By Icon Solutions ·
The challenge
Our client needed an agile and holistic technology architecture fit for a modern
digital financial institution. The challenge was that the current state was too technology-focused. It was missing data-driven, end-to-end references that encompassed people and processes, and mapped to the technologies used to
serve business outcomes. A new model was needed.
A key requirement for the client was to ensure that a repeatable, data-centric,
method was applied to describing the Current Architecture and to the generation of a Target State Architecture. The client therefore engaged Icon’s Architecture team to recommend a new model for wider adoption: one that put data at the centre of the architecture that could then be applied across the Commercial Banking value streams, and then more widely across the business. It was important that the architecture encompassed people, processes, technology and data.
The approach
Combining Icon’s tried-and-tested Architecture Review method, together with
a new emphasis on collecting and analysing the data behind all roles, processes and components, provided Icon with a data-centric view of the current state architecture.
Our approach involved:
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Reviewing the existing data describing the client’s current architecture, and identifying and resolving data quality issues
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Capturing and classifying the complete set of architecture data points and ensuring they aligned to a reusable data model
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Developing enterprise quality views for the data identified, to highlight‘hotspots’ where issues existed in data quality and completeness
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Testing of data views (existing and new) for multiple visualisations and perspectives of the architecture
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Documenting the overall process of current and future target state, as well as how the target could be achieved and the views that should be represented
Solutions and benefits
Icon understood that the client wanted to take a visionary and disruptive
approach to the architecture process, and so developed and applied the method needed to steer the architecture transformation.
In collaboration with the client, Icon adapted the architecture approach to
involve the business owners and capture the processes that needed to be included in the Current State analysis. This reinforced the results with data points showing all people, process and system interactions. Icon was able to then combine all the data points into the Finos Waltz repository and provide views of architecture data (using Waltz native reports), and overlay dashboards to provide additional bespoke views.
This gave a consistent way to identify and capture processes that were either incomplete or not correctly documented, and had therefore never before been appropriately served by technology. With business concerns and strategy now fully included in both the architecture assets and process, the client was able to much more clearly demonstrate motivations for change, and how addressing these directly would realise business value.
Directly connecting Architecture processes to the data and code itself provides the ability to derive powerful insights and make better-informed decisions to drive transformation and increase business value.”
