A couple of weeks ago we posted detailing which of our views went down well at the Gartner US IT Symposium/Expo. We also exhibited at the EU event a few weeks later, and I thought it would be interesting to compare if the views that “wowed” the US audience were the same ones that the EU audience liked.
Views that “Wowed” CIOs and EAs/CEAs
In the main, maybe unsurprisingly, they were the same, but with a couple of additions!!
There was a bit more of a focus on rationalisation and roadmapping at the EU conference, with perhaps less interest in the ideas generation functionality. There was also more concern about how to manage data updates, and our editors proved a real hit!
The WOW factor Views and Editors are shown below:
Business Capability Dashboard (US & EU)
Visualises how Applications support the Business, with insight such as rationalisation opportunities, gaps, disposition (TIME) status and much more.
This was seen as a key view that both Enterprise Architects/Chief Enterprise Architects and CIOs need to understand their Application Estate, and how it can be improved to support the Organisation’s Business Goals.
Application Rationalisation (EU)
The link from understanding the number of Application supporting a Business Capability, to being able to compare the Applications in terms of functionality, cost and use was a real winner in the EU.
(The comment we heard often was that other tools just cannot do this).
Application Connections (US & EU)
Visualises the integrations between applications, the information flows and the data objects exchanged. The view can show all connections or various filters can be added. The options available in this view were seen as a real differentiator compared to the other EA tools present.
Business Portfolio Manager and Proposal Editor (US)
Facilitates collaboration regarding the change portfolio across the organisation, with the SAFe methodology being utilised to assess and prioritise proposals suggested.
This was seen as a really innovative way to involve the wider organisation in the architecture and raise the awareness of the benefits that the Enterprise Architecture function can provide.
(This was another view that we heard wasn’t available in other tools).
Roadmap Dashboard (EU)
Understanding the Roadmaps and Strategic Plans, detailing what is being impacted in the Organisation to achieve the Strategic Goals and Objectives was seen as key. The ability to then use this detail to look at the organisation, through the views, at a future point in time was also appreciated.
Essential Editors
The editor interface was a real hit, being seen as business user friendly and very intuitive. The fact that they are completely configurable, so can be tailored to different roles, jobs and people in the organisation, easily by the client themselves, was also extremely well received!
Across the two conferences the CIOs we spoke to really engaged with these views – if you are an EA and want to make the boss happy get these views in front of them!
Useful Links
EAS Views from the Gartner EU IT Symposium/Expo
EAS’s View from the Gartner US IT Symposium/Expo
Turning Strategic Trends into Actionable Proposals
Roadmap Planning – your current state matters!
Why Enterprise Architects should guide IT Rationalisation Programmes