Erasing Blind Spots in Enterprise Transformation Initiatives

We all have blind spots every now and then. It is a natural and inevitable situation posed by the limitations of our brains. Blind spots can be perilous in many circumstances in life. In our context, blinds spots are prevalent in complex enterprise transformation initiatives. The owner of the blind spot cannot see his or her blind spot unless using specific tools, methods, or getting assistance from someone else who is more experienced and observant.

Habits and habitual thinking patterns are common causes of blind spots. For example, focusing on technical details without seeing the big picture in our architecture can cause cloudy thinking and ultimately dangerous blind spots. However, Enterprise Architects can be astute observers of blind spots at all times for modernising their enterprise. They look for big pictures from multiple angles, and deep dive to validate their vision and mission when needed hence can quickly identify potential blind spots and detrimental weaknesses experienced by technical team members.

Enterprise Architects need to articulate situations caused by blind spots with constructive feedback, empathy, lots of clarifying examples, metaphors, and similes. This type of influential articulation and focus can help people see and accept their blind spots effectively, understand their weaknesses, and turn them into strengths. Related to blind spots, identifying potential hidden agendas and hidden costs are critical for enterprise transformation initiatives.

Taking necessary measures matters for any enterprise transformation initiative. We need to focus on both qualitative and quantitative measures for team success. To this end, we can manage across complex matrix structures. As metric oriented and data-driven professionals, we need to use KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). For example, we can use a team dashboard fed by multiple data sources to see the trends, qualify and quantify progress in visual formats.

We can transform the enterprise into a data-driven organisation to measure the progress of modernisation goals structurally and methodically. It is a common phenomenon that inexperienced technical people can lose focus on business value and client needs. One of the key measures that we need to take is laser-sharp client focus.

To conclude, while providing technical excellence, we also need to ensure a customer-centric outlook is provided, focusing on continually improving client experience with measurable business results. To this end, as metric oriented professionals, Enterprise Architects need to use KPIs empowered with astute observations, methodical approach, client empathy, and enriched data-driven approaches depicting business value.