For several large enterprises, the move from Bizzdesign Alfabet 10 to Alfabet 11 offered an opportunity to improve how people work with enterprise architecture data. ITM Consulting helped customers in the automotive and telecommunications industries identify the capabilities they needed, make effective use of the new platform and create a clearer portfolio-management experience.
01 The challenge
A version change that requires design decisions
Alfabet 11 offers a redesigned user experience and new ways to work with portfolio data. Information can be brought together more clearly and analysed more effectively. Users can move more quickly from a portfolio view to the underlying data and update it directly.
Realising these benefits requires more than a direct transfer of the existing solution. The user experience and configuration concepts differ significantly from Alfabet 10. Some existing elements can be migrated. Others require extensive adaptation or a complete redesign.
Large Alfabet environments often combine years of business knowledge with custom configuration. Some elements support important business processes. Others duplicate standard capabilities, reflect outdated requirements or have become difficult to maintain. Recreating everything would preserve that complexity.
The goal was therefore not to reproduce Alfabet 10 in full. The new environment needed to retain essential capabilities while improving analysis, navigation and data maintenance.
02 The approach
Make every migration decision explicit
Inventory the existing environment
ITM Consulting reviewed the relevant configuration, integrations and business processes. For each configuration item, the teams decided whether to migrate, rebuild or retire it. This created a controlled scope and prevented obsolete features from moving forward by default.
Start from user needs
Existing use cases were reassessed in the context of the Alfabet 11 user interface. The teams focused on the decisions users need to make, the data they need to see and the tasks they need to complete. This kept the redesign grounded in daily work.
Use the new platform selectively
Where Alfabet 11 offered a stronger standard capability, custom elements were replaced rather than copied. Analytics dashboards consolidate relevant metrics and views. Data workbenches allow users to filter, analyse and maintain portfolio data in one place. Context-sensitive help provides direct access to relevant information.
Test in parallel before go-live
The new environment was validated alongside the existing system. Interfaces, REST services, batch integrations, permissions and core user journeys were tested before cutover. This reduced operational risk and gave teams time to resolve gaps without disrupting ongoing work.
A strong migration does not preserve every feature. It preserves the capabilities the business needs and improves how they are delivered.
03 In practice
One portfolio view, with the data behind it
A portfolio-manager dashboard shows the value of this approach. Instead of working across separate reports, managers and senior stakeholders can review the application portfolio by business area or domain in one place.
The dashboard connects a high-level portfolio view with the underlying applications and their key attributes. It also highlights missing or inconsistent data where users can act on it. Filters and workbenches provide a direct route from the overview to the supporting records.
This is more useful than a static management report. Decision-makers can explore the current portfolio, assess the quality of the underlying data and follow up with the responsible teams.
04 The outcome
Clearer portfolio management with less inherited complexity
The automotive and telecommunications organisations completed more than a technical version change. They reduced outdated configuration, adopted relevant Alfabet 11 capabilities and created a clearer experience for portfolio managers.
The migration also created a better basis for future changes. A leaner configuration is easier to govern and maintain. Teams can use standard capabilities where they fit and reserve custom configuration for requirements that create distinct business value.
ITM Consulting supports Alfabet migrations from initial assessment through configuration, integration testing and go-live. Explore our Bizzdesign Alfabet capabilities or talk to us about your migration.