The six pillars for agile data provision

A composable enterprise architecture

A landscape made up of various components is called a composable enterprise architecture. This modern way of supplying information consists of functional components that you can adapt, reuse and connect. Forget massive monoliths covering every aspect of every process.
We create a landscape that breaks things down into smaller, defined responsibilities. The components can be used as building blocks in digital applications, supporting you in delivering policies, services or work processes.

A data strategy

The components within a composable landscape only work effectively if the relevant data is available and shared. That’s why you need a data strategy. Data has different functions and comes in different forms: from the personal data of citizens and businesses to legal and regulatory frameworks that are enshrined in knowledge models. The quality of the data has a massive impact on how effective the information flow is.

A lifecycle approach

In a world moving faster and faster, a solution doesn’t last forever. The value and risks of everything within that information stream change over time. This means all the components in the landscape need to be continuously recalibrated. A lifecycle approach is the basis for keeping your information supply manageable and preventing technical debt (i.e. when code maintenance or software system design becomes overdue).

An agile production process

There’s no such thing as a perfect solution. But the best solution is one that works and responds to your most pressing demands. This means that you need an agile production process. An agile process prioritises delivering over planning and provides the speed needed to respond to changing conditions.

Agile means there’s room to react to change. That doesn’t mean everything has to be challenged at the time.. If you can just go back on a decision whenever you like, then that will cause delays rather than speed things up. Indecisiveness also grinds things to a halt – maybe because there’s not enough knowledge about an approach and technology… or no-one is able to understand the impact of a decision. The quality of the people you have in roles such as product owner also determines how well your organisation is able to deliver information.

A tech-savvy sponsor

It is vital for business owners, product owners and other stakeholders to know enough to make the decisions needed with confidence. Only then can you seize the new opportunities on the course ahead. If they act as tech-savvy sponsors, then you can create the conditions for teams to succeed with agile work.

A business-case mindset

We always need to link efforts to revenues and objectives. There are lots of different solutions and alternatives for this. Using technology – such as the cloud – brings costs, so a business-case mindset is essential to drive you to achieve your objectives responsibly. With this mindset, you strengthen your mission by thinking and acting according to the objectives, risks, measures and solution scenarios.