Management
Quanta Value Network℠(QVN)

Quanta Value Network℠(QVN) ... 10 Architecture Guidelines

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Quanta Value Network℠(QVN) 10 Architecture Guidelines Following Quanta Value Network℠(QVN) 10 Architecture Guidelines Apr 5, 2015 242Views 5Likes 12CommentsShare on LinkedInShare on FacebookShare on Google PlusShare on Twitter 'QVN is a new set of architecture guidelines and approach to business model design and transformation that focuses on the positioning and linking together of services within a more open, collaborative and boundaryless digital world, supported by three foundational frameworks' Streamlining design in the digital world! This article focuses on the QVN architecture design guidelines. These cover a number of important dimensions which help the architects navigate the complexity of the digital world. Architecture guidelines are used to capture the fundamental truths about how QVN will assist in designing the future landscape. The guidelines are inter-related, and need to be applied as a complete set and not just individually. At times a decision will be required as to which guideline will take precedence on a particular issue. The rationale for such decisions should always be documented. Although specific penalties are not prescribed in a declaration of guidelines, violations of guidelines generally cause operational problems and will inhibit the ability of QVN to fulfill its design mission. We need to look at how businesses can be more flexible in order to handle the scale and speed of change. Continuous evolvability is paramount and the quanta granularity of business process/service architecture design thinking is critical. The diagram and brief descriptions below highlights the top ten design guidelines at a summary level, behind each is a much more full description on how to interpret which I can share for those more interested. 1. Strategic Aligned: The design should be strategically aligned, customer needs and response centric (more and more customers are creating their own value pathways and have high expectations), ecosystem focused (thinking outside-in first not inside-out) and outcome based (measurable for future insight learning through analytics). 2. Quanta Services: The design has at its core the definition of discrete, detailed, autonomous quanta services as its operating base. These to be designed with simplicity of use and with open interoperable attributes allowing mass connectivity options. 3. Orchestration: The design will embrace orchestrated linking of loosely coupled quanta services within value pathway scenarios that allow connectivity to other 3rd party 'packaged' capabilities. This is end-to-end orchestration of services across multiple companies thinking and not just a simple workflow engine linking processes within one organization. 4. Architecture Layers: The design will be both business and IT. For each quanta service and value pathway scenario we first need to describe the business architecture environment - 'the why'. Then for each service we need to define what are the logical services that are required (for example social networking and collaboration) - 'the what'. The third layer is the 'with what' layer and looks at the actual physical vendor products and services that can be deployed. 5. Data as an Asset: The design should consider data as a fundamental rich asset of the company and should look to move from database management thinking into discoverable accessable information services. Also the more to more 'open data' opportunities needs to be a consideration in the architecture design. 6. Quanta Intelligence: The design should cover the need for 'edge' analytics and ability to provide insights at an operational level fueling speedier empowered decision making. Analytics need to be at both the pathway level and individual quanta service level - aligned to outcomes sought. We need to consider three time periods of past/periodic (hindsight), present/near real-time (insight) and future/predictive (foresight). 7. Experience by Design: The design should have customer needs at its heart. Customers are driving their own value pathways and have increasingly more demanding expectations. Architects should think about how better to build trusted relationships within their designs. 8. Performance Learning: The design should allow for more dynamic change at the quanta service level. Service outcomes should be defined with allowed deviations for reactive change based on learnings from the analytics/insights. The ability to modify inflight service attributes (within the boundaries of allowed deviations) to maximize market demand 'live' needs. 9. Compliance and Culturally aware: The design will adhere to compliance needs, policy rules and be aware of any local culture expectations. These standards and rules to be architected in a loosely coupled fashion to allow agile updates. 10. Cyber Secure: The design will be risk and privacy aware, cyber-secure and acknowledge profile based identity access (people and 'things' ). This is the second in a series of short publications that will dive deeper into the Quanta Value Network thinking - I hope you like and find it useful. Which of these guidelines do you see as being most important and relevant to you just now, and why? Please comment to open a dialogue here or alternatively send me a personal message where we can discuss further. Thank you!