This is the first in a three-part series. 

“What are the requirements?” When we start by asking that question at the beginning of a systems-solution project, we easily get the wrong answers. And as a result we have a high risk of solving the wrong problem and/or missing the most valuable business opportunities for improvement.

This posting is inspired by comments from Dave Couture - in the discussion of Viewpoints. 

Macroscope embodies a very powerful principle of system ownership by the business. One of the major implications of this principle is to assign key responsibilities to the BSM role - with a supporting team drawn from the business, not from IT.  And Macroscope clearly defines the ideal qualifications of the BSM - deep business knowledge, excellent relationships inside the business - and uppermost - being clearly identified as "from the business", not IT.

When I introduce people to the standard roles in the Solution domain – I know that the Business Analysts in the crowd will quickly become very upset. I can almost hear, “Where am I?” And when I show them that one of the key deliverables of business process modeling is assigned to the System Architect, their discomfort turns to horror. In their minds, such models should always be the responsibility of business analysts, and BAs are not“architects”!

Even when I show the “BA Discipline” that can be viewed throughout Macroscope, that still doesn’t do the trick.