Differentiating Factors

Differentiating Factors of this Methodology / Criteria for Methods Required for Business Engineering

All organisations continuously scout for, and evaluate methodologies for various requirements. In an era where change is required within organisations at an exponentially increasing rate, organisations have realised the need for a Continuous Business Engineering approach as an additional business process.

In most cases, organisations employ consulting organisations to deliver the first components of their initial project to reshape and focus their organisations. The consulting methodology that is utilised:

Is embraced by the organisation without understanding the implications of the method
Without having a clear understanding of exactly what the method should deliver
Without understanding that an incorrect methodology as a point of departure could destroy a well-intended initiative

It is a process that never stops. In contrast, a project has a start and a stop. It is a structured, systems approach that is scientifically provable.

Continuous Business Engineering

Methodology Requirements

The following represents the minimum requirements of a methodology for enabling organisations to project into the future and for sustaining momentum using a Continuous, dedicated Business Engineering approach:

1 - It Must be Holistic

'Whole System'

Practical Example

A holistic Business Engineering approach, including Strategic Positioning through to Application System Implementation and the alignment of all other required resources, is called for. The solutions must be ‘switched on’, executed and monitored to ensure that the results, which are required, are delivered by the new business processes and their enabling resources like skills, information, etc.

What should your ideal business look like relative to its surrounding environment?

Strategic Positioning

Implementing Implementing IT systems. Buy, deliver, switch on, users start using the system.

Application System Implementing

The approach must be an object-oriented approach:

The methodology should consist of methodology objects/components that can be
plugged in and out of a true object-oriented framework.
The solution that is delivered has to be component-based.

One of the objects,
adhering to true OO criteria,
of varying granularity
that forms the methodology.

Methodology Object

Practical Example

2 - It Must be Object-oriented

' Object orientation is a design philosophy that enables one to construct solutions, which
consist out of interchangeable
components. Each component must be able to contain the
change effect within itself.'

2 - It Must be Object-oriented

' Object orientation is a design philosophy that enables one to construct solutions, which
consist of interchangeable
components. Each component must be able to contain the
change effect within itself.'

3 - It Must cover three Architectural Layers

' Three conceptual domains formed by the answer to three questions can represent any business:

What?
How?
With What'

Architecture is a term that refers to the framework, structure and style that is used to mastermind, design, engineer and create something with. In the context of Business Engineering, the architecture of a business depicts the framework around which the business was structured, within the domain of its particular style of conducting business.

Architecture

The approach should cover three architectural levels in an integrated manner.

Business Architectural Level. (What do we want to do in business?)
plugged in and out of a true object-oriented framework.
Procedure Architectural level. (How do we want to do it?)
Technology Architectural Level. (With what infrastructure do we want to do it?)

Three main architectural levels represent any business. To deliver a new business it is necessary to effect changes across all three architectural levels. The sequence in which the architectural levels are addressed is of utmost importance. The business architectural level, which represents what is done, has a major influence on which processes, as well as what they look like, the new business will have. The technology and/or process architecture layer consists of the information technology; hardware, software as well as the production plant equipment of the organisation. Changes in this architecture layer will definitely have a major impact on the new business’ process architecture layer in terms of which processes it will consist of and what they will look like.

Practical Example

Thus, the process architectural layer is dictated by what we do as a business, and with what we are going to do it. The business architecture and the process architecture layers have to be analysed and designed simultaneously.

Practical Example

Business architecture must provide direction to the technology architecture layer in terms of the direction of the business, and classifying what types of technology could make a contribution.

It would be extremely dangerous to utilise different or incoherent approaches per
architectural level.

A recipe is a sequence of techniques.

Recipes

A technique is a sequence of steps that delivers a desired result on a need.

Technique

No two organisations require exactly the same recipes to change their existing business
situations. Every organisation, even within the same industry type, requires its unique
methodology to effect its required changes because each organisation is in a totally unique state relative to its external and target environments.

4 - An Organization-specific Methodology that gets left behind

' This Methodology must also Consist of Objects'

In addition to this, the organisation’s requirements of the internal methodology will change over time, which necessitates the methodology to consist of components with object characteristics. The components will be arranged in different manners and exchanged with new ones that are required to represent the required method per project instance per organisation.

5 - Business Engineering Object Queues and/or Pre-developed Solutions

' The basic definition of what an object does'

The engineering approach utilized to buildmethodologies.

Method Engineering

The engineering approach utilized to build object-oriented methodologies.

Object-oriented Methods Engineering

The opportunity to capitalise on pre-developed customisable methodology and tested recipes can provide a large benefit to change initiatives. The fact that there are existing recipes almost represents a contradiction to the fact that we have to virtually develop the method for every instance of a project of this nature in every organisation. The need for methods engineering does not contradict the opportunity of capitalising on existing methods and recipes that are valid for a particular change initiative. In fact, it enforces the need for object-oriented methods engineering.

Often organisations have existing methods that are part of the governance and ‘culture’ of the business. These must be accommodated, where possible, into new methods frameworks that are engineered. It comes down to facilitating the easy embodiment of existing proven internal methods. Over time it is the job of the internal Business Engineering team to continuously evolve and self-improve the methodology as experience is gained through the execution of projects.

As a Business Engineering team gains experience and momentum they will compile libraries of business components consisting of models and of automated equivalents. These will be capitalised on over time when opportunities for re-use appear. It is of utmost importance that the style of analysis, design and development has to take re-use into account from the outset. Types of components could be things like; rules engines, project plans, project approaches, etc.

Expertises of all three disciplines have to be resident within the change initiative of the organisation. It is necessary for the individuals that man the disciples to have a clear understanding of each other’s disciplines. This is the only way to ensure that they understand the implication of each other’s contribution to the initiative. They need to understand where to capitalise on the others’ expertise and discipline and what the implication of the work that they do has on that of the others.

The governance of a project

Project Management

Practical Example

To illustrate what exposure the parties manning the three disciplines should have of each other’s areas of expertise, the following scenario works well.

Practical Example

Changing the governance and mindset of the business

Human Engineering

Individuals manning the three disciplines of architecture, programme and project
management and human engineering must be ‘unconsciously competent’ within their own disciplines and between ‘consciously competent’ and ‘consciously incompetent’ within each other’s disciplines.

6 - Business Engineering of this nature requires a Single Framework that Integrates three thrusts:

Architecture
Project Management
Human Engineering

Architecture

7 - It should consist of a Continuous, Dedicated Business Engineering Function Set

Business Engineering will initially be executed as a project. After the control over architecture and change ability is established the organisation has to adopt this as a continuous process, make someone responsible for it and execute the process as a combination of controlled projects. A continuous, dedicated Business Engineering Function Set needs to become part of the organisation. This will ensure that the business does not have to venture into a business engineering exercise frequently.

You must be in control of your design before affecting change.

Control over Architecture

Function that make up a process.

DISCON Specialists