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Entrepreneur at SOAPARK

Dirk studied mathematics and computer science. Since completing his PhD, he has spent the greatest part of his professional life working for large enterprises. As the author of the bestselling book ‘Enterprise SOA – Service-Oriented Architecture Best Practices’, Dirk coined the term ‘SOA’ and the concepts behind it in 2004. Today almost all large organisations in the world apply service orientation as the foundation of their enterprise architecture. Since 2007, Dirk has been running his own company, SOAPARK, which specialises in strategy consulting in the area of digital transformation and SOA. Dirk's latest project is the Enterprise Transformation Circle EnTranCe - a community of experts sharing best practices in Enterprise Transformation.

Circles

Active
February 5, 2024
2 members
15-1

While standardized methodologies and frameworks lay the groundwork, the true essence of project management lies in navigating the unpredictable. It's this ability to adeptly handle uncertainty that distinguishes success from projects that merely tick the boxes.

The challenge of project management is even greater when it is part of a transformation program. In this case, additional stakeholders and sibling projects multiply the complexity in communication and decision-making. A small detail for Project A can have a big impact on Project B.

You might believe that a conventional course or a textbook could suffice for such knowledge. Yet, the reality of managing complex projects in dynamic sectors like finance, industry, logistics, pharma, and the public sector often surpasses what academia offers. This is where our series of workshops transcends the norm.

Our workshops are crafted for leaders who are ready to explore beyond Project Management 101, covering critical, real-world topics such as:

  • disentangling the intricacies of implementing agility (with a small “a”) in complex, multi-layered corporate structures;
  • uncovering the depths of pivotal Project Management roles beyond the textbook definitions;
  • implementing reflective practices to drive continuous improvement and strategic foresight.

…and many more topics that textbooks don't cover, but every seasoned manager encounters.

Launching
1 members
11-1

The advent of ChatGPT could breathe life into the practical use of AI and company data for the first time. Use cases may include

  • Automated real-time decisions
  • Significant reduction of process costs and throughput times
  • Fact-based strategic management of the portfolio
  • Increasing the quality of end customer service
Active
November 24, 2023
2 members
Governance

An API is a mechanism that allows one IT system to interact with the capabilities and data provided by another system in order to deliver value on top of these capabilities. APIs are essential to provide the necessary abstractions which make it possible to master the complexity of large, volatile IT landscapes.

API governance is the discipline which ensures that APIs are compliant with desired standards and regulatory requirements, and that they are aligned with strategic goals.

In an increasingly agile environment one of the main challenges is to keep the balance between team-autonomy and an overall compliance. We must ensure flexibility and team responsibility on one hand, and compliance, interoperability and the strategic coherence on the other, without creating impediments by administrative overhead and organisational bottlenecks.

Best Practices

Part 2
Chapter 4: Defining Digitalisation
Everybody seems to be using the term ‘digital’ today. Politicians are laying the foundations for the ‘digital revolution’, product companies have off-the-shelf-solutions for being a ‘digital leader’, and consulting firms can help you with the ‘digital transformation’. However, you hardly ever find anybody who can tell you exactly what ‘digital’ is; in fact, the term means different things to different people. At one end of the spectrum are the rather simple features, such as replacing paper. At the other end, ‘digital’ is a synonym for the transcendence of the industrial era.
Part 2
5.3 - Comic 1
Few sectors are as challenged by as many changes in market conditions as the utility sector. With a heritage of being very traditional and inflexible, companies in this sector need to try new things to survive. The following case study gives an example of a successful next step that a service provider in the utility sector took in its strategy work, ushering in an agile future. In our work we realised that traditional strategy efforts are outdated. The pace of change is accelerating more rapidly than ever. Successful companies need to be flexible and agile, and to understand trends.
Part 4
11.10 - Comic 1
Successful businesses rely on a variety of ecosystems of trusted partners, such as suppliers and resellers, to create compelling offers to their end customers. These ecosystems often have established eligibility criteria and compliance requirements that each partner has to fulfil to become ‘part of the game’. As an example, if a vendor of automotive parts wants to be listed as an official supplier to a car manufacturer, it not only has to pass quality assurance for its parts, it also has to comply with other requirements, such as standards regarding governance and sustainability. Conversely, if a consumer buys a new car, he or she relies on the car manufacturer having carefully selected quality parts, fitted the parts correctly and built the car according to current standards.

Publications

May 5, 2015
The Foundations of API Security and API Gateway Technology: How to Implement Multifactor Single Sign-On.
EIC, Munich
Krafzig, Dirk
Jan 1, 2011
Business Technology Magazin
Krafzig, Dirk
Becker, Jost
Mahnke, Oliver
Pavkovic, Ilja
Mar 1, 2010
Business Technology Magazin
Krafzig, Dirk
Becker, Jost
Mahnke, Oliver
Mazur, Markus
Feb 1, 2010
Enterprise SOA Security – Teil 2.
Business Technology Magazin
Krafzig, Dirk
Becker, Jost
Mahnke, Oliver
Pavkovic, Ilja
Jan 1, 2010
Enterprise SOA Security – Teil 1.
Business Technology Magazin
Krafzig, Dirk
Becker, Jost
Mahnke, Oliver
Pavkovic, Ilja
Dec 1, 2004
Enterprise SOA – Service-Oriented Architecture Best Practices.
Prentice Hall
Krafzig, Dirk
Banke, Karl
Slama, Dirk
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