Business and IT Couples Therapy: Can These Two Just Talk Already?

Hello again, architecture aficionados!
This week, we enter the emotionally charged arena of... cross-functional communication — or as we like to call it, "Business and IT Couples Therapy."

The Main Story: "He Never Listens to My Requirements!"

Meet Carol from Business Strategy and Dave from Enterprise IT. They’ve been in a long-term "strategic alignment" relationship, but things have gotten... tense.

Carol: “I told him we needed real-time insights by Q3.”
Dave: “She said ‘soon’ — I assumed that meant Q1 next year!”

They arrive at the EA office — neutral ground — flanked by consultants and nursing bruised egos.
Carol hands over a 54-slide PowerPoint with inspirational quotes and a roadmap shaped like a unicorn.
Dave counters with a Visio diagram that might as well be encrypted.

Both sides nod a lot. No one understands each other.
Finally, someone whispers: “Maybe we need an architecture capability model…”
Everyone gasps.

TOGAF to the Rescue (Therapist's Edition)

Enter TOGAF, clipboard in hand, calmly sipping a flat white.

• Preliminary Phase: “Let’s define the common vocabulary. No more ‘synergies’ without context.”

• Business Architecture: “Carol, let’s map out your capabilities and clarify what outcomes you’re chasing — and no, ‘disruption’ doesn’t count.”

• Information Systems Architecture: “Dave, don’t just say ‘we’ll build it in SAP.’ Use models. Real ones.”

• Opportunities and Solutions: “Let’s co-create the roadmap — and this time, use fewer buzzwords and more sequencing.”

Suddenly, they’re finishing each other’s... swimlanes.

Educational Twist: How to Run EA-Style Couples Therapy

• Use Capability Models to focus on what the business needs, not just how IT delivers.

• Establish Common Governance to ensure decisions aren’t made at different altitudes of reality.

• Model Together — a joint Business-IT architecture review can prevent months of silent resentment.

• Document Decisions. Because selective memory is real, and architecture is not a trust fall exercise.

Humor in Diagrams

Share Your War Stories

Ever played therapist between warring departments?
Drop your tales of misalignment, awkward meetings, or miracle breakthroughs. We’re all in this messy relationship together.

Next Week’s Tease

🕵️‍♂️ “Privacy by Design: Mission Impossible?”
Join us as we attempt to secure the enterprise without needing a secret identity.