Choosing the right partner for your business development is a very important decision. With the right support, you can run successful business development that streamlines your organization so that you can create more value in a more agile way and at lower cost. But how do you know who is right for you? Here we'll take a closer look at what complex organizations need to succeed in their business development. We'll also explore why Enterprise Architecture is a valuable tool for successful improvement. Above all, we will go through what is important to consider when choosing the right partner that can help you get the best possible business development.
The main challenges of business development
In a rapidly changing world, it is business development that makes companies more efficient, flexible and competitive. It is precisely those organizations that constantly evaluate and improve their processes that increase their growth, innovation and customer satisfaction.
However, for complex organizations, business development can be challenging because they have more parts that need to be coordinated and developed. When an organization consists of several different departments that all have their own perspectives, priorities and speak their own language, it becomes more difficult to create the consensus needed for development. If it is to be possible to create a common vision and effective communication, all parts need to be able to work together and see the business from the same perspective. To succeed in this, outside help is often required.
This is why it is so important to work with a partner who has an understanding of both the organization and the industry it operates in. The first criterion for the right partner is therefore to choose someone who has an insight into the specific challenges, conditions and opportunities that your business faces. To begin with, look at how a potential partner has worked with others in your situation and industry, and how that collaboration has led to greater efficiency and growth.
Enterprise Architecture as a tool for successful business developmentMany change and development projects are delayed or fail, often due to the lack of an overall structure that holds the vision and communication together. What you cannot describe, you cannot improve. This is where Enterprise Architecture (EA) plays an important role as a method to create a holistic view of the business. EA helps to connect all parts of the organization - from business goals and strategies to business processes, concepts and IT systems. By using EA, everyone in the organization can gain a common understanding of the business, speak the same language, and work towards a shared vision of what is to be achieved in business development.
By working with an external partner who can act as an enterprise architect, your company can more easily work on mapping and visualizing the different parts and processes of your organization. When you can describe and manage the complexity of your organization, you get the overview and shared understanding you need to see your improvement opportunities and how to achieve them.
Here's what a partner in business development and EA can help you with
When choosing the right partner for your business development, you need to look first and foremost for someone who has the technical knowledge to work with Enterprise Architecture. Also, make sure that the partner you choose has the necessary experience to adapt the work to your particular industry and company.
While technical knowledge is important, there are many other key skills you should look for in a business development partner. Strive to partner with someone who:
have experience of acting as a facilitator and acting as an outside eye. For example, by holding workshops where you together select the parts and processes to be mapped and visualized in order to see the opportunities for improvement. But also by asking important questions that increase understanding of the process. Because it helps everyone involved in business development get the same picture. Otherwise, it is common for different departments to become "blinded" and see things as clear when they are directly involved, but miss that others do not have the same understanding.
can help you map exactly what is important for your business development. For example, processes, systems, capabilities, etc. It is your goals and needs that determine what is important to map and visualize. The right partner should be able to adapt the perspective based on the current purpose.
ensures that EA work does not become too technology-focused so that it does not benefit the business as a whole. IT may be an important part of business development and Enterprise Architecture, but successful business development is based on IT systems, information, capabilities, strategies and not least the people in the organization working together to optimize the business.
can help you describe both your current situation (how you are working today) and your desired situation (how you want to work to improve). This will reveal the answers to where, how and why - regarding the changes needed to reach your desired state.
supports you with descriptions and visualizations that describe the complexities of your business in a simplified way for management. This facilitates communication and gives management a good understanding of how business processes, IT systems and strategies are linked. A better understanding helps them make informed decisions that move the business forward.
can document your processes in a modeling tool so that you have a clear overview of how the changes will be implemented. The documentation should also give you a basis that allows you to work on continuous improvements and ongoing process development.
Having a partner who has the skills and experience to help organizations with these points will give you the support you need to succeed in your business development. But it can also help you build a robust operational structure that will make you a sustainable business.
Think about this when choosing your business development partner
Choose a partner that offers tailor-made solutions and a flexible methodology. No two businesses are the same, and standardized solutions may not meet your specific needs. Find out how flexible your potential partner is and whether they can adapt their ways of working to your needs.
How have they helped other organizations using Enterprise Architecture? Are there references showing how their efforts have led to greater efficiency, reduced costs and increased profitability for other businesses?
What framework do they work with? There are a number of different frameworks in EA. Some are aimed at certain industries and organization sizes, others at different parts such as business processes or IT. At Crest we have solid expertise in several frameworks, but we have particularly extensive experience of working with Prime Arch. Prime Arch is a framework that combines the best of some of the most established standards and offers a powerful yet simple solution that fits most organizations.
What is the follow-up and long-term cooperation like? How does the partner support you in the continuous improvement work? Can you build a long-term relationship that gives you more value in the long-term work of business development?
Choosing the right partner for your business development is a strategic decision that can affect your long-term efficiency and profitability. We at Crest have a long experience of helping companies understand the complex and of using EA to facilitate business development. Among other things, by helping with mapping and descriptions that can be used for improvements in practice. Contact us today and we will help you get better and equip your business for the future.