attracting, retaining and getting the best from your architects
TRANSCRIPT
Attracting, retaining and getting the best from your architects
Tom Graves, Tetradian Consultingwith xpand Melbourne / Sydney, October 2015
Hi. I’m Tom Graves.
(enterprise-architect, business-anarchist, confusionist, nuisance, that kind of stuff…)
“What’s the story?”What do architects do?
CC-BY Tom Graves
Where is architecture?
Building-blocks of a generic built-structure
Where is architecture?
Building-blocks of a generic business-structure
ContactCustomer
Manage the Business
Support the Business
Accept Orders
DeliverOrders
ProcessOrders
FulfilOrders
Where is architecture?
The architecture is in the ‘between-spaces’
ContactCustomer
Manage the Business
Support the Business
Accept Orders
DeliverOrders
ProcessOrders
FulfilOrders
analysts(within the boxes)
architects(between the boxes)
Solution architects(connect everything together within a project)
Who are the architects?
design-solutions will be neededwherever there’s some kind of change going on…
- project, programme, portfolio, transformation -
…and wherever a solution is being developed,we’ll need a solution-architect
Domain architects(connect everything across a discipline or domain)
Who are the architects?
these include: infrastructure-architect,data-architect, applications-architect,business-architect, security-architect,financial-architect, facilities-architect,
brand-architect, organisation-architect,process-architect, skills/training architect,
governance-architect, and many more
Enterprise architects(connect everything together)
Who are the architects?
that ‘everything’ will include: IT-infrastructure, data, applications, non-IT technologies, business-models, security, financials, facilities, brands, organisation-structures, processes, interactions, skills/training,
governance, quality, environment, health-and-safety…
- every distinct domain, and much, much more
The EA Mantra(phrases that you’ll often hear architects say…)
“I don’t know…”“(but I know how to find out)”
“It depends…”“(and I know what it depends on)”
“Just enough detail…”“(and I know the level of detail that it needs)”
“You don’t want your strategies following spaghetti roads- you want them movingthrough your company
on logical, straight highways.”
(well-known large consultancy)
The expectation?
“The enterprise architecture transition plan is a simple artifact.”
“It consists of a set of:- Gantt charts
- transformative investments- planning time-horizons (in years)
- SDLC phases- descriptive narrative”
(well-known EA consultant)
The expectation?
The reality…
Yeah, it’s messy… - always…
Work with the uncertainty…
(Architects must connect across the whole context-space)
Ultimately,
architecture iseveryone’s responsibility
(Architects just help it along a bit…)
…it’s Not A Good Idea…
Architecture matters:
“the purpose of the system is [expressed in] what it does”
Without architecture as anchor,what we’d get is a random mix
of POSIWID:
“What’s the story?”What value doarchitects deliver?
The aim of all architecture:
things work betterwhen they work together
on purpose
…which implies further questions:• Things – what things? and who decides?• Work – what work? in what sense of ‘work’?• Better – ‘better’ for what? or who? in what
sense? who decides?• Together – what kind of ‘together’?
how? why? where?• On purpose – who chooses the purpose?
for what? for whom? and why?
- architecture within architecture…
…so, for enterprise-architecture:
what things?short answer: everything!-that’s the whole point!
(and yes, a whole lot broader than just IT alone…)
CC-BY-SA MysteryBee via Flickr
For example, digital transformation
is not just about changing
from one type of computer…
CC-BY Highways Agency via Flickr
to another computer…
‘Going digital’ transforms the scope
Inside-in: Fixing-up within one department (TOGAF 8)
‘Going digital’ transforms the scope
Inside-out: It’s all about our own organisation (TOGAF 9)
‘Going digital’ transforms the scope
Outside-in: Interacting with the customer and their needs
‘Going digital’ transforms the scope
Outside-out: A much broader world of stakeholders out there
…even more, from user-as-robot…
CC-BY justin pickard via Flickr
…to personas person! CC-BY andré luís via Flickr
Skillsets across the whole space…
Distinct modes: Simple, Complicated, Ambiguous, Not-known
Skillsets across the whole space…
Agent, analyst, alchemist, anarchist, in business context…
Skillsets across the whole space…
Maintaining balance: business-analyst, business-anarchist
The value of architecture…is in how well
everything works togetherwith everything else
on purposeacross the whole enterprise
(yet we can often only see this happeningwhen viewed across the whole enterprise…)
“What’s the story?”How do we attractgood architects?
The easy way out?- the big-consultancy pitch:
“We will do your architecture for you!”
Don’t do this!Almost invariably, it results in
expensively-useless shelfware…
Don’t outsourceyour architecture!
Architecture is everyone’s responsibility- hence it can only be done in-house.
In-house architectsassist in and remind everyone
of that responsibility.
Use external consultantsto help build architecture-maturity
and architecture-skills and competence- not to ‘do the architecture’.
Next task…
Find, maintain and nurturethose in-house architects.
(which may not be as simple as we might expect…)
CC-BY GreaterGrandIsland via Flickr
How do we find our architects?
Architecture is a mindset more than a job-title…
Good candidates for architecture might be found anywhere in and
beyond the organisation…
…but current recruitment-models can make it very hard to find them…
Most certification schemes are meaningless for this…
They test ability to repeat rote-learning – almost exactly what we don’t need.
Knowledge of shared-terminology is useful,but trivial to acquire…
Skill-level of ‘TOGAF Certified’
A five-day course does not an architect make…
Lazy recruiters use certification schemes as a
tick-the-box filter…
Result: a five-day course gets higher priority than 20 years of experience?
Sheer madness – somehow we must bring these ‘certification-scams’ to a close…
Key characteristics of architects:
a) could be anywhere, in any job
b) are cross-disciplinary generalists
c) skillset and experience will often combine technical, arts, humanities,
across multiple industries
Most current recruitment would:
a) fail to see most of them
b) ignore them if they appear
c) actively penalise them
Not exactly helpful for anyone’s needs…
CC-BY-SA Kurayba via Flickr
And we need those eccentrics…
…they’re the ones who provide the leverage to help things change
Look for people who:- notice things (are interested in everything)
- are interested in how things fit together- have diverse careers (across many industries)
- connect with people (across broader scope)
- translate between multiple domains- explain and simplify (yet not to simplistic)
- resolve the EA mantra (via action and story)
The answer’s a story…For each of the EA Mantra elements
- “I don’t know…”- “It depends…”
- “Just enough detail…”
- the ‘wannabe’ will give the stock answer
- the natural-architect will givea personal story ora personal example
“What’s the story?”How do you retaingood architects?
…why would anyonewant to be an architect
in your enterprise?
Motivations…
CC-BY quaziefoto via Flickr
Pay-levels are important, but…
Research: money-alone only motivates for ‘robotic’-type (non-skilled) work…
CC-BY justin pickard via Flickr
…for skilled-work, relying on money alone as a motivatorcan often make things worse. CC-BY andré luís via Flickr
CC-BY GreaterGrandIsland via Flickr
Find the right motivation…
To motivate skills-work…What research shows will work, for individuals:• Autonomy (decision-making at the point of action)
• Mastery (development of personal skill)
• Purpose (guidelines to assess personal achievement)(Note: in Taylorist models, all of these are explicitly blocked or forbidden)
…and at the collective level:• Fairness (socially-determined)
• Shared-purpose (vision/values etc ‘greater than self’)
…architects do have rare skillsetsthat take decades to develop
and provide huge leverage for value
Fair pay does matter…
- so pay enoughto ensure that it’s not a concern
- make it not be a distraction!
the work needs meaning,based on
intrinsic motivation, not extrinsic
But it’s really about the work…
- so don’t crush that motivationwith clumsy attempts at ‘control’!
- provide the freedom and permissionto explore everything, everywhere
Help the architectsto develop their skills…
- keep the focus on connection,not solely on ‘production’
- learn ‘just enough language’to connect everywhere
across all of the enterprise domains
- having the right toolsdoes make a big difference
The tools of the trade…
- but don’t rush off to buy a fancy‘EA toolset’ right at the start!
Solution-architect’s toolset
CC-BY-SA MattHurst via Flickr
Enterprise-architect’s toolset
The real challenge of our toolsets
Our tools are scattered all along the Squiggle…
The real challenge of our toolsets
…but they don’t connect up! – we need to resolve this!
Building connections takes time!
In particular, building the deep social network that’s essential for the
shared-responsibility of architecture will probably take at least 2-3 years…
There’s no short-cut to this that works…
“What’s the story?”How do you get the bestfrom your architects?
- use an iterative development-method
Develop step-by-step
- use a maturity-model for overall guidance
- each iteration is fora specific business-purposewith specific business-value
- each iteration adds more tothe overall ‘architecture-hologram’
Development method
The methodmust be usable for any typeof context…
Each iteration is for an identifiable business-purposewith identifiablebusiness-value
Context-neutral adaptation of TOGAF ADM
Maturity-model
The sequence is not rigid, but every out-of-sequence work-item incurs technical-debt and technical-risk.
- glossary and thesaurus(thesaurus to help cross-domain translation)
A shared repository…
- wiki-type collaboration-space(notes on the ‘why’ behind choices and decisions)
- diagrams and models(decision-records, aids to communication)
(That fancy ‘EA toolset’ does start to make sense as the repository grows and becomes more shared across the enterprise.)
Solution Architectdiagrams, models and designs
‘Deliverables’ will vary…
Domain Architectend-to-end connectivity
Enterprise Architectshared sensemaking and decision-making
Some crucial caveats…For an architect, talking with peopleis essential work, not ‘goofing off’!
Architects do need full authority from the executive,to connect everywhere across the enterprise…
People who are talking with an architect are working, not ‘goofing off’!
Architects are not ‘being insurbordinate’ when they connect across silos!
- almost no meaningful direct metricsfor architecture performance
(because it takes place in the ‘between’ spaces’)
Architecture performanceis hard to measure…
- often visible only at whole-of-context level(often only in terms of what doesn’t happen…)
- the better an architect’s work,the less visible it becomes…
(a good test is that other people say, “we did it!”)
The real performance-metric…build perceived-value
to build trust,experienced via how well
everything works togetherwith everything else
on purposeacross the whole enterprise
“What’s the story?”Wrapping up…
Architects connect everything together.
The one-page summary…
Architects are generalists, not specialists – the recruitment-process will be different.
For best outcomes, keep the focus on connection, not ‘production’.
Mainstream performance-metrics don’t make sense for architecture – assess as whole.
“What’s the story?”And finally…
Conference keynote / workshopSydney, 19-21 October 2015
http://enterprisearchitectureconference.com.au
To learn more…
Workshop and masterclassPerth, 26-27 October 2015
Sydney, 29-30 October 2015Melbourne, 5-6 November 2015
http://tetradian.com/events
Books and researchhttp://tetradian.com/publications
http://weblog.tetradian.com
Themes: Maturity-model
The sequence is not rigid, but every out-of-sequence work-item incurs technical-debt and technical-risk.
Themes: Enterprise Service Canvas
Modelling the enterprise as services
Themes: Service-Cycle
Connecting project-lifecycle to whole-context cycles
Themes: Beyond ‘Bimodal IT’
Balancing Waterfall, Agile and everything in between
Themes: Strategic assessment
Use SCORE to connect capabilities to action-choices
“What’s the story?”Thank you!
Contact: Tom GravesCompany: Tetradian ConsultingEmail: [email protected]: @tetradian ( http://twitter.com/tetradian )Weblog: http://weblog.tetradian.comSlidedecks: http://www.slideshare.net/tetradianPublications: http://tetradianbooks.comBooks: • The enterprise as story: the role of narrative in enterprise-
architecture (2012)• Mapping the enterprise: modelling the enterprise as services with
the Enterprise Canvas (2010)• Everyday enterprise-architecture: sensemaking, strategy, structures
and solutions (2010)• Doing enterprise-architecture: process and practice in the real
enterprise (2009)Image-credits: Photo-images via Flickr or Wikimedia, as shown on each slide
Further information: