#DigitalRevolution and #4IR and many other hashtags related to “digital” are trending on social media. Because “digital” is a key concern in enterprises everywhere. We’re facing/undergoing a revolution (digital, industrial,..whatever, but “a revolution“). Digital this, digital that. And, Digital to the Core as Gartner pointed out in their book last year.
So, what to read this year? What’s on your holiday reading list? I will spend my summer reading about “revolution”.
If you are interested in some “social reading” and want to join a study group, let’s arrange physical and/or virtual meetups! I’d be happy to host meetups – in my garden, at QualiWare in Farum, or in WebEx. So let me know if you’re interested!
My current reading list has the five books listed here below. They’re chosen because they’re recent and relevant.
We live in strange times. Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfsson know what it takes to master the digital-powered shift: we must rethink the integration of minds and machines, of products and platforms, and of the core and the crowd. The balance now favours the second element of the pair, with massive implications for how we run our companies and live our lives.
We are on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. And this one will be unlike any other in human history. Characterized by new technologies fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact all disciplines, economies and industries – and it will do so at an unprecedented rate. In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Schwab (World Economic Forum) outlines the key technologies driving this revolution, discusses the major impacts on governments, businesses, civil society and individuals, and offers bold ideas for what can be done to shape a better future for all.
Blockchain is the ingeniously simple technology that powers Bitcoin. But it is much more than that, too. It is a public ledger to which everyone has access, but which no single person controls. It allows for companies and individuals to collaborate with an unprecedented degree of trust and transparency. It is cryptographically secure, but fundamentally open. And soon it will be everywhere.
Patterns of Strategy shows how the strategic fit between organisations drives strategic direction. It is essential reading for those who wish to understand how to manoeuvre their organisation to change its strategic fit to their advantage. The 80 ‘patterns’ of strategy help you explore options for collaboration and competition within your strategic ecosystem. A practical and authoritative guide, you can use it to plan and navigate your strategic future.
Reimagining Management introduces the concepts of the 7Enablers of BPM and the Tregear Circles as part of a practical framework for the positive and controlled evolution of management practice; an approach to organizational management that focuses on the creation, accumulation, and delivery of value to customers and other stakeholders. Using this book as a guide, it’s time to reimagine management.
The European Union’s new data protection regulation takes effect in 2018 and will have a bigger impact on European organizations than many might yet be aware of. For those approaching the subject from the right angle, the new rules do not just bring obligations, but also a variety of opportunities.
Since May 2016, the European Union’s new data protection rules (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR) is in force, establishing a harmonized data protection framework for personal data across the entire European Union and European Economic Area (EEA). The regulation is now being transposed in all EA/EEA member states and will take effect as national law in May 2018. With this comprehensive regulation, the all Europeans are provided with a variety of new rights when it comes to protection and handling of our personal data. For all organizations collecting, processing and storing information, the new law first of all carries a broad range of obligations and new requirements they have to understand and comply with. Failing to keep personal data appropriately secure can result in fines of up to 20 million Euro or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is greater.
The new regulation aims to strengthen people’s rights in the digital age and to simplify rules for internationally acting businesses by unifying them. After all, the data protection regulation is replacing varied national laws with just one framework that is equally valid in the entire EU/EEA. The ultimate goal is to give everybody more control over our personal data.
How are organizations affected?
The impact of the new regulation on organizations will be manifold and no business will remain unaffected, especially in the light of the ongoing digitalization. Organizations have to understand which of the information they are keeping are impacted by the regulation and how it is handled today, where and why it is kept and how it is protected. It requires understanding and adaption of business rules, business processes, information systems and IT infrastructure. Sounds like a complex and pretty big task to get on top of, and, bad news first, it is for sure not something that is done overnight. But the good news is that now is a good time for getting prepared, and that both methods and tools exist for getting a good grip on the job. Organizations that already have control over the enterprise’s architecture get a head start when it comes to understanding how they should react to changing market dynamics. And businesses that already today are managed with a strong process orientation can gain an advantage when it comes to easier transformation. QualiWare and Qualisoft, having over 20 years of experience as experts in the fields of Business Process Management (BPM) and Enterprise Architecture (EA), already started supporting our first customers in this transition with a structured approach. Such a structured, holistic approach is the perfect starting point for slicing the elephant of what is the new data protection regulation.
What is “personal data” and who is affected?
Understanding what “personal data” is a good thing to start with, and already comes as a surprise to many organizations. The EU defines “personal data” as “any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person” – both directly and indirectly. Following this wide definition, not only names, addresses, credit card numbers or log in names, but also mailing lists, minutes of meeting, cookies or even photos from the last company picnic fall under this category (everything that makes somebody “personally identifiable”). Some data needs more protection and special rules apply for such sensitive data.
It becomes clear that the new regulation will affect virtually any company that is operating in the EU/EEA, not at least the public sector and those handling sensitive personal data. Most organizations are dealing with more personal data than they know. What you don’t know, you can’t control. It’s about time to get an overview.
What to do now?
It will take some time and resources to get accustomed to the new rules and transform the way of working in order to be compliant, so it is smart to start planning already now. But where to start? An issue that many will face is that it is not yet entirely clear to anybody what the new regulation will actually mean and how it actually will impact businesses. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) is currently working through the 156 pages strong EU law, trying to break it down to practical guidelines and actionable tasks for getting a grip on the situation – but will not be finished with doing so until late 2017, only a few months before the regulation already becomes law. Do not wait that long. Even though you might not yet fully understand what the law will mean for your business and where you will actually need to adapt your policies and processes, there is a lot that you can do already now in order to be prepared. Be proactive rather than reactive. Start with understanding your organization and establish a sound information basis. This means you will need to:
Get an overview over relevant requirements and where they are affecting your systems and processes
Get an overview over which information you have today that is affected by the new law. Find out which data you are handling, why you are handling it and how it is used
Ensure that the organization is compliant with the current law – this is the best possible basis!
The QualiWare/Qualisoft roadmap for achieving compliance towards the new EU data protection regulation: Start with getting an overview, understand where the law affects your business and plan for transformation.
The new law will affect organizations on many interrelated levels, from their processes down to the technology they are using internally and for exchanging information with third parties. Get an overview over both the current and the new law and understand where on those levels you are complying today and where your gaps are. After that, map up the information that your organization is using, where you are using it (processes) and where you are storing it (systems and technology). With your first comprehensive overview of how you are using personal data today, it allows you to easily identify requirements for your information and the rationale for handling it. A repository-based tool like QualiWare Lifecycle Manager will make your life a lot easier in these regards, both in terms of uncovering relations and dependencies as well as in terms of collaboration and maintenance.
The information basis that you now established is what you need to start your enterprise transformation journey – identifying gaps and defining necessary actions to close them through adapting your way of working through methods of business process transformation. The job of mapping up requirements against your organization that you did earlier will also help you here.
A repository-based tool like QualiWare will make it easier to gain an overview over relations across different perspectives, for example, where requirements touch your business processes
Establishing these overviews and relations before the new law takes effect in May 2018 will make you well prepared. Make sure you are not just waiting to see what will happen and trying to react as good as you can, but be proactive and gain control over both what you have and what you need to do. It is also a prerequisite for creating proper plans and allocate resources.
Enabling positive change
If you now think that the only answer to the question “Why do I need to do this?” is “Because I have to”, you can be assured that compliance is not the only thing you can gain from this exercise. It is not just a legal obligation; it is also an opportunity. If you approach the topic from the right angle, several benefits can be achieved:
Internationally operating companies can achieve substantial financial savings through unifying their policies and way of working
Demonstrating compliance with the new law will build trust of the customer and also promote innovative use of data
Process-based transformation and management leads to better business performance through a more coherent way of working, consistency in changes and increased consensus amongst employees
Better alignment of business and technology through a holistic architectural approach, resulting in saved IT cost and a more efficient processes
A generally improved approach to information security and compliance with international standards such as ISO 27001
Several of our clients have already started dealing with the new regulation and are gaining necessary overview through their management systems. After all, the most important advice for action is to not spend your time waiting. Be proactive, start looking into the new rules and understand where your organization is today. Are you prepared?
CloseReach and QualiWare invite you to join us for the 3rd annual QualiWare + EA Professional Development Days. An event to promote networking, learning and collaboration for Architects and QualiWare enthusiasts, novices and experts alike.
Meet other QualiWare users, Business and Enterprise Architects, Project Managers, Analysts, BPM Specialists and Quality Managers. Share architecture and QualiWare experiences. Learn from customer case studies. Take part in interactive ideas exchanges. Influence product development.
Building on the success of 2016, we will be expanding your opportunities for learning and knowledge sharing. Join us for this excellent professional development opportunity:
Speakers Day (Monday) – the best place to hear about the latest developments in enterprise architecture and business transformation in Canada and globally. Speakers Day early bird pricing is in effect: $250 per person, 5-pack: $1,125.00, 10-pack: $2,125.00. HST extra. Includes a great day of speakers as well as breakfast and lunch.
Featured Speakers:
Kuno Brodersen – EA and Digital Transformation Strategies
A leader in the business modeling and enterprise architecture field for more than 30 years.
CEO and Co- Founder of QualiWare ApS. QualiWare provides comprehensive modeling tools and consulting services that focus on enhancing business efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, competitive positioning, and organizational profitability. QualiWare’s products and services help the customer succeed with Quality Management, Process Management and Optimization initiatives, Business Excellence programs, Enterprise Architecture initiatives, and/or IT solution development needs.
Roger Burlton – A Journey from Business Architecture to a Digital Process? A Case Study in Government Transformation
Respected pioneer in the introduction of innovative approaches for Business Architecture and Process Management
A leader in the field of Business Process Management, having authored one of the most
read and followed books on the topic early in BPM’s growth.
Chair of the BPTrends.com Advisory Board
Stephen Challinor – Enterprise Architecture as a Business Enabler
Director Enterprise Architecture, Department of National Defence
Co-Chair Government of Canada EA Working Group
27-year career as a public servant with a broad background in complex project and procurement management, weapon systems and equipment management, business and financial management, IM/IT systems and Alternate Service Delivery (ASD) initiatives.
Skip Lumley – Developing and Implementing a Pan-Canadian Standard for Public Sector Business Architecture
Co-founded and managed the consulting firm Chartwell IRM Inc. from 1984 until its acquisition in 2010 by KPMG Canada.
Leader in the development and support of government reference models: the Municipal Reference Model (MRM), the Public Service Reference Model (Province of Ontario) and the Governments of Canada Strategic Reference Model (GSRM).
Currently serving as an independent advisor to public and civic sector organizations on the use of reference models for program review, policy development, strategic planning and change management.
Stephen White – Digitalizing Your Business Processes
Business Process Management Institute (BPMI) Board of Directors
Former Chair of BPMI Notation Working Group and author/editor of Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) 1.0 & 2.0 Technical Specification
Chair of OMG Revision Task Force and Co-Chair of OMG FTF for BPMN 2.0
Contributor to OMG CMMN 1.0 specification
Co-Authored Book “BPMN modeling and reference guide”
Tool-Day (Tuesday) – How-To Seminars/Workshops: Business Modelling (BPMN, Capability Modelling, Requirements & Traceability); Collaboration using QualiWare Web Publishing; Change & Problem Management using QualiWare Governance Workflow Engine; Modelling Revision Management, Back-up and Recovery Strategies.
Tuesday seminars/workshops are offered at the nominal (full day) cost of $20.00 + HST per person with 100% of proceeds being donated to the Royal Ottawa PTSD Clinic.
Business Architecture Training (Tuesday-Friday) – “Made in Canada” Business Architecture training & certification with Roger Burlton.
QualiWare Training (Wednesday-Friday) – take full advantage of QualiWare’s EA software
QualiWare Data Visualization
QualiWare Command Language (QCL) Basic.
For more information or advance seating reservations for Speakers Day and all of the week’s events, contact Susan Wolfenden; susan@closereach.ca, 613-825-1769. Space is limited – call now!
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues.
Help us make this event the place to be in Canada for all things architecture related!
eda.c and QualiWare team up and arrange the third gathering on Strategic Enterprise Design on March 6-8 in Tel Aviv. Over the course of 3 days at the Nalaga’at Center in Jaffa Port, we will jointly shape the emerging field of Enterprise Design.
In its 3rd edition after Barcelona and Iceland, our event brings together enterprise rebels inside and outside of organizations, and promote a trans-disciplinary exchange on common themes and challenges, tools and techniques, and new thinking. Despite our different backgrounds in design thinking and doing, enterprise and business architecture or analysis, brand, customer and user experience, culture or business transformation and systems thinking, we share a common goal: make enterprises act less awkward and more humane.
After two retreats, three conferences and with a growing community of practitioners, our focus shifts – from understanding what each other is actually doing, to how to achieve impact and collaborate.
