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Business Architecture
Business architecture describes how your company really works: which capabilities it has, which processes create value, who is accountable for what, and how decisions are made.
It is the starting point for every data and technology decision, because it defines what data and systems are there for. We work it out with you on site and hand over a business capability map on a single page.
45 minutes, free of charge, by video.
How ready is your initiative for a decision? Find out in 3 minutes.
What it is about
First understand how your company works
Many companies know their systems better than their own capabilities. There are lists of applications, contracts, and servers, but no shared answer to the question of what the company must be able to do to reach its goals. This is where business architecture comes in.
We describe your company in terms of capabilities rather than departments. A capability is something your company has to deliver, such as costing orders, managing suppliers, or assessing risks. For each capability, we record which processes support it, who owns it, what data it needs, and which systems are involved today.
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The result is a picture that the executive board, business units, and IT can all read. It shows where your strategy reaches day-to-day work and where it does not: duplicate responsibilities, decisions without a clear basis, and processes that break off at system boundaries.
Only on this foundation does it pay to tackle data and technology. Every later recommendation, whether on data architecture, infrastructure, or AI, can be traced back to a capability and a business goal. That makes decisions transparent and protects you from projects with no business purpose.
What you gain
Clarity that every further decision can rest on
A shared view of the company
Management, business units, and IT talk about the same map. Discussions that used to stall on different terms become shorter and more factual.
Investments with a rationale
Every spend can be assigned to a capability and a business goal. You see where money has an effect, where duplicate structures cost you, and where an investment can wait.
The most critical gaps first
The gap analysis names the three to five most critical gaps between current and target state. Instead of a long list of shortcomings, you get a sequence you can work with.
A foundation for everything else
Data strategy, system decisions, and AI build on the same map. What has been settled once does not need to be renegotiated in every project.
What we analyze
The full picture
- Business model, goals, and constraints
- Business capability map
- Value streams and core processes
- Accountability and decision paths
- Dependencies on systems and service providers
What you receive
Results that belong to you
- A business capability map on a single page
- An overview of processes and accountability
- The places where strategy and day-to-day work drift apart
How we work
Four steps, each with a result
- Step 1
On-site interviews
We talk with management and key people about goals, workflows, and decision paths.
Result: Goals, workflows, and decision paths, firsthand.
- Step 2
Map the capabilities
We build the business capability map and assign processes, owners, and systems.
Result: A business capability map with processes, owners, and systems.
- Step 3
Name the breaking points
We show where strategy and day-to-day work drift apart and what that means for your business.
Result: The three to five most critical gaps between current and target state.
- Step 4
Decide together
We discuss the result with you and agree on which capabilities need attention first.
Result: An order of priority: which capabilities need attention first.
In practice
Three sites, one RFP
A midsize company with three sites is planning a new ERP system. Each site describes its requirements differently, and the RFP risks turning into a wish list. The capability map shows that most capabilities are the same at every site and only a few genuinely set the business apart. The RFP gets shorter, the bids become comparable, and the discussion focuses on the points that really matter.
A typical scenario as we encounter it in engagements, not a single client case.
Tested in the SIMOSphere AI Lab
What we recommend, we test first. Field reports from our lab on simosphereai.com:
When it pays off
Typical triggers
- Before growth, an acquisition, or a succession
- When strategy and day-to-day work drift apart
- When IT projects run without a clear business purpose
How it fits your path. Part of the Understand (on-site current state) and Define (Management Clarity, the shared basis for decisions) phases. In the BEIA enterprise assessment, business context, capabilities, operating model, and governance are four of the eight layers. It always starts with a free 45-minute initial call.
Questions executives ask
Questions executives ask about it
What is a business capability map?
A map of your company’s capabilities, such as winning customers or fulfilling orders, regardless of the technology used to deliver them today. It shows on a single page where investment belongs.
How does business architecture differ from process management?
Process management improves workflows. Business architecture connects workflows with goals, accountability, data, and systems into one overall picture that guides every further decision.
Who from our company does business architecture need?
Management and the key people who know the goals, workflows, and decision paths. We conduct the interviews on site, map processes, owners, and systems, and agree on the result with you.
Where does business architecture start?
With a free 45-minute initial call by video. The on-site start usually follows: in the BEIA enterprise assessment, business context, capabilities, operating model, and governance are four of the eight layers.
Why SIMO
Advice that is on your side
Independent
We are not tied to any vendor. Our recommendation follows the outcome of the engagement.
As peers
Every engagement is led personally by one Managing Partner, from the initial call to handover: Thomas Wassum or Andreas O. Schwan.
Results-driven
Every phase delivers a result that stands on its own. No lock-in, no obligation to continue.
Sovereign
“Ihre Daten bleiben Ihre Daten.” Your data stays under your control. For sovereignty-critical data, we do not recommend US hyperscalers.
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How do you evaluate alternative enterprise architectures?
Read the answer: How do you evaluate alternative enterprise architectures?What is business architecture?
Read the answer: What is business architecture?
Your next step
45 minutes, and you will know whether it fits.
The initial call is free of charge and without obligation. You speak directly with one of our two Managing Partners, by video.
45 minutes, free of charge, by video.
Prefer to assess your position first? Twelve questions, about 3 minutes.
Prefer to call? +49 6021 625 63 40
Note: the 3D visualizations on this page were created with AI.