WHY IS THERE SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

The true number of business transformation project failure is underreported. Depending on which research you follow, the figure is between 70% – 80% of business transformation projects end in failure. There is five (5) main causes in business transformation failure are – lack of stakeholder involvement, lack of senior stakeholder support, changing requirement, incomplete requirements and poor planning.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH EXISTING APPROACHES?

Nothing. They are good at the purpose they were designed for, except they are now used for a different purpose, and that is not the original purpose they were designed for. Look at TOGAF® (The Open Group Architecture Framework) for example – it’s a framework for managing ‘technology’ or ‘technology changes’. It is not surprising, it was written by a “technology standards company”. They know and understand technology. What is happening is, TOGAF® is being used in business transformation projects that the ‘framework’ to manage the ‘transformation’, but it only focuses one thing – technology. It doesn’t focus on anything else other than Technology (it almost completely ignores, the other two (2) important aspects of the organisation – People, and Process(es)). It also ignores how to transition the business from the current state, to its desired future state. It effectively put the Technology stakeholders in the drivers set, to dictate to the Business what they think they want and literally throw it over the fence to the Business for them to work out if first it is fit for purpose, and then how to use and implement it.

HOW DOES HOBA® SOLVE THE PROBLEM IN BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TODAY?

HOBA® solves the 70% failure rate in business transformation problem by addressing the causes that problem in the first place – by putting the Business back into control, to take control back from Technology and into their own hands, using a structured process and framework that was developed WITH the Business, BY the Business, to be USED and OWNED by the Business, putting the control back into their own hands.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS AND HOW DOES HOBA® HELP?

The biggest problem with business transformation projects is firstly the name. “Business Transformation” is incorrectly called or referred to as “Digital Transformation”. ‘Digital Transformation’ is a misnomer, it is not ‘digital’ per se that is ‘transforming’, it is the ‘Business’ that is transforming, and how it does or is doing that in this period of time is via ‘digital technologies’ (if ‘technology’ isn’t already digital, what were they before?). What this intentional confusion in the marketplace is causing, is it causes is an incorrect bias and focus on the ‘technology aspect’ only of the transformation, which by doing so completely ignores the Business aspects – that’s the Business Operations Stakeholders and their concerns, and the Processes those stakeholders carry out. HOBA® helps by putting the Business back in to control, to be very clear and structured with what is the Vision, Strategy, Objectives and Measures, what stakeholders are involved and need to be involved in the transformation and their decision making authority, the process to manage those decisions, scope and risks; what are the problems they want to address or opportunities they want to take advantage of; what benefits they want to realise from the transformation and when; what the future or Target Operating Model (TOM) needs to look like to achieve their Vision and Strategic Objectives and business benefits, and how and when will the changes be implemented. Everything and nothing more, only doing what needs to be done, to transform the business, not doing what is happening in the marketplace today and that is ‘creating reams and reams of colourful models and diagrams, that while beautiful, are in reality just “interesting but (sadly) useless”.

WHAT IS THE DESIGN PROCESS?

The Design Process is the 6-Step process used to implement HOBA® and manage the transformation from the very start, to the very end, implementation.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION IN THE MARKETPLACE?

The biggest misconception in the marketplace today with business transformation is that Clients are led to believe that they need ‘reams and reams’ of pretty colourful presentations to transform your business. This is a fallacy. This only creates expensive shelf-ware. What those ‘pretty presentations’ are designed for is to enable the transformation project to keep moving toward its end goal, transforming the Business. What the Clients are led to believe is those ‘pretty presentations are the actual goal of the project, and often celebrated and hang up on the project office wall with great bravado as if they were the goal of the transformation itself! What those ‘pretty presentations’ actually need to be is two (2) things – first, is they need to be understandable, and written in a language that the Business understands, so first they can understand what it and they mean, and then they can agree to it. Then second, then they need to be useful. A lot of Consultants and Consultancy’s wanting to impress their clients with great marketing, pretty presentations and long list of impressive acronyms and latest “it” words, but this just confuses the Client. What happens is the Consultants will present their ‘ideas’ (because that’s what they are, they have had one meeting with the Client, interpreted that into their own words and perspectives, and come back to them several weeks and months later, having not consulted with them through the process, thinking ‘they know their Clients business best (they don’t, the Client does!) and play back their 300+ page power-point presentation that looks impressive), they present it to the Client, the Client has no idea what it means or says (its written in a foreign language, literally), due to the time it’s taken, and the money it has cost at that point, the Client agrees to it in the room, then walks out the room, and completely ignores everything the Consultant(s) said. The transformation goes nowhere. HOBA® solves that problem, refer to the first question above.

HOBA® is trusted by the UK Government, FTSE-100 companies and start-ups to both set up, and also turnaround their failing transformations. HOBA® is used by thousands around to transform their business, and was made public for the first time in late 2018, after over 10+ years in use with private clients, published in The Business Transformation Playbook – How to Implement Your Organisations Target Operating Model (TOM) and Achieve a Zero-Percent Failure Rate Using the 6-Step Agile Framework’, reaching bestseller on Amazon in 6-categories including Project Management and Consulting, and made it onto the Best Business Strategy eBook List of All Time by BookAuthority, at no.30 (March 2021). See News for details.

CAN I READ A PREVIEW OF THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PLAYBOOK?

Yes, you can download a FREE preview to The Business Transformation Playbook here.

Business Transformation Frameworks Compared: TOGAF, SAFe, Business Model Canvas, and HOBA

By Heath Gascoigne
January 18, 2025
Business Transformation, Enterprise Architecture
Post Views: 548

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Introduction

In today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape, transformation is no longer optional—it’s essential. However, the journey to successful transformation is fraught with challenges, and the choice of framework can make or break the process. With so many options available, how do you know which framework best suits your organization’s needs?

This blog post dives into a detailed comparison of four popular business transformation frameworks: TOGAF, SAFe, Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas, and HOBA (House of Business Architecture). Each framework has unique strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these can help you make an informed decision.

Heres what we’ll cover (click the links to skip to the section below):

NB – Click to expand images 📸

By the end of this post, you’ll understand the critical differences between these frameworks and why HOBA stands out as the ultimate choice for agile, business-driven, and holistic transformation. Let’s get started!

Business Transformation: its no longer a luxury

Business transformation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for organizations aiming to thrive in today’s fast-paced world. But with so many frameworks available, how do you choose the right one? In this post, we’ll compare four of the leading business transformation frameworks: TOGAF, SAFe, Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas, and HOBA (House of Business Architecture).

We’ll explore their pros and cons to help you make an informed decision, highlighting why HOBA is the best choice for agile, business-led, and holistic transformation.

TOGAF – The Enterprise Architecture Giant

Overview: The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is a well-established enterprise architecture methodology used to design, plan, and govern large-scale IT systems.

Pros:

Cons:

Best For: Large organizations needing to align IT architecture with business goals.

💡 "Transformation isn’t about IT systems or shiny tools—it’s about aligning people, processes, and technology to deliver real business value. #BusinessTransformation " 🚀📈 #AgileTransformation #BusinessGrowth #HOBA #Leadership

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

SAFe – Scaling Agile for Enterprises

Overview: The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) provides guidance for implementing agile practices across large enterprises, helping teams collaborate efficiently.

Pros:

Cons:

Best For: Organizations seeking to scale agile practices in software development.

Business Model Canvas – Strategyzer’s Innovation Tool

Overview: Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas is a visual framework used to design, analyze, and innovate business models.

Pros:

Cons:

Best For: Startups and small businesses developing or refining their business models.

HOBA® – The Business-Led Transformation Powerhouse

Overview: HOBA® (House of Business Architecture®) is an agile business transformation framework that empowers organizations to design and execute successful transformations with a holistic, business-led approach.

Pros:

Agile and Flexible: Supports iterative and adaptive transformation processes.
Holistic: Aligns people, processes, and technology seamlessly.
Business-Led: Puts business needs and objectives at the forefront of transformation.
Simple and Practical: Provides actionable steps and tools for execution.
Versatile: Equally effective for startups, SMEs, and large enterprises.

Cons:

Best For: Organizations of any size looking for an agile, business-first approach to transformation.

Conclusion

While TOGAF, SAFe, and Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas each offer valuable insights, HOBA emerges as the clear winner for organizations seeking agile, business-driven transformation. Its holistic approach ensures that all aspects of the organization—people, processes, and technology—are aligned to achieve meaningful and lasting change.

Ready to transform your business with HOBA? Download our free guide to get started today.

As we’ve explored in this post, each business transformation framework has its strengths:

TOGAF excels in IT architecture alignment but is too rigid and technical for broader business transformation.
SAFe scales agile practices effectively but is primarily suited to software development.
Strategyzer’s Business Model Canvas is a fantastic tool for startups and innovation but lacks the depth needed for large-scale transformation.
HOBA shines as the agile, business-first, and holistic framework, making it the clear winner for organizations seeking meaningful and lasting transformation.

By choosing HOBA, you empower your organization to align people, processes, and technology seamlessly while remaining flexible and adaptive in today’s fast-paced environment. Whether you’re a startup or a multinational enterprise, HOBA offers the structure and simplicity to ensure your transformation journey is a success.

Take the First Step

Are you ready to transform your business with confidence? Enroll in our Introduction to Agile Transformation Course today and discover how HOBA can revolutionise the way you lead change in your organisation.

Start your transformation journey with the framework trusted by leading companies around the world. Click here to learn more and sign up now!

BOOK YOUR FREE STRATEGY CALL!

Unlock the roadmap to your business transformation success. Schedule a free strategy call with our experts to align your strategy, architecture, and operations for real change. Let’s create a tailored approach that fits your needs and sets you on the path to success. 🚀

📈 "Frameworks don’t transform businesses—people do. That’s why HOBA focuses on empowering teams to lead agile, business-led change with confidence. #Leadership #Transformation #BusinessAgility 💡👥

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Ready to Get Started?

Learn more about our Agile Business Transformation Framework: Visit Our Resources Page
Discover our “Introduction to Agile Business Transformation” course: Sign Up Here
Have questions or need guidance? Contact us to schedule a free strategy call

Let’s transform the way you think, work, and lead—together. The time for change is now, and the opportunity to lead it is yours. Don’t wait—take the first step today!

👉 Contact Us Today

Looking for the Best Training to deliver your Business Transformation? Search no more!

⚡ "The key to successful transformation? A framework that’s agile, holistic, and business-first. That’s why HOBA is the future of transformation". #FutureOfWork #HOBA #BusinessArchitecture 🌍✨

Heath Gascoigne Tweet

Hope you got a lot of value out of this.

Thanks for reading!

Heath Gascoigne

P.S. If you want to join our Business Transformator community of 2,000+ like-minded Business Transformators, join the community on the Business Transformator Facebook Group here.

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about business transformation, check out The Business Transformation Playbook here.

For more information, visit https://www.hoba.tech

Heath Gascoigne

Hi, I'm Heath, the founder of HOBA TECH and host of The Business Transformation Podcast. I help Business Transformation Consultants, Business Designers and Business Architects transform their and their clients' business and join the 30% club that succeed. Join me on this journey.

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Business Transformation Frameworks Compared: TOGAF, SAFe, Business Model Canvas, and HOBA

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Introduction

Table of Contents

Business Transformation: its no longer a luxury

TOGAF – The Enterprise Architecture Giant

SAFe – Scaling Agile for Enterprises

Business Model Canvas – Strategyzer’s Innovation Tool

HOBA® – The Business-Led Transformation Powerhouse

Conclusion

Take the First Step

BOOK YOUR FREE STRATEGY CALL!

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