Abstract
In large Just as the Jet Streams, far up in the atmosphere, control the weather on earth, high-level structures of an Enterprise control the workings of an organization. The Enterprise Jet Streams are the strategic prerequisites to form Business Models, Value Streams, and other fundamentals needed to develop and operate a business.
This article will touch on typical challenges when transforming a business and how Enterprise Jet Streams can reduce the complexity of a legacy structure to enable success in the new digital era. I will show how well-known architectural patterns can be used at the highest management level.
Large organizations that produce complex products, naturally have the biggest challenges. Over time, their supporting systems that enable operations have become a legacy that heavily interferes with Business Agility. Regardless of excellency in transforming into Lean-Agile development, the burden of the legacy structure is a strategic obstacle that inhibits execution in cadence and synchronization. Thus, removing the benefits of enabling short feedback cycles as the underlying idea in Lean and Agile.
The solution to a very complex enterprise setup cannot be to work harder on defining value streams and continue to accelerate the Product Development flow. Instead, a macro-level view on value streams and the formation of modularized business entities can clarify business targets and create far better options for a successful Lean enterprise. The macro-level structure of a business controls the ability to operate a business, just as Jet Streams control the weather of the earth. I, therefore, call this high-level structure: Enterprise Jet Streams.
Modularization with viable business interfaces will reduce the complexity and remove the limitations any system ultimately will reach. The strategic forming of new business entities requires decisions on the highest level of authority and must be supported by business architecture competency.
Any business is built on Operational Value Streams (OVS), Development Value Streams (DVS), and the Supporting Systems and Products needed for development and operations.
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow, meandering air currents in the atmospheres of some planets, including Earth.[1] On Earth, the main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause and are westerly winds (flowing west to east). Jet streams may start, stop, split into two or more parts, combine into one stream, or flow in various directions including opposite to the direction of the remainder of the jet
Jet streams are bands of strong wind that generally blow from west to east all across the globe. They impact weather, air travel, and many other things that take place in our atmosphere.
Background
Large organizations that produce complex cyber-physical systems have, as like all other organizations, a need to transform their ways of working. Typical industries where development speed and quality are essential are automotive, aircraft, aerospace, and defense. New competitors with less legacy are just around the corner to introduce entirely new services. The all too well-known disruptive pattern will play faster in the digital age.
In order to grasp the challenges, leaders and change agents need to recognize the operational systems and structures that enable organizations to perform. Especially companies with long-lived consumer products have a substantial legacy.
Under the hood in of these large organizations, there are a large number of systems that are needed to control the entire operational value stream which typically consists of the supply chain, production, development, finance, sales, distribution, and aftermarket. All tighs together in a product structure which is the backbone for making it all work.
To unleash innovation and get a new product out the door, it is not just the product development in itself that needs to become faster and more reliable. It is also the long long tail of supporting systems that must be upgraded. But, there is no time to investigate what operative structures are needed nor how the supporting systems should work. The focus needs to be on exploring what customers want.
The figure below shows the high-level structure of two businesses where the flow of value a forced to take very different routes. In both alternatives, there are Operational Value Streams (OVS), Development Value Streams (DVS), and the Supporting Systems and Products needed for development and operations.
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It requires skills in Business Architecure, mandate to make strategic decisions and the guts to do it.
Any business is built on Operational Value Streams (OVS), Development Value Streams (DVS), and the Supporting Systems and Products needed for development and operations.
Executives on enterprise-level and below continuously put a lot of effort into improvement programs. Consultants are hired, change initiatives are launched, the staff is trained, and much more is done.
The power needed to rebuild fundamental organizational structures belongs to the highest level of decision-making. The board is usually determined to form new business entities to engage in organizational design and decide about the business model and principles for operations.
Unfortunately, board members seldom engage in business architecture, nor do they have the expertise to model and explore alternatives. Their alternative is to expand the C-level's strategic authority and reshape business structures.
and making sure structures are flexible and may be adapted afterward.
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Separate compliance responsibility
Summary
References
https://www.pega.com/insights/articles/applying-microservices-principles-your-business-architecture
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