5. Planning and Implementing the Architecture Solution

Planning and implementing the architecture solution is essential to benefit from the solution design. From a dynamic perspective the architectural implementation is a transformation from the current state of the enterprise to a targeted state that is defined by the solution design. In most cases, the entire design and implementation are conducted in a cross-functional project. With respect to the duration and persons involved, such a project can be seen as complex endeavor. Various interrelations between the architectural elements, conflicts of objective between different organizational entities, and changing external or internal factors require careful consideration. For planning the tasks from the set-up to design and implementation, an Architecture Solution Map is proposed (cf. Sect. 5.1). It consists of eight major tasks: architecture diagnostics, strategic alignment, architecture framework, architecture ownership, architecture design, training and awareness, change management, and architecture implementation. Detailed recommendations and guidelines based on numerous experiences with real-life transformation projects in the telecommunications industry are discussed. Furthermore, transformation types and organizational responsibilities (cf. Sect. 5.2), typical project examples (cf. Sect. 5.3), and detailed case studies (cf. Sect. 5.4) are provided.