Inside a 7-Person Architecture Team

00:00:00:05 – 00:00:06:19
Adam Pasch
Can you kind of just level set for me a little bit of what makes your current team unique from the last one?

00:00:06:20 – 00:00:36:19
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So we are a really small team of seven, including me. So we have three data miners, three architects, and then me has the project manager. So I started back in this role in February. And before that I was on the TMS team where we had a team of almost 25 with different skill sets. So our team right now, we are focused on collaboration between the data behind the systems and the architects actually using that to model out our processes.

00:00:36:19 – 00:00:56:03
Brittany Sparks
So we’re working really greatly on integrating those together so that the data miners aren’t just a separate part and the architects are doing their separate part. We’re all integrating it together. So that way the data miners understand what the architects are doing, the architects understand what the data miners are doing. And then that way we can give the greatest product to the client that we can.

00:00:56:04 – 00:01:16:23
Adam Pasch
Yeah. So it sounds like then it’s not just it kind of builds on what Dave was saying, where it’s not architecture for architecture sake. It is truly data backed. It is inherently functional and operational. Yeah. What are some of the surprising insights that that have popped up through that collaboration?

00:01:17:00 – 00:01:46:07
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So specifically so my background was architecture on the Gems team. So coming from that aspect, I’ve been learning the data mining role so that I can help them as well. And it’s interesting how much the data plays into what the architects do. So I never I always knew that they were connected. But understanding the data behind what we’re actually modeling for the processes, it helps us to build a better understanding in all the interfacing that’s happening behind the scenes.

00:01:46:12 – 00:01:55:15
Adam Pasch
Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. It sounds like there’s like a lot more context that becomes clear that it’s not like amorphous generalization.

00:01:55:16 – 00:02:18:05
Brittany Sparks
Yes. So there’s a system text box on each activity on the 60. And before it was just putting those systems in there. These are the systems being used by the functionals actually doing the work. Right. Right. Well now that I’m understanding the data side more and my team is, then we’re actually understanding these systems actually interface with each other to do different things for the mission.

00:02:18:08 – 00:02:38:09
Adam Pasch
Yeah. So unpack that a little bit further for me. So it’s not only just a list of systems now in an novel. See now there’s some representation of how all of these systems interact together because of how the data stream is going. What are some of the implications of that?

00:02:38:10 – 00:03:17:08
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So they actually are passing information back and forth. So one system so system A cannot do its job without getting information from system B. And then system B is actually getting their information from system C. And so being on the gems team, that was a lot of the things that we looked at is like, how do these systems actually talk to each other so that we can figure out how to eliminate any barriers that exist as far as a future state of a system, like how we will accomplish having them integrate into one instead of, oh, the Army owns this, the Navy owns this, but actually having it all under one so that it’s

00:03:17:08 – 00:03:19:00
Brittany Sparks
more unified across.

00:03:19:02 – 00:03:44:23
Adam Pasch
Yeah. So that’s really interesting of are there cases then where the way the, the process works or how the mission gets done, is that all? You know, it might be working great in system A, and then someone has to manually copy paste into a whole different system where like the integration is the human adding the duct tape to make this thing work.

00:03:45:00 – 00:04:03:03
Brittany Sparks
Yeah, we call it swivel chair. So they’re actually use it manually going into a system. And if they make mistakes like humans do, then you know there’s errors down that are implemented all down the process. So we’re trying to eliminate that human error that occurs.

00:04:03:04 – 00:04:15:15
Adam Pasch
Yeah. So I said swivel chair I like I immediately remember when I worked inside the vault and had multiple computers at my desk.

00:04:15:17 – 00:04:27:16
Adam Pasch
And that they weren’t connected. So not only could I not copy paste like I had to hand jam. Yeah. So not only error prone, but also absurdly time intensive.

00:04:27:17 – 00:04:52:17
Brittany Sparks
Exactly. So it consumes a lot of resources. Whenever you have menial tasks, you think of resources being allocated there, right? So the more that we can automate things and people get fearful of automation, they feel like it’s going to replace them. But that’s not the case. So automation is about making you do your job more effectively, right? So the things that you’re having to spend hours to do now, you can spend those hours doing something a lot more productive.

00:04:52:18 – 00:05:23:05
Adam Pasch
Yeah. And I get how like it the automation or the AI or the yada yada is going to make your job better. Gets like dismissed by people as as like corporate jargon and like, sure, sure. Of course you would say that. But this is a perfect example then of do you really want to spend two hours a day of your work reentering information from one system into it, like, that’s not the work anybody wants to do?

00:05:23:08 – 00:05:43:08
Adam Pasch
No. You know, that’s not where you’re making the greatest impact in your job. So now you’re not doing overly repetitive manual work. Now you’re doing creative, original work that takes your careers worth of experience to actually get the mission done. Yeah, I think that’s what all of us would be doing more of.

00:05:43:09 – 00:06:08:09
Brittany Sparks
Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, like I said, the more that we eliminate those manual tasks, it’s going to make people more fulfilled in their jobs, too. Yeah. So I know repetitive nature like, gets boring after a while. And so if we can find ways to help support them better and automate things that come across, then you know, they’re they’re going to like their job better too.

00:06:08:11 – 00:06:13:04
Adam Pasch
Awesome. What are some of the ways you go about then finding some of those opportunities?

00:06:13:10 – 00:06:33:03
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So whenever we’re interviewing the subject matter experts, the sneeze, we call them. So we actually asked them, so manual, do you do that manually or do you input that in a system. And a lot of times they’ll be like oh well you know I use email. Well email is a very manual thing. So manual email, phone call facts, things like that.

00:06:33:03 – 00:06:56:17
Brittany Sparks
Using SharePoint a lot of information is stored on a SharePoint. And so we found that during our interviews that, you know, if someone deletes those files, then what if someone, you know, you have a lot of mistakes that can happen with the users, where if we had tracking in a system, then it would keep a record of everything that was put in.

00:06:56:18 – 00:07:22:09
Adam Pasch
Do you find that it’s pretty common that when you’re interviewing people to truly document the process, that that one, how often is it that the document was already that the process was already documented? Well, versus there are ten different people that have that think the process works, ten slightly different or maybe wildly different ways.

00:07:22:10 – 00:07:46:07
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. I mean, whenever I was on the gems team, we would have I mean, there were some times we had 60 people on the call and there were ten different people chiming in. Well, no, that’s not really how we do it. Oh yeah, that is how we do it. And so it was a lot of difference of perspective based on what they’re actually doing at their seat or someone that they’re supervising is doing.

00:07:46:08 – 00:08:01:12
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. And then across like the grade eight there’s all differences too. So we would take a week and interview the Marines. And then the next week we would interview the Navy and then, you know, go that way. And the way they did it was completely different to do the exact same process.

00:08:01:13 – 00:08:42:03
Adam Pasch
Oh, fascinating. Well, I guess that makes sense, right? In one of the largest, most complex global enterprises. Yeah. That it it’s going to drift and different organizations are going to end up having their own processes slightly change and evolve over time. And it sounds like that’s one of the main benefits of architecture. Also then is the change management aspect of this almost of getting everybody truly aligned on whether, you know, the different ways that it works today as a way to set up what do we agree that how we all want to operate more effectively and efficiently tomorrow?

00:08:42:04 – 00:09:03:06
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. And we captured pain points that they had. So things that we thought were we would tell them it’s the thorn in your side, the thing that keeps you up at night. Things that just are broken in your process. We would document those and then we would also capture opportunity points. So things that they wanted to see in the future that could help bridge the gaps.

00:09:03:06 – 00:09:15:22
Brittany Sparks
And the people doing the work are the ones that have great ideas. So they’ve got ideas on how to improve the process. And so we would capture all of those, and we’d be very upfront about it before we would start interviewing that this is what we were looking for.

00:09:16:01 – 00:09:40:17
Adam Pasch
Yeah. So for those opportunity points and that are connected to these pain points, how often is it that these were well known pain points before versus are these things that are are baked into the process that people just know to work around them, work through them, and they just kind of heroically get it done despite these problems.

00:09:40:18 – 00:09:58:14
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So I would say people that are within the same team that are actually that are doing the work, they’re on the ground doing the work. It’s known to them. Right. Like it’s known to them. What what impacts their day to day. Sure. But as far as like leaders, sometimes they didn’t quite know what their team was dealing with.

00:09:58:14 – 00:10:05:14
Brittany Sparks
And so it was it was insightful. And there was a lot of discussion that we had based on those pain points and opportunity points.

00:10:05:15 – 00:10:29:16
Adam Pasch
Gotcha. So this is a way through architecture to really help create that clarity, not only across a team in leadership, but possibly across, again, global enterprise, where there may be people that go their entire career without ever having talked to each other, that now there really is that level of collaboration that’s just not possible in any other way.

00:10:29:17 – 00:10:46:22
Brittany Sparks
Yeah, yeah. And then we would actually talk about all of those and we would call them their top issues. So we would have slides that we created for their top issues that each service or agency could submit to us. And we would do a closeout session and invite everybody who attended any of the interviews or anybody that was on an invite.

00:10:46:22 – 00:10:55:07
Brittany Sparks
And so you’ve got the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, everybody on a call together. And we actually go through the top issues for each service or agency.

00:10:55:08 – 00:10:55:21
Adam Pasch
Awesome.

00:10:55:22 – 00:10:57:04
Brittany Sparks
Yeah.

00:10:57:06 – 00:11:05:12
Adam Pasch
If there were one thing that I should have asked you, what what did I miss?

00:11:05:14 – 00:11:11:08
Brittany Sparks
That’s a great question.

00:11:11:10 – 00:11:55:05
Brittany Sparks
I’m probably say this is I think it’s important in architecture to actually listen to what your mes are wanting. So a lot of the models, even with our clients, they’ll ask us to do fit for purpose. And that’s typically something that’s not a standard model that we do, but it’s something that will show or pinpoint whether it’s an issue or just a different way of looking at something, but also but pinpointing exactly how we can display that information, whether it be a fit for purpose, to look at more of the system interfaces, or whether it’s a fit for purpose, to just show things in a different way.

00:11:55:06 – 00:12:04:20
Adam Pasch
Yeah, no. That’s great. And then rapid fire. What’s the most overrated architecture artifact.

00:12:04:21 – 00:12:26:08
Brittany Sparks
Of 60, by far? I’m sure everybody’s going to say the same thing. So we see it. That’s what people normally see or think of whenever you talk about doing architecture, right? That’s what they see. There are a whole list of supporting models that go along with that, to help show all the interactions and everything that’s happening behind the scenes for the objects.

00:12:26:09 – 00:12:46:08
Brittany Sparks
But the 60 makes it to where you can plainly stay. Okay, I do this, and then I do this, and then I do this, and these are the systems I use. And then if I have to make this decision, I’m going to go here or I’m going to go here. And it’s just it’s so easy to read for people that it helps explain what they do on paper.

00:12:46:09 – 00:12:48:00
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. Or on the computer.

00:12:48:01 – 00:12:54:14
Adam Pasch
And then that perfectly sets us up in for what’s the most underrated architecture artifact.

00:12:54:15 – 00:13:20:16
Brittany Sparks
Yeah. So I would say the SB products. So that will show all of the interfaces that are happening in the background. So even though we document a system on an activity on an of six, see the SB products, then go in deeper and show all the interactions that are happening in the background that you don’t exactly see, or the system that this needs aren’t actually going into to use.

00:13:20:18 – 00:13:27:03
Adam Pasch
That’s perfect. This is great. That’s all I got for you. Thank you so much. First one, not last one.

00:13:27:05 – 00:13:28:19
Brittany Sparks
All right. Thank you so much, guys.