Situation

• Twelve of fifteen software products were built on a common technical architecture.  However, it had become increasingly difficult for the technical architecture team to meet internal expectations, changing technology and expanding capabilities needed for newer applications
• The company had grown dramatically over a five year period, straining processes and organizational structures

Solution

• Through interviews, we developed an assessment of the technical architecture
• The assessment detailed a set of structural, people, process and technology changes, including:
• Repositioning the technical architecture as a product for internal customers
• Reorganizing the technical architecture team into a product and a senior architect group
• Establishing a steering committee of product managers and product architects to provide functional guidance and priority setting to the technical architecture team
• Deploying a combination of role changes, training, documentation, technology and guidelines to more broadly disseminate internal knowledge on how to properly use the technical architecture

Benefits

• The friction between the technical architecture team and the product development organizations was reduced
• The company significantly increased the number of people skilled in development of new products leveraging the technical architecture
• No increased funding for technical architecture development was required