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The brilliance of @EthicsInBricks and @econinbricks reminds me that the software industry should give the Lego metaphor a rest, we can’t compete. I won’t be talking here about how APIs are like the dimples on the lego bricks. I have been guilty of this in the past.
Enterprise Architecture at Lego
I was scrolling through Linkedin this morning, and I saw this post from Andre Christ, the CEO and Founder of LeanIX. He pointed to a job advert at Lego. I’ve got to know LeanIX over the last year or so, and I’m impressed with what they are up to. I’m of the view that enterprise architecture is more important now with the rapid adoption of SaaS and cloud computing than it was when traditional on-premises dominated. For many large organizations, SaaS sprawl is going to be a serious problem. EA itself is changing from being top down, to being more consultative and inclusive etc, but more of that on another day.
Read the full job description here.
Do you have the skillset and passion to take apart our SAP platform and rebuild in a much better way to match future needs?
“We believe that the best companies have the best architectures”.
Come help our Enterprise Architecture (EA) team rebuild our SAP landscape to a modern and flexible architecture with limited technical depth. This includes changing the core ERP consisting of 2 SAP ECC’s into a modern architecture centered around one SAP S/4. As many other companies with a post-modern ERP strategy, we are adopting a slimmer use of a single vendor suite. But we still need a strong and united ERP core to host our most critical processes supporting flow of money and flow of goods. In this solution we want to enable innovation in our enabling layer around our core. We will do that by using key SaaS solutions replacing elements from our legacy ERP.Via the job posting.
Why is this important?
From this one paragraph we can derive a whole lot about the Lego IT strategy.
1. They are moving off SAP ERP and consolidating on a more simple HANA S/4 core.
2. They are a Gartner client, given the use of the “post-modern ERP strategy” line.
3. They are expanding the use of SaaS solutions, further shrinking the role of the ERP system to the key processes of flow of money and flow of goods. In Otterism speak, less sunflower, more daisy. This will likely open up opportunities for other vendors.
The rest of the advert is well worth a read, as it is an excellent example of a well structured job advert. Lots of good information, it provides insight into the company and its culture.
Advice for SaaS vendors
If you are a start-up going to pitch to an enterprise prospect, spend a few minutes looking at their job board. You will learn lots about the organization structure, what other products they use and so on. You will also learn about what they call things. After a few clicks through other jobs at Lego, I noticed that they are big on AWS, Tableau and Power BI. Also there is a HR digital transformation in the works. They also have a significant software development centre in Shanghai, and front end design in London .A few more clicks on Google reveals a whole lot more about Lego’s IT strategy and history.
Also, when you have the deal, be like Andre. Follow your customers on social media, and take the time to make genuine comments. A little like goes a long way.
For an added irrelevant Lego bonus. This is old, but oh so very good.
(Cross-posted @ Otter Advisory)
