a process, framework, and metamodel for IT strategy, enterprise architecture, initiative management, and performance management.  Achieve alignment and integration between the business and IT.

Synthesis is pleased to announce the industry's first fully-integrated, full-lifecycle, multiple-phase, iterative enterprise management 'system' for managing business and IT strategy, enterprise architecture, initiative management, and performance management.  The system includes a process, a framework, a metamodel, and a tool-set.  All of the components that are necessary to achieve business and IT integration and alignment -- from strategy and enterprise architecture to tactical implementation. 

An important milestone has been achieved -- prior to SEMS, no other process or framework has been designed to integrate all of the areas that a typical CIO and his extended management team are concerned with.  They have been either separated or proprietary -- examples include: the Zachman Framework for enterprise architecture, portfolio management concepts, balanced scorecard, and strategy mapping.  These different approaches are not designed to work together; as a result, companies lack an integrated approach -- until SEMS.

SEMS:Process.  is a full-lifecycle, iterative, 5-phase process designed to integrate strategy management, enterprise architecture rationalization, initiative planning & management, and performance management.  There are very specific inputs and outputs defined for each phase and the role-players are identified along with specific artifacts that are used throughout the process and deliverables that are produced along the way.

SEMS:Framework.  is a robust enterprise framework that tightly integrates business strategy, it strategy, enterprise architecture, the operations of the business, and the business and technology assets employed by the business.  The framework provides a common taxonomy and classification-schema that can be used to identify, define, and describe all of the business and technology 'objects' in a standardized fashion.

SEMS:Metamodel.  is a complete metamodel that describes in detail all of the business and technology 'objects' and further defines their associations to one another -- across objects, domains, and platforms that are part of the framework.  The metamodel has several hundred base objects defined and over 1,000 associations defined -- it is designed to be extended to accommodate industry-specific objects types and definitions and associations so that it can be used in any industry, in any part of the world.

SEMS:Synthesis Enterprise Manager^SM.  is a software solution that is designed to fully automate the SEMS:process and contains all of the framework platforms, domains and objects, and includes all of the metamodel object descriptions and associations.  Synthesis Enterprise Manager^SM is based upon a collaborative environment, allowing the entire organization to participate in the SEMS:process.  It has a role-based structure to it so that different role players have different views of the enterprise based upon their area(s) of concern.

[click here to see information about Synthesis Enterprise Manager^SM]

The framework leverages ideas and practices from proven techniques -- from the strategy end of the spectrum through tactical execution.  The framework is grounded by a statement made by its founder:

'That which you execute must be planned, and that which you plan must be executed; success can be measured by how effective an organization plans and executes.'

         -- Mark A. Benyovszky

This core concept sets the foundation for the system.

Many organizations have some type and form of planning processes in place.  For some organizations the planning process entails annual financial budgeting and the establishment of an operating plan; other organizations take a longer-term approach and conduct extensive economic, market, and category research and strategic planning.  Applied properly and balanced appropriately, both approaches benefit the organization.  Short-term objectives can be met while long-term value creation can be realized.

In an abstract manner, a highly successful organization is managed in three ways:  according to its strategy; through its programs; and relative to its performance in each regard.  These areas of management concern are realized in Synthesis' Enterprise Management System^SM

At the onset, SEMS is about enterprise management integration and alignment.  The following concepts and ideas have resulted in the creation of EMF:

• Integration is realized when all functional elements of a strategy and an organization are combined, and alignment is realized when programs have complete traceability back to the strategic plan.
• Strategic planning is both a top-down and a bottom-up exercise; the framework must accommodate multi-dimensional planning;
• Each strategic objective should be clearly identified and defined along with key success criteria and other key performance indicators in order to determine the value of the objective and the investment necessary to achieve it;
• At the business level, all SBUs or organizational areas must achieve a higher return than their cost of capital (on a risk-adjusted basis);
• Strategic objectives can be refined when collaboration occurs around the objectives and the strategic themes of the organization;

For more information about SEMS, or how Synthesis can assist your organization with its strategic objectives, please contact us at information@synthesiscp.com or call us at +1.847.295.3236.