The Digital Workplace Capability Areas
The Capability Areas
There are seven fundamental capability areas in the digital workplace value network - the “7” from the “1-3-7” of the model’s name. If a digital workplace doesn’t have something from each of these seven then it is incomplete; the users and the business are not getting what they need.
Devices
- access to (mostly physical) devices for users to use.
- lifecycle management of those devices
Application Presentation
- getting applications to users
Security
- IAM: Identity and Access Management
- Defence: Protect, Detect and Respond
Network
Productivity, Collaboration and Augmentation
User Support
- getting a user back to work when they get stuck
Outcomes Loop
- feedback loops that sense how the digital workplace is delivering
- ability to respond to feedback and adjust
Value Networks
- what is a value network?
- how does the concept apply to the digital workplace?
- important since it connects the “theory” of the Capability Areas to the actual Delivery of the Digital Workplace for the enterprise.
Value Streams (old notes - keep or ditch?)
A Value Stream can be defined to be:
“a sequence of activities that delivers on a customer need”
The concept is not a new one but within the IT industry at least, it has been fundamental to the relatively recent shift away from project-oriented business operations to product-oriented. No more so, perhaps, than within the “software as a service” industry.
The concept of “a sequence of activities” is also not new: the idea of formalised business processes has been around since the Industrial Revolution. However, instead of putting processes and outputs at the core of operations, the distinguishing feature here is tying this to meeting customer needs - outcomes and meaningful value. What is new here is structuring the work to be done around meeting customer needs rather than processes to deliver outputs.
The goal is to ensure that the digital workplace delivers value to its owners and users.
For explanations far superior than I can manage on this topic please consult:
- “Outcomes over Outputs” by Josh Seiden
- “Who does what by how much?” by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden
(Going by the quality of these two books it is quite likely that “Sense and Respond” by Messrs Gothelf and Seiden would also be very insightful, but I haven’t read it - yet)