Business Understanding and Agility

Michael Brackett

Sep 2021 · Technics Publications

About this ebook

Do you fully understand your business? Do you fully understand the competition in the business niche where you operate? Do you fully understand the dynamic nature of society today, with the current pandemic, raging wildfires, violent storms, changing economy and politics, and climate change? Is your business operation as effective and efficient as it could be? Is your business agile enough to adapt to constant change, be successful, and survive?

Most public and private sector organizations are not. They face a huge and increasing disparity in the understanding and operation of their business.  That disparity results in decreased business understanding, increased uncertainty, decreased agility, and the increased possibility of less-than-successful business operation. Many organizations are going out of business, or suffering limited business because of that disparity.

An organization’s business understanding and operation is contained in its data resource and processes resources. However, those two resources are typically managed separately, by a variety of different organization units, outside of any formal processes managing those resources. The result is the rampant disparity seen today.

Business Understanding and Agility takes a fresh look at how an organization can achieve and maintain a thorough business understanding, remain agile, and be successful. The integrated management of all data and processes, within a single organization-wide data architecture and a single organization-wide processes architecture, provides a base for thorough business understanding, agility, and success. Formally managing data and processes as a critical resource of the organization is the only way an organization can thoroughly understand its business, remain agile, and be successful.

The book presents a new paradigm with an overarching architecture construct and an underlying foundation for business understanding and agility. The paradigm consists of data and processes resource management supported by a data and processes resource culture. The paradigm emphasizes computer support of routine tasks, leaving the real hard-thinking, decision-making tasks to people.

Mr. Brackett brings together the knowledge and experience from his long professional venture into a capstone book about the formal management of a combined data and processes resource as the critical resource of an organization.

About the author

Michael Brackett has been in data management for 60 years. During that time, he has developed many innovative concepts, principles, and techniques for managing data and processes as critical resources of an organization. He has published 16 technical books and over 50 technical articles on data management. He has been a prominent speaker at local, national and international conferences, and has become a legend in data resource management. He has been a member of DAMA International since 1985, and established the DAMA International Foundation in 2004. He received DAMA International’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 for his pioneering work in data resource management.<

Mr. Brackett enjoys hiking in the back country, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, biking, kayaking, and western dancing. He is retired and is pursuing a variety of writing opportunities. He lives in Olympia, Washington.