The Business Transformation Framework for Managers in Transformation Projects

Introduction

A decisive business decision in the business transformation of a traditional business environment into an automated business environment is the profile of the business transformation manager (BTM), who should be supported by a holisitic framework (Trad & Kalpić, 2001; Trad & Kalpić, 2014a). The BTM’s profile and the needed data modelling skills are essential for managing data models’ in business transformations. This research chapter and the related research publications deal with business transformation projects (BTP) complexity as well as the support for the BTM’s selection and the underlined BTP architecture. The proposed framework promotes the needed business transformation data architecture and modelling skills to insure success: 1) artefacts; 2) components; 3) architecture; and 4) modelling concepts.

The success of a business transformation project (BTP) depends on how an enterprise architecture, data architecture and modelling activities are synchronized (IMD, 2015).

Figure 1.

Enterprise architecture cycles and the data access building blocks

Trad, 2015a; Trad, 2015b.

That is why the implementation of such BTPs requires significant knowledge of data architecture and modelling techniques. The author has based his research on many credible research sources of information like the Gartner Inc. and many others. The main fact is that only a small percentage of business organizations successfully terminate innovation-related BTPs; another important fact is that business environments, which have a good data architecture and modelling concept, will gain a substantial business advantage (Tidd, 2006; Tidd & Bessant, 2009).

The data architecture and modelling module is a part of the Selection management, Architecture-modelling, Control-monitoring, Decision-making, Training management and Project management Framework (SmAmCmDmTmPmF, for simplification in further text the term Environment will be used), that supports the BTP’s activities. As shown in Figure 1, the data architecture and modelling concept interacts with all the enterprise’s architecture phases, using the data building blocks or the holistic brick (Trad & Kalpić, 2014a).

Background

What is an architecture framework and more specifically, what is a data architecture and modelling module or concept? In general an architecture framework (The Open Group, 2011):

• 1.

  Is a foundational model, or set of classes/entities, which can be integrated in various architectures;

• 2.

  Describes a method for modelling a systemic view of the business enterprise in terms of a set of data building blocks, it should also show how the data building blocks and code building blocks collaborate;

• 3.

  Contains a set of tools and provides a common vocabulary;

• 4.

  Includes a list of recommended standards and compliant products that can be used to implement the building blocks;

• 5.

  Includes a data architecture and modelling concept that refers to various techniques for the integration of different data models and data sources. Where this concept is based on data building blocks.