Friday, August 12, 2011

The business architect role

Being a CEO is the same as being a business architect in my opinion.  I had coffee with a guy yesterday and he and I were talking about the role of architect in a consulting engagement.  I realized that the consultant architect really isn't the business architect.  What are the roles and responsibilities of the business architect?  The Business architect is responsible for the:

Contracts and legal engagement.  The business architect must care about the contracts and legal agreements.  He must be sure that he's partnering with and delivering the right things to the customer without painting himself into too much of corner with the nature of the contract.  This includes the retention of intellectual property gained and an ability to re-use concepts or the actual product being delivered.

Cash-flow.  Cash is king and the CEO has to be all about it.  Don't bother doing things for free; you're better than that.  Figure out how to finance the operation and who will get paid, when.

Product.  The product itself is where the IT/enterprise architect comes in to help define the right thing/solution for the customer(s).  This is a very critical role and the CEO should be keen on the product's success rather than just that of the project/delivery/cash flow.  If the CEO focuses on long-term value of the product and continuously improves that which is delivered (while getting paid), he will be in a good position.

Partners/Suppliers.  The people with whom the CEO needs to engage in order to be successful are many: advisors, engineers, workers, etc.  It's not easy to own and operate a business...you're eyes have to be on many things and the people with whom you're working are the key and core asset!

Opportunity cost.  To do the project or take the risk/opportunity is the primary goal.  You don't want the risk to be an 'all-in' proposition where you are 100% invested in the thing...but that may be the case.  If it is, make sure you balance your work and life and do things fun.  Don't have a heart attack, for God's sake.

I hope this list gives you a good idea of what's required to run a solutions/software business.  A lot!!

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