Improve Digital Business
Agility-at-Scale
Context
How we help
Digital Business is more than just software and circuits.
It needs collaboration among diverse business, IT and risk/security experts to build customer-centric solutions that are desirable, feasible, sustainable, secure and compliant. Lean Scaled Architects helps people collaborate with better context, by helping improve the right combination of Enterprise Architecture, Business Process Management, and Scaled Agile solution development capabilities.
Typical Blockers
…but better scaled context requires more than just Zoom meetings.
Teams in large programs frequently need access to “minimal but sufficient” business process and security/risk pre-approved technology documentation. When that fails, developers rely on user stories & tests that might not reflect reality… causing risk/security requirements to “arrive late” because they weren’t well understood. Expensive, time-consuming meetings frequently occur with busy SME’s to re-create processes and IT standards that should already be documented… and easily accessible.
Solve
Our Approach
We remove collaboration blockers by improving context.
..using a Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise (SAFe) “Solution Intent Repository” approach. This includes practices, training, and tool integration services to inject use of “minimal but sufficient” use of process models and risk/security/tech component modeling into the design process. For example, a developer may pick up a user story from JIRA, link back to two referenced processes in an EA/BPM system, and see relevant risks, IT security controls, and related tech components, tests, and code samples — all with #NoHeavyDocs!
Solve
Our Services
Agile EA/BPM Collab Packs
Improve delivery speed, quality & risk, and lower tech debt – by improving EA, BPM, and/or SAFe practices, training, and tool(s) customization.
MODERN EA/BPM
Improve your EA/BPM capabilities — e.g., process modeling/mining & app portf. mgmt — including dev/SDLC practices, staffing, training, and tool(s) customization.
SAFe training & coaching
Scaled Agile training and side-by-side program delivery, with enhanced focus on business & IT/Risk collaboration and IT architecture flow improvement.
Learn
Videos & Posts
Semi-automate the business architecture perspective (BIZ.ARCH) in marketing, UX/design, development, ops, and maintenance of products and services.
How to balance traditional Enterprise Architecture with practical ways teams, programs and organizations can get agile value, resulting in Modern Architecture.
Avoid lean-agile blockers by improving modern architecture – beyond just moving to cloud.
Make business decisions better, faster, and cheaper with a service-based approach to enterprise architecture.
Support better decision making with an EA/BPM Solution Intent Repository: practices, tool and people.
An organization-custom target balance and measurement of speed-vs-quality-vs-cost.
SAFe Training
In the beginning, everyone involved in the effort should at least start with the basics: understanding the fundamentals of agility, such as time-boxing and backlogs (instead of massive gantt charts), and speaking the same language (e.g., “agile release train”).
Depending on the context of the transformation, different folks will need specialized training to help them deliver on their role expectations. For example, someone operating in a “scrum master” role will need to understand more specifics about what “servant leadership” means, and how to facilitate a cross-functional agile team. Technical folks operating in a system architecture role will need to understand how they can add value (“laying the architectural runway”), helping the teams deliver on solutions without flooding folks with “too much detail”. Folks looking to optimize the portfolio will ask “are we budgeting for the right things?” and “are we applying just enough governance?”, and yes — there is a specialized training just for them.
Trust
Testimonials
EA/BPM COE
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During my time as a Branch Chief in U.S. Navy Financial Policy and Systems, Mike led the strategy and implementation of a holistic Enterprise Architecture solution. The objective was to help improve audit transparency, and Mike did this by leading a team to design and implement a custom automated EA solution (using Software AG ARIS) needed to identify risks related to applications and processes, training and mentoring experienced folks in business, application, and data architecture — from strategy to architecture to modeling. Chad Bepple, Assistant Director for Enterprise Operations, Demand Management and Project Governance, IRS |
SAFe Transformation
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Mike and I worked together at KPMG with a goal of helping to improve a Salesforce transformation program, with a focus on improving agility through agile thinking using SAFe as the main framework. Mike led efforts to design and deliver an outcome-driven “Lean-Agile Center of Excellence”, with early efforts focused on delivering training to hundreds of people, including follow-up Agile Release Train (ART) launch advisory to various stakeholders. The thing that stood out most about Mike’s advisory was his ability to connect “classroom theory” with “real life” through examples and facilitation exercises. He has applied the same realistic mix of “agility” and “architecture”… two things that are rarely seen together and I especially like his latest whitepaper on the subject, “Cut the Digital Transformation Chaos with Modern Architecture: Scale Up and Shift Left!” Mike is someone I would trust to deliver results and can influence organizational change. Lauresa Escribano, Executive Partner, IBM |
EA Gov / App Portfolio Mgt
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Michael helped us with Enterprise Architecture governance and application portfolio analysis. As part of a federated Boeing architecture framework, tool and governance improvement effort, he worked to “connect the dots” between various Boeing organizations and improve EA value — delivering framework implementation, training, and application of standards in the field. Ahmad Yaghoobi, Senior Technical Fellow – Digital Enterprise Analytics, Boeing |
EA/BPM COE
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Michael was pivotal in helping us establish an Enterprise Architecture standard at Outerwall Inc. He is very good at driving the value proposition of Enterprise Architecture within an organization, then customizing a repeatable and sustainable approach. While it is up to an organization to implement and manage an EA practice, Michael gives the organization all the tools necessary to be successful. I highly recommend Michael and would bring Michael into any organization looking to establish, or transform, an Enterprise Architecture strategy. Gregory James, Chief of Staff, Office of the CTO, Tibco |
EA/BPM Advisory
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I have worked with / managed Mike for 10 years at Software AG and KPMG, where he was instrumental in building an EA practice, and delivering EA projects to clients. His professional focus is in Enterprise Architecture during the whole time that we worked together, and Scaled Agile in addition to this. Mike is smart and very technological savvy. He sees through the complexity of a project and “connects the dots” to find the best way to deliver a successful project result. This allowed me to apply a “fire and forget” management approach for him – whenever I put him on a critical project, I could be sure that he found the best way to deliver a successful result that made the client happy. Besides this outcome-driven characteristics, he keeps his humor and good attitude even in harsh times. it is a pleasure to spend time with him – either on a project or in off-hours. Roland Woldt, Business Transformation Architect, Software AG / WhatsYourBaseline |
Cloud Modernization & Offshore COE
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I have worked for Mike over several years on various EA-related projects, especially helping to modernize organizations’ application and cloud technology portfolios. We have worked on large projects together, such as an Architecture & Engineering (A&E) department re-organization for a fortune 100 IT organization, and — most recently — a state transportation agency’s application/cloud modernization roadmap journey. Mike has been a mentor and teacher to us at KPMG Global Services, most recently delivering a “SAFe for Architects” class. He even traveled to India twice over the years to train us in the latest EA methodology and tools, to help build out our team to deliver on client outcomes. I hope to work with Mike again in the future. Ankur Paliwal, Manager, KPMG India |
Client Portfolio
Process and policy harmonization enable architecture governance, improving ITSM and Information Security.
Aging infrastructure and mounting technical debt from legacy applications were impacting service reliability, maintenance costs, and agility.
Merger situation required overlapping system capabilities and consolidation of applications, with focus on operations and security
Enterprise Architecture & Engineering (EA&E) has to be a partner with business units, who want to be agile (“shadow IT”) but still require enterprise technology services.
International Audit Firm (55+ countries) needed to simultaneously deliver Internal Audit services at lower cost and improving service by modernizing the technology platform.
Many systems duplicated between commands resulted in high cost and complex audit traceability, requiring visibility of trillions of dollars flowing through systems.
US Navy needed a business architecture system and COE to centralize high-quality information, for better audit visiblity.
Contact
About
Hi, I’m Mike Idengren. I lead Lean Scaled Architects to help organizations truly be able to combined EA, BPM and agility to scale and show results — not just with tools and practices, but building the right mix of teams to help sustain the benefits in the long term. I work with partners from Software AG, Scaled Agile, and other trusted associates to help deliver EA/BPM and agile projects and training.