Gaining Clarity through Current State Solution Analysis Using Business Capability Modelling

Background

A large organisation had lost sight of the numerous applications it was using across its various departments. Over time, the technology landscape had become fragmented and complex, with no clear oversight of the state of these systems. This lack of visibility led to inefficiencies, operational silos, and a growing disconnect between the organisation’s technology and its strategic objectives. A Current State Solution Analysis using a Business Capability Model (BCM) was initiated to provide a clear, structured view of the organisation’s technical landscape and address the emerging inefficiencies.

Challenge

The key challenges faced by the organisation included:

Loss of visibility: Due to the size and complexity of the organisation, leadership no longer had a clear view of the applications in use, nor the state of these systems.

Fragmented application landscape: Different departments were using a wide array of applications, many of which were redundant or duplicative, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs.

Outdated systems: Several applications were outdated or underperforming, but without proper oversight, they remained in place, creating inefficiencies.

Misalignment with organisation goals: The existing systems were not aligned with the organisation’s strategic direction, preventing the organisation from optimising its operations and investing in the right areas for future growth.

A BCM was utilised to conduct the Current State Solution Analysis and offer a holistic view of the organisation’s technical environment.

Solution

The BCM provided the framework needed to map and assess the organisation’s existing applications. The key steps undertaken were:

Mapping applications to organisation capabilities: All existing applications were mapped against the key organisation capabilities they supported. This process provided a full view of how each system contributed to organisation operations and identified where overlaps or inefficiencies existed.

Visualising the technical landscape: The BCM enabled the organisation to visualise its entire technical landscape on a single page. This clear, concise view made it easy for leadership to understand the current state of their technology stack and where improvements were needed.

Assessment of application health: Each application was assessed for performance, scalability, and alignment with organisation needs. This allowed the organisation to identify outdated or underperforming systems that required upgrading or replacement.

Identification of redundancies and gaps: The analysis revealed significant duplication in application functionality and gaps where no adequate system existed, providing clarity on where streamlining and integrations were necessary.

Alignment with strategic objectives: The BCM helped align the current technology systems with the organisation’s long-term goals, highlighting which systems needed to be decommissioned, upgraded, or consolidated.

Development of an optimisation roadmap: Based on the insights gained, a phased roadmap was created to rationalise the application landscape. This roadmap outlined the steps needed to retire unnecessary systems, upgrade critical applications, and ensure future alignment with organisation strategies.

Outcomes

The Current State Solution Analysis, facilitated by the BCM, resulted in several key outcomes:

Single-page view of the technical landscape: The BCM gave the organisation a clear, consolidated view of its entire technical environment on a single page, providing leadership with the insights needed to make informed decisions.

Elimination of inefficiencies: The analysis uncovered redundancies and outdated systems, enabling the organisation to streamline its application portfolio and reduce operational costs.

Improved system performance: Underperforming systems were identified, allowing the organisation to prioritise modernisation efforts and ensure that its technology infrastructure could support future demands.

Better alignment with strategic goals: The BCM ensured that the technology in use was aligned with the organisation’s long-term objectives, helping leadership make strategic decisions about future technology investments.

Actionable roadmap for optimisation: The roadmap provided clear, phased steps for improving the technical landscape, reducing complexity, and optimising costs over time.