REAL Talk With Sam Holcman

This somewhat extended broadcast of Real Talk brings forward the fundamental truth facing success use of AI – most organizations data is not at all ready for use in AI (or for that matter, decision making outside of AI).  You will hear a bit of sarcasm in my voice, and at the end, yes a commercial on how to actually build a quality data environment. Wishing it were not true, will not make it so.

In the quest to optimize budgets, many organizations focus heavily on minimizing upfront costs - especially when it comes to Enterprise Architecture training, and certification decisions. However, prioritizing initial cost savings above all else can be a risky strategy, often leading to long-term inefficiencies, increased risks, and diminished personal, professional and organizational credibility.

How do you get someone to click on your article, product version, advertisement, or post?  Just put AI or artificial intelligence in the headlines.  Click bait has been around since the advent of the internet.  But you need to read past the headline to understand what actually it takes to “use” AI – Data, as this broadcast describes with an actual example.

With the advent of the internet, LinkedIn, Facebook, Artificial Intelligence, etc., behind all of these are people.  Well, who are these people, what are their “characteristics”, how do we recognize them, and who should we pay attention to?  This broadcast outlines these types of people, with a bit of humor, yet serious tone.

An often-cited Wayne Gretzky quote applies perfectly here: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” In Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture, this means developing architectures that identify possible future trends, rather than just reacting to what’s already happening.

High-impact Trusted Enterprise Architects or Business Architects are professionals who deliver tangible value and strategic impact to their organizations. Certified In Name Only (CINO) Business Architects or Enterprise Architects possess certifications but lack the practical skills, experience, or impact that define true professionals. Here are the evaluation characteristics

As Business Architects or Enterprise Architects, or their Stakeholders, we often speak about Capabilities.  Words have meaning, of course.  Are we actually representing Capabilities or Abilities to our Stakeholders?  They are different, and would lead to different actions based on these terms.  What are you actually developing and asking?  We hope this broadcast helps.

Becoming a standard isn’t as simple as someone waking up one morning and declaring, “Let there be standards!” - if it were, we’d all be driving on whichever side of the road we felt like, and chaos would reign at every intersection. In this podcast, we answer "What is a standard?" and how something becomes a standard, as well as the processes they usually go through.

For those leveraging the Business, Application, Information, and Technology silo stack to represent your Enterprise Architecture, we’re excited to add an important enhancement: the People dimension. By bringing People to the forefront, we are ensuring your architecture reflects the vital human element that drives innovation and success.

What is the additional threat not discussed in the “general press”?  Domestic Intellectual Property Theft.

Realize that it is larger than just China – today’s place to finger point.

It is time to point to Artificial Intelligence Vendors as the greatest Intellectual Property Terrorist threat in the United States.

You mean I cannot just buy the latest “silver bullet” and make the pain go away? Sometimes it takes a brave CEO to say, I need to rethink the latest beliefs. Have a listen.

Sometimes satisfaction occurs in different ways.  The IBM CEO discusses, “smaller, domain-specific genAI models are the future."  YES, and we, at EACOE.org,  have, and had, the approach to help you do this.  Have a listen.

Where do you get your information, and what is the credibility of the individual providing this information? That is the purpose of providing you with this broadcast. The purpose of Architecture is to provide a baseline for addressing and managing change. If your Architecture does not do this, what is its purpose? Have a listen to remove the confusion.

Architecture models - whether Enterprise, Business, or capability - can look impressive. But they are only of use if stakeholders actually use them to enable their business strategy.

You can create the most comprehensive model in the world, using the fanciest tools... But if stakeholders do not find it of value it will remain in the architects hands and remain shelfware.  Have a listen for the success keys

I recently, on the prompting of one of our clients, took a look at Wikipedia and its TOGAF® entry. In summary, after reading this, my question is – why would any organization move forward with TOGAF®?

Yes, the AI and LLM hype will continue. We have now spent enough time in the “real world” to put together some real-world questions that need to be addressed and answered prior to deployment. It is not too late!