Stakeholders disagree on the future of your business architecture. How will you navigate conflicting visions?

In my experience stakeholders most of the times do not have proper insight into enterprise architecture and its domains specifically business architecture. Typically If people do not understand something, they will oppose it! The best way to elaborate the business architecture and its target picture is through the business capability map maturity assessment (before-after view) correlated with business initiatives and its corresponding business value that is the byproduct of maturity uplift. Most of business stakeholders would understand the business architecture through this lens and then instead of opposing it they will start debating rhetoric elements within it instead of questing the approach.

Aligning stakeholders with the success of the initiative is key. We typically encounter positive stakeholders- who are ready to participate in the process success or influence it actively. Then we have negative stakeholders who will challenge the assumptions and make sure we address all the considerations. Sometimes they help to even decide if this is the right initiative to undertake. Business Case / ROI Why's for customers Do we have the right buy-in from all involved Have considered the way we will address the needs of the initiatives and map the capabilities (Internal/external). Addressing these considerations and making sure we discuss all concerns is key to success. As we say Plan 90% to ensure the execution is successful!

Sometimes it can be helpful to explain to stakeholders what certain choices mean... for example, if we choose a certain cloud platform or SaaS solution, many of these function in an ecosystem and that choice will limit our options for the future. Some functions would be easier to solve with a change in process than a change in technology. And sometimes we need to make a strategic choice that we're going to build the rest of the architecture around and need to make a long-term commitment to that solution.

Communication is key for implementation. Over-communicate if needed to ensure you have the right focus and everyone is engaged on this can help you address any surprises or gaps. Have a clear escalation process to get the right support and attention. Collaborate to have Plan A, B and C to be prepared .

Business architecture is a mirror that represents business capabilities and with every changing business landscape, business architecture is supposed to adapt and reflect the true image of business capabilities across the enterprise. Agile Business architecture is a trend that is catching up to ensure that we organizations are rolling out new updates, and features. The right business architecture is in place to scale up to the changes and also deliver the path for future changes to be part of the enterprise ecosystem.