Business architects, who blend technology expertise with business acumen, are emerging as the ideal professionals to lead organizations through the complex world of AI. Along with hybrid business and tech skills, professionals seeking to advance in today's and tomorrow's economy need to demonstrate a tenacious spirit and a tenacious personality.
That's the advice from Andrew Allan, senior vice president of financial operations for the CIO's office at Siemens, who says that IT implementations are no longer once-and-done operations. There is a lot of trial and error in new technology, he notes, and organizations must ask: What do you want it to do? How do you want to embrace it? Yet, at the same time, Allan does not see AI replacing technology professionals' skills anytime soon at his company.
Solving business challenges
Allan spoke at the recent Salesforce AgentForce event in New York, where he discussed steering the organization with more than 250,000 employees globally on a new course in an increasingly AI-saturated world. Combined technology and business skills are in high demand at Siemens, a sprawling conglomerate that produces and sells digital and automation solutions to a range of heavy industries. The company seeks business architects and like-minded professionals who have deep knowledge of the complexities of the business and the problems they are trying to solve, and be able to translate that back to a technological solution.
When you start looking at what agents can do, you need people who can translate and decipher that, Allan explains. It also means before you break ground, you need a good idea of what you are doing, you need user stories, ethics, ROI, and the business case. He recognized that adding agents across the organization means greater complexity, which requires management skills: you have to figure out what your north star is, what you want the technology to do, and what business problem you are solving. Grounding use cases in a business opportunity or problem helps in applying the technology effectively.
Business architects require a degree of experience: normally a minimum of 10 years of planning and analysis experience is expected, according to industry experts. In addition to some systems background, the business architect will possess a broad background in different business sectors, with in-depth experience and knowledge in at least one aspect of the business, such as engineering, manufacturing, or planning.
The role of a business architect differs from that of an enterprise architect. An enterprise architect considers applications and infrastructure for a technology roadmap, while a business architect speaks with R&D segments, the chief revenue officer, and pricing and packaging specialists. They ask what capabilities are being sought, what go-to-market strategies are, and what products are involved, then match that with the architectural roadmap to identify complementary areas or areas that need reasoning.
New skills for new demands
Siemens recently embarked on what it calls a One Tech Company strategy, seeking to blend digital and real-world technologies in an approach that integrates software, hardware, AI, and digital twins, both for internal operations and for customers. It is a way to strap a jetpack on what they are doing and really accelerate growth. Allan says he does not see AI consuming technology jobs across his company, recalling past predictions about the internet putting libraries out of business, the Y2K bug, blockchain, or the next shiny thing.
At the same time, he cautioned that AI could prove to be quite a challenge in areas where you have a high-touch horizontal. That process would involve identifying low-hanging fruit where tasks are very repetitive in nature. Examples of areas ripe for what he calls agentification include operational tasks such as validating sales leads or extracting metrics from systems.
The good news is that business architects and like-minded roles elevate human skills. At Siemens, the emphasis is on encouraging professionals to develop deep domain knowledge from a vertical perspective. AI can really enhance what they do. Such professionals help enable and oversee a range of vertical processes, including product design, development, deployment, production, and manufacturing. New technologies free up staff from mundane repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks for jobs of the future. Business architects are needed to better understand where the business is driving.
Also in great demand are professionals who can oversee user acceptance testing (UAT), especially as AI agents speed up software deployments. Skills for delivering change management are also in demand, as well as having people who understand the psychology of change. They can answer the questions: What is in it for me? What is in it for my organization?
Allan suggests that current times can be viewed as never normal, where technology is outstripping organizational design and organizational structure. Some of the biggest challenges for organizations are that technology can do anything you want it to do. The question from a human perspective is what you want it to do, and how to scale your workforce to take advantage of it. He fears that some technology is used to repave existing cart paths rather than build a brand-new highway that takes you somewhere you have never been before.
The rise of business architects reflects a broader trend in which companies are recognizing that AI implementation is not just a technical challenge but a strategic one. Business architects act as bridges between IT and business units, ensuring that AI initiatives align with corporate goals. They are responsible for creating roadmaps that integrate AI into existing processes while minimizing disruption. This role has gained prominence as organizations move beyond simple automation to more sophisticated AI agent networks that require careful orchestration.
Industry analysts note that business architecture is becoming a distinct discipline with its own certifications and training programs. The Business Architecture Guild defines the role as a practice that provides a holistic view of the enterprise, linking strategy to execution. As AI becomes embedded in core operations, the demand for professionals who can model business capabilities, value streams, and information flows is expected to grow significantly.
At Siemens, the emphasis on deep domain knowledge means that business architects often come from engineering or manufacturing backgrounds. They understand the nuances of industrial processes and can identify where AI can deliver the most value. For example, AI can optimize supply chain logistics, predict maintenance needs, or enhance digital twin simulations. Without a business architect to translate these opportunities into actionable requirements, AI projects risk failing to meet business needs.
The corporate AI revolution is not just about technology; it is about people. Business architects exemplify the human skills that remain irreplaceable: creativity, ethical judgment, and the ability to navigate organizational politics. As AI automates routine tasks, these uniquely human skills become more valuable. Companies that invest in developing business architects are likely to gain a competitive advantage in the age of intelligent automation.
Source: ZDNET News