External Review

Architected Solutions BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE QUESTIONNAIRE
DRAFT 09/17/2010
Business Architectures
ALL
Section Title Key Questions
BACKGROUND
Community Value
What is the company’s image within the

community?
How has it responded to any events that

may have damaged its reputation?
What measures has it taken to improve its

image?
Structure
What is the organizational structure of the
company?
Are there concerns about excessive levels

of management?
Are there concerns about excessive or

inadequate spans of control?
About a clear definition of authority and

responsibility?
What are the formal and informal networks

within the company through which critical
activities are performed?
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How well do these networks function?
Leadership
Who are the key leaders of the company?
What significant changes have recently

taken place in the leadership?
Does the leadership of the company

actively plan for its own succession in the
best interest of the company, its owners,
and its employees?
What are the backgrounds and experiences

of the key leaders?
How well do the key leaders' backgrounds

and experiences prepare them to lead the
company?
What is the leadership style of the key

leaders (e.g., participative, autocratic,
militaristic, formal, informal, etc.)?
How well-suited is this leadership style to

the needs of the company?
What are the leaders’ views on taking risk?
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Are they taking an appropriate level of risk

given the nature of the business?
What is the value system emphasized by

leadership (i.e., the balance and emphasis
given to meeting performance goals,
providing customer service, achieving
productivity and quality standards, etc.)?
Ownership Issues
What is the capital structure of the
company (i.e., the portion of capital
provided by common shareholders,
preferred stock, long-term debt, short-
term debt, etc.)?
What are the implications of this capital

structure?
What are the major types and

concentrations of ownership (e.g., sole
owner, family, institutional investors,
takeover specialist, etc.)?
What are the implications related to this

ownership concentration?
Have there been any significant changes in

ownership?
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How are these ownership changes

affecting the company?
Is this company vulnerable to takeover

threats?
How has the company responded to

takeover threats?
Have there been efforts to sell significant

assets or divisions or the entire company?
What is the current situation related to

such sales efforts?
Culture
Is the company regarded by employees
and management as a rewarding place to
work?
What are the key factors in this
assessment?
How would you assess the motivation of

employees to perform quality work?
What are key contributing factors?
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How would you assess the work

environment at the company (e.g., work
ethic, spirit of cooperation, teamwork,
trust, etc.)?
What has the company done to establish a

positive work environment (e.g.,
communication of purpose and vision,
employee participation in key decisions)?
Do management and employees have a

strong customer service mentality?
Relationships With Management

What type of relationship does
management have with the key
shareholders?
What role do owners take in managing the

company (e.g., active owner-manager,
active shareholder groups)?
What relationships does management have

with the key customer leaders?
What relationships does management have

with the key regulatory & legislative
leaders?
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What is being done to strengthen these

relationships?
Human Resources
What concerns are there about the

availability of skilled workers to meet the
company’s needs?
Has employee turnover been a significant

factor?
What generates such significant turnover?
What steps has the company taken to

manage these concerns (e.g., hiring from
different skill areas and backgrounds,
internal training programs, emphasis on
retention)?
Has the company experienced any

problems with labor relations?
What generates these labor problems?
How does the company ensure that its

employees receive adequate formal and
on-the-job training to perform their duties
effectively?
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How does the company ensure that its

resources requirements are consistent
with customer needs?
What alternative resources exist that

might help the company improve its
operations or maintain present standards?
ECONOMICS
Productivity
Are there long production lead times at

different points in the production process?
What are the causes?
What steps has the company taken to

improve lead times and shorten the length
of the production process?
Are there high levels of materials or work-
in-process?
What productivity techniques does the
company use to minimize materials and
work-in-process inventory (e.g., just-in-
time techniques, centralized supply stocks,
etc.)?
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What innovative ideas have been

implemented in the design and layout of
plant or office facilities?
How might efficiency be improved in work

areas?
Shareholder Value
What is the financial performance of the
company for relevant periods?
Has the company experienced losses or

profits that are below expectations or
below the industry average?
If so, what are the reasons and what

actions has the company taken to remedy
the situation?
Are revenues or growth rates below

expectations?
If so, what are the reasons and what

actions has the company taken to remedy
the situation?
Is the company in need of substantial

additional capital?
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How does it ensure that its operations are

adequately financed?
Has there been sufficient growth in

owners’ equity?
What actions has the company taken to

ensure sufficient growth in equity for the
owners?
How do the financial markets rate the

company (e.g., financial strength,
management capabilities, debt rating)?
Is its stock price undervalued?
What are the key expectations, or the

“investment philosophy,” of the owners of
the company (e.g., long-term growth,
current earnings, tax shelter, etc.)?
How well are these expectations being
met?
Business Purpose
What is the company’s business purpose

and strategy?
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What customer segments and customer

needs are addressed by this strategy?
How does this strategy differentiate the

company from its competitors?
STRATEGIES
Consideration of Strategic Forces
What are the key strategic issues?
What are the key assumptions underlying

the business strategy?
How has the company’s strategy

accounted for the changing wants and
needs of customers?
How have its products and services

evolved to meet those needs?
How does the business strategy take into

account the strengths and possible actions
of competitors?
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How does the company consider the

expectations of owners in developing its
strategy?
What latitude is given by the owners to

allow management to develop and pursue
the strategy?
What changes are underway or anticipated

in the availability, quality or cost of key
resources?
How will these changes impact the

business strategy?
What major changes are underway or

anticipated in the key environmental
factors affecting the business (e.g.,
demographic changes, technological
advances, new laws and regulations, etc.)?
How will these changes impact the

business strategy?
Getting the Right Information
What are the primary types of information

(e.g., reports, ad hoc information, etc.)
used by management to run the business?
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How do they obtain this information?
How well does it meet their needs?
What methods are used to regularly obtain

information about customer wants and
needs?
How is this information imparted to the

company’s various organizational units
and levels?
What information does the company

regularly obtain about competitor actions,
market share changes, and competitor
strengths and weaknesses?

regularly obtain about changes in key
environmental forces affecting the
business?

regularly obtain about changes in the
availability, quality or cost of resources
needed in the business?
What information does management use to

monitor and direct operations?
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What methods are used to ensure that the

people in the company have the right
information to make the right decision in
conducting their duties?
What methods are used to ensure

adequate investigation of budget
variations?
Information Systems
Are information systems adequate to

produce timely and accurate information
needed to run the business?
What concerns does management have

about its systems?
How effective are the accounting systems

in recording and processing transactions?
How effective are the accounting systems
at reporting budget versus actual
variances?
What procedures are in place for

controlling the development of software
applications and changes to those
applications?
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What security measures are in place to

protect the integrity of the information in
the management information systems?
What measures are in place to capture and

preserve key information potentially
needed for litigation purposes?
Continuous Improvement
What has the company done to establish

an atmosphere of continuous improvement
regarding quality, productivity, and
customer responsiveness in its operations?
What performance measures has the

company initiated to reinforce
responsiveness to customer wants and
needs (e.g., quality measures, productivity
measures, timeliness measures, etc.)?
How does the company compare itself with

best practices and results obtained by
competitors?
Monitoring External Forces
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How does the leadership monitor

developments affecting customers,
suppliers, and owners?
What types of contact does leadership

have with suppliers?
How does leadership monitor

developments among its key competitors?
How does leadership monitor the

needs/desires of its key customers?
What significant customer

needs/desires/issues have arisen most
recently?
How does the company balance the

potentially conflicting needs and values of
the different interested parties?
How does leadership monitor critical

developments/trends in the
countries/regions in which it operates?
What are the most significant
developments and trends in those
countries and regions?
How does leadership monitor changes in

environmental forces?
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Flexibility
Does the production of different products

or product lines require the frequent
conversion of the production process?
Do high set-up costs and long delays for

this conversion limit competitiveness and
discourage flexibility in responding to
different customer wants and needs?
Applied Technology
What significant development efforts are

planned or in process to produce new
products or services (incl. E-commerce) or
new production processes?
Does the company have sufficient access

to new technology needed for its
development activities?
How does the company ensure that it

maximizes the benefits of technology in its
production processes?
What are the opportunities for improving

the quality or productivity of operations
through the use of technology?
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How does the company protect the value

of its intellectual capital?
Action Plans
How does management communicate the
business strategy to employees?
✘ What are the primary tactics used by
management to implement its strategy
and monitor progress?
Do the employees believe in the strategy

and understand their roles in executing it?
What are the company’s criteria for

allocating scarce resources (e.g., human
resources, capital, production facilities,
etc.) between alternative uses (e.g.,
product lines, construction projects, etc.)
set forth in the business strategy?
What new plans (e.g., new products,

expansion into new markets) are
contemplated by the business strategy?
Competence
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How would you assess the business

knowledge, management skills, and
technical skills of key management
personnel and key employee groups?
What are the significant concerns?
How does the company attract people with

the right skills for the management and
operations of the company?
How well do functions such as recruiting,

promotion, counseling and termination
support development of key competencies
in the company?
How well do training programs support the

development of necessary skills?
How are employees trained to recognize

litigation risk inherent in their activities?
How are employees trained in dispute

resolution methods?
How well do the formal and informal

reward structures of the company support
the competence and motivation of
management and employees?
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Quality
What efforts has the company made to

ensure built-in, first-time quality in
manufacturing of products or delivery of
services?
How is quality monitored and measured?
What quality problems exist (e.g., long

production or delivery time frames, missed
deadlines or delivery dates, high scrap
rates, high levels of reprocessing)?
What techniques does the company use to

enhance quality and identify quality
problems (e.g., statistical process
control)?
Does the company provide quality checks

throughout the production process or just
at the end?
Coordination
How well do various functions coordinate
activities with each other (e.g.,
engineering with production, sales with
distribution)?
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What problems exist that undermine

productivity and customer responsiveness?
Long-Term Vision
What is the company’s long-term view of
the business and the industry?
How is this view considered in the

business strategy?
Motivating Employees
How does leadership inspire employees to

pursue and achieve the vision it has set
forth?
How does leadership communicate with

employees on matters of strategy, plans
and results?
What are the formal and informal methods

used by leadership to spread their ideas
throughout the company?
How effective are these methods?
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Does leadership encourage employees to

develop and communicate creative ideas
for improving the business?
What methods does the leadership use to

obtain these ideas?
Risk Mitigation/Management
How does the company identify, mitigate
and manage key risks?
Does the company support and employ

alternate dispute resolution practices?
Does the company pursue appropriate

insurance recovery of environmental
remediation costs?
How does leadership monitor changes in

legal precedent affecting the company?
What are the most significant legal

developments and issues?
Practitioner-Added Questions
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Architected Solutions BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE QUESTIONNAIRE

What is the company’s image within the

How has it responded to any events that

What measures has it taken to improve its

Are there concerns about excessive levels

Are there concerns about excessive or

About a clear definition of authority and

What are the formal and informal networks

How well do these networks function?

Who are the key leaders of the company?

What significant changes have recently

Does the leadership of the company

What are the backgrounds and experiences

How well do the key leaders' backgrounds

What is the leadership style of the key

How well-suited is this leadership style to

Are they taking an appropriate level of risk

What is the value system emphasized by

What are the implications of this capital

What are the major types and

What are the implications related to this

Have there been any significant changes in

How are these ownership changes

Is this company vulnerable to takeover

How has the company responded to

Have there been efforts to sell significant

What is the current situation related to

How would you assess the motivation of

What are key contributing factors?

How would you assess the work

What has the company done to establish a

Do management and employees have a

Relationships With Management

What role do owners take in managing the

What relationships does management have

What relationships does management have

What is being done to strengthen these

What concerns are there about the

Has employee turnover been a significant

What generates such significant turnover?

What steps has the company taken to

Has the company experienced any

What generates these labor problems?

How does the company ensure that its

How does the company ensure that its

What alternative resources exist that

Are there long production lead times at

What steps has the company taken to

What innovative ideas have been

How might efficiency be improved in work

Has the company experienced losses or

If so, what are the reasons and what

Are revenues or growth rates below

If so, what are the reasons and what

Is the company in need of substantial

How does it ensure that its operations are

Has there been sufficient growth in

What actions has the company taken to

How do the financial markets rate the

Is its stock price undervalued?

What are the key expectations, or the

What is the company’s business purpose

What customer segments and customer

How does this strategy differentiate the