Bosch, one of the world’s largest engineering and technology companies, has used LeanIX to map its IT landscape since 2016. At the 2021 LeanIX Connect Summit, Bosch’s Markus Haeberle (Head of Department, Enterprise Architecture) and Daniela Weller-Neundorf (Enterprise Architect) shared lessons learned while scaling a tool-based EA program.
One big takeaway from their presentation was the importance of maintaining an approach based on common standards, particularly when it comes to the data model. A simple belief has guided these efforts: Customization reduces flexibility. With this in mind, Markus and Daniela have focused on company-wide EA use cases and a reluctance to customize EAM tool features. As a result, they have found it easier to troubleshoot issues and deliver a unified experience to stakeholders across their company.
If you’re struggling to rally internal stakeholders and efficiently map your IT landscape, we encourage you to watch a recording of their presentation here. To give you a sneak peek at what you will learn, we'll share these three basic lessons from Bosch.
1. Address the most straightforward use cases first
When you begin your project, you will most likely find, as Bosch did, that the majority of users are fully on board with a standard approach. They have no problem aligning their own department or function with the standard data model. Focus on working with these teams.
While the configurability of modern EAM tools like LeanIX means that you can adapt them to many use cases, executing one-off projects to satisfy individual demands can derail onboarding efforts, complicate data collection, and slow everything down. Frankly, when people see what others can accomplish following the standard model, they become much more enthusiastic about doing so themselves.
2. Limit customization
Resist the temptation to customize your EAM tool. Deviating from standard product configurations may support niche use cases, but it will end up limiting your options. It can even make it harder to adopt accepted industry best practices. Keeping your EA program standardized also helps reduce technical debt and will make it simpler to address future needs.
If Bosch can avoid customization and still support 35,000 global organizational units, you can, too!
3. Plan for continuous change
Let’s face it, IT landscapes change continuously. Companies adopt new solutions and update or customize old ones. Companies go through mergers and acquisitions, requiring both integration and rationalization. And companies build and maintain their own software solutions. Approach mapping with this in mind and focus supporting the organizational behaviors that enable ongoing flexibility.
Companies from all around the world can learn about effective EA from Bosch. If you want to learn more, watch a recording of Bosch’s 2021 LeanIX Connect Summit presentation here!
