Your business architecture is holding back growth. How will you navigate this obstacle?

To understand "Issues", you can't start with "Look at your processes, systems, and organizational structure to identify where inefficiencies lie." How do you even know what processes, systems, and org structure you need without starting from vision and strategy? You could work backwards from your customers, but nobody's doing that either. Business architecture needs to reconsider its role in organizations. Inefficiency is only your biggest concern when you're already effective.

🚧 Your business architecture blocking growth? Time to rewire for the future! 🔍 1. Diagnose the bottlenecks – Identify outdated systems, siloed teams, or rigid processes. 🧭 2. Align with strategy – Ensure your architecture supports your evolving business goals. 📊 3. Map capabilities – Highlight what’s working and what’s missing in your current setup. 🔄 4. Modernize systems – Invest in scalable, flexible tech that grows with you. 🤝 5. Break silos – Foster cross-functional collaboration and shared accountability. 📈 6. Pilot and scale – Test improvements in small areas before rolling out broadly. 🧠 7. Build adaptability – Design for change, not just the present. 💡 The right architecture doesn’t just support growth—it accelerates it.

We recognize that our current business architecture isn't scaling effectively to support our growth ambitions. To navigate this obstacle, we will first conduct a thorough assessment to pinpoint the specific bottlenecks and inefficiencies within our existing structure. Following this analysis, we will collaboratively design and implement a more agile and future-proof architecture that aligns with our strategic objectives and enables sustainable expansion.

No system is immune to inefficiencies. Be agile and focus on continuous improvement. I'd tackle such challenges this way: 1) Step back and assess the current structure objectively to identify inefficiencies. New hires are a great resource in this regard 2) Come up with efficient alternatives and map them to the organization’s strategic goals 3) Consider Occam's razor - simplify workflows and strive towards removing bottlenecks 4) When implementing changes, invest in change management and define KPIs to shift the culture towards collaboration and innovation to support growth 5) Iterate based on feedback and KPI findings. Focusing on flexibility and scalability fuels growth.

To tackle growth limitations, diagnose inefficiencies in your business architecture by evaluating processes, systems, and organizational structure. Identify complexities slowing decision-making, outdated technology impeding innovation, or rigid structures stifling creativity. Pinpointing these issues allows you to strategize solutions that align your architecture with growth objectives. Processes: Streamline complex workflows to enhance decision-making speed. Systems: Upgrade outdated technology to boost innovation and efficiency. Structure: Foster flexibility in organizational design to promote agility and creativity.

A client was struggling with 18-month product launch cycles while competitors delivered in 6 months. My diagnostic revealed three critical bottlenecks: approval processes requiring 12 stakeholder sign-offs, legacy billing systems that couldn't handle new service models, and siloed teams duplicating effort across product lines. Using capability mapping and value stream analysis, I identified that 60% of their development time was spent on non-value-adding activities. The diagnosis showed their rigid hierarchy was forcing simple decisions through multiple approval layers, creating artificial delays that had nothing to do with technical complexity.

I have found that most workplaces lack documentation of their processes. Therefore, the 1st step is to document what you have. You can't improve on something that doesn't exist.

None of this is actionable guidance. By starting from vision and strategy you can map a specific value chain that's most impactful to your direction, and work backwards from where you want to be to understand your path to get there. That highlights your most critical customers and partners. From there you can map customer journeys and value streams to find real waste and opportunities. We don't just redesign processes to reduce waste and increase efficiency, we want to eliminate constraints that reduce leverage and growth. Value chains are no longer 'steps', they're parallel, iterative and linked capabilities that work more like a network than a chain.

To redesign processes for growth, focus on streamlining operations using lean principles to eliminate waste and boost efficiency. Re-evaluate your value chain to ensure each step enhances customer value. Simplify complex processes, automate repetitive tasks, and build a scalable, flexible architecture that supports continuous growth. Lean Principles: Identify and remove non-value-adding activities (e.g., redundant approvals). Value Chain: Map processes to ensure every step directly contributes to customer satisfaction. Automation: Implement tools like RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for repetitive tasks. Scalability: Design workflows that adapt to increased demand without bottlenecks.

Action here: Map your value chains as a value stream network. Vision -> Strategy -> Customers -> Customer Needs -> Capabilities -> Streams -> Platforms -> APIs & Resources Your platforms should sit on adaptable, scalable, modular technology, but you can lean on your technical architects to figure out the details. Don't get caught in the weeds.

To overcome growth barriers from outdated systems, invest in scalable technologies that align with your business architecture. Cloud computing provides flexibility and scalability while minimizing physical infrastructure costs. Enhance data management and analytics to drive informed decision-making and maintain a competitive edge. Cloud Computing: Adopt platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for scalable infrastructure. Data Management: Use tools like Snowflake or Tableau for robust data storage and analytics. Scalable Solutions: Prioritize modular software (e.g., CRM systems like Salesforce) that adapts to growth.

A retail client's growth stagnated because their monolithic ERP couldn't handle multi-channel operations or seasonal traffic spikes. I led their migration to a cloud-based, microservices architecture that could scale elastically. We implemented API-first integration enabling rapid partner onboarding and real-time inventory synchronization across channels. The new platform included advanced analytics capabilities that provided customer insights previously impossible with their legacy system. This technology upgrade enabled them to expand from 50 to 200 stores while reducing IT operational costs by 30%.

Place your capabilities as close to your customers as possible, but only in the areas that drive differentiated value. By focusing on where you have the most leverage to create the most leverage you get ahead. By creating and enabling value streams you're closer to high throughput, faster learning, and faster pivots. The big gap here is intake. If you have a heavy, time-consuming workflow upstream, it doesn't matter how fast you are downstream.

A company's innovation pipeline was blocked by a 7-layer approval hierarchy that took months to approve new product concepts. I redesigned their organizational model around cross-functional product teams with dedicated decision-making authority up to defined investment thresholds. We established innovation councils with fast-track approval processes and implemented rapid prototyping capabilities. The new structure included regular innovation showcases and fail-fast experimentation budgets. This agility transformation reduced time-to-market for new products from 24 months to 8 months, enabling them to respond quickly to market opportunities.

Working backwards is the key here. You may not have all these pieces defined clearly, but you can work with what you have - just make sure it's clear. Vision -> Strategy -> Customers -> Customer Needs -> Capabilities -> Streams -> Platforms -> APIs & Resources The strategy cascade from "Playing to Win" - Lafley, Martin, 2013 is really useful here. Even if your strategy is a mess, you can define the cascade to end up at Management Systems which is a powerful domain for business architecture to master.

A healthcare technology company had misaligned architecture where their IT investments focused on operational efficiency while their strategy targeted rapid market expansion. I facilitated strategic alignment workshops that revealed their technology roadmap was optimizing current operations rather than enabling growth. We redesigned their capability portfolio to prioritize scalability, partner integration, and international expansion requirements. The realigned architecture included standardized APIs for third-party integrations and multi-tenant platforms supporting global deployment. This strategic alignment enabled them to enter 5 new markets within 18 months.

A company's architecture transformation was technically sound but adoption was poor because employees felt excluded from the change process. I implemented a comprehensive change management program that included employee-led improvement initiatives and innovation challenges. We established architecture ambassadors in each department who received specialized training and became local change champions. The program included skills development pathways and recognition systems for architectural thinking. This people-first approach increased solution adoption from 40% to 95% while generating 200+ employee-driven improvement suggestions that enhanced the architectural design.