved with holistic systems thinking and enterprise solution design, just start with the sheer complexity of the organization. What would it look like to be able to have a clear vision of how the entire enterprise functions end-to-end?
You would be able to see the process friction that occurs when there is distrust between the various functional and domain silos, with the fragmentation leading to constraints in the flow of data, information, and knowledge, creating systemic inefficiencies while continuously compounding the underlying complexity of the enterprise.
In addition, as if putting out today's fires wasn't enough, there are also risks on the horizon that nearly every organization will face. Much of the risk enterprises face stems from the fact that we are living in highly volatile and uncertain times.
The trailing and leading indicators that we have been basing business decisions on for decades on are no longer reliable.
Competitive threats and emerging technologies create a race to the bottom towards commoditization of once highly valued products and services.
And no matter what challenges business are already facing, they can always count on the risk of remaining in compliance with ever-changing legal and regulatory environments.
Modern businesses, stakeholders, and markets grow more complex by the second.
Technology is advancing at a pace we never thought imaginable just a few years ago.
How do you keep up?
By getting ahead and staying ahead with long-term investments in systems and transforming mindsets.
This is the world we live in. There will always be problems to address. There will always be risks to avoid or mitigate. And there will always be opportunities to capitalize on if we put ourselves in the position to do so.
Designing elegant solutions that apply technology capabilities to business requirements while taking into account all of the complexities and constraints of the business requires enterprise system architecture capabilities and experience that are beyond the reach of most organizations.
Enterprise Solutions Design requires deep knowledge across the various architectural disciplines that apply throughout the organization, across both business and technical domains.
I have been designing complex enterprise systems for decades, and I stay far ahead of the game by keeping a watchful eye on emerging technologies, applying findings from social and psychological research, and staying informed on economic, geopolitical, and market events and their potential implications for organizations and their underlying systems.
This never ends - there is no finish line.