What is a Meta Model?

What is a coporate meta model?

To understand how organizations work/ function, there are plenty ways to describe them. People can explain organizations by talking about their management, their market, their experts, their org chart, their premises, their products, their legacy, their strategy, their ...

Eventually, every organization can be boiled down to a similar wireframe, using a common langugage to slice it and to explain it.

A meta model is a way of describing an organization with a defined and commonly agreed language - an abstract, rather high-level framework that defined the structure and relationships of various elements and processes within an organization. To put it more colloquially, a meta model is corporate x-rays on defined abstract elements.

By agreeing on a specific "language", more precisely on a specific set of components, a meta model not only helps in understanding how an organization is built and works (on a high-level) but also supports in the identification of effectiveness or efficiency gaps/gain potentials.

For vucavoid, the language is defined by a two layer model, whereas the second layer has more depth to it than the first one (more details further down below):

1. Capabilities
2. Objects

For objects, there are multiple further layers to it that detail out what kind of object is needed within the meta model (of the organization).

In the context of compliance management, a meta model is an indispensible tool for the projection of two main parts:

1. Requirements
2. Performance (Implemenation)

To tell compliance from front to back, an organization needs to understand its requirements and needs to link it to its performance.

Both, requirements and performance, do not happen in a vacuum but by application on the meta model. vucavoid is using the meta model as a projection screen for the compliance management, providing a framework to connect all the dots to a comprehensive story.

See the example at the end of this page for more insights.

Capabilities

Definition: In the context of a corporate meta model, capabilities refer to the essential functions or competencies that an organization must develop and maintain to achieve its strategic goals and effectively perform its core business activities. Capabilities encompass a combination of processes, technologies, skills, and resources that enable the organization to deliver value to its stakeholders.

To boil it down once more, capabilities are the organization's skills - defined on a pre-defined level.

Examples

For a more comprehensive understanding, see the following three examples of capabilities:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Capability: - Skills: Customer service skills, data analysis, communication skills.

• Processes: Handling customer inquiries, managing customer data, conducting follow-ups, and maintaining customer satisfaction.
• Technologies: CRM software like Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Resources: Dedicated customer support team, customer data repositories.

Supply Chain Management Capability: - Skills: Negotiation, logistics planning, inventory control.

• Processes: Procurement, inventory management, logistics, and distribution.
• Technologies: Supply chain management systems like SAP SCM or Oracle SCM.
• Resources: Warehousing facilities, transportation networks, supplier relationships.

Product Development Capability: - Skills: Innovation, engineering, project management.

• Processes: Research and development, product design, prototyping, and testing.
• Technologies: Computer-aided design (CAD) software, project management tools.
• Resources: R&D teams, laboratories, and development tools.

Objects

In the context of a corporate meta model, objects refer to the tangible and intangible elements within an organization that are essential for its operations, management, and strategic execution. These objects represent the various assets, entities, and processes that the organization utilizes and interacts with. They can be categorized into different types based on their nature and function.

Boiling it down here, objects are the operational assets that help an organization to live up to its capabilities.

In vucavoid, the following types of objects are available for selection:

• Legal Entities
• Locations
• Processes
• IT Assets
• Information Assets
• Physical Assets
• Products
• Teams
• People
• Third Parties

Examples

Legal Entities:

• Definition: Distinct legal bodies through which the organization conducts its business, subject to legal and regulatory requirements.
• Examples: Subsidiaries, joint ventures, holding companies.

Locations:

• Definition: Physical places where the organization operates, such as offices, warehouses, and factories.
• Examples: Headquarters in New York, distribution center in Los Angeles, manufacturing plant in Chicago.

Processes:

• Definition: Sequences of activities and tasks carried out to achieve specific business outcomes and objectives.
• Examples: Order fulfillment process, product development process, recruitment process.

IT Assets:

• Definition: Technological resources that support the organization’s operations, including hardware, software, and network infrastructure.
• Examples: Servers, enterprise software applications, data centers.

Information Assets:

• Definition: Data and information that the organization collects, processes, and uses for decision-making and operations.
• Examples: Customer databases, financial records, intellectual property.

Physical Assets:

• Definition: Tangible resources owned by the organization that are used in its operations.
• Examples: Machinery, vehicles, office equipment.

Products:

• Definition: Goods or services produced by the organization for sale or distribution to customers.
• Examples: Consumer electronics, software products, consulting services.

Teams:

• Definition: Groups of individuals organized to perform specific tasks and achieve certain objectives within the organization.
• Examples: Marketing team, product development team, sales team.

People:

• Definition: Individual employees and stakeholders who work within or are associated with the organization.
• Examples: Managers, staff members, executives.

Third Parties:

• Definition: External organizations or individuals that interact with the company, providing goods, services, or partnerships.
• Examples: Suppliers, contractors, business partners.

Example: Capability - Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

The follwong (integrated) example demonstrates how the CRM capability is supported and interconnected with various objects within the corporate meta model, illustrating the comprehensive nature of organizational capabilities.

In this exemplary scenario, the following objects could be connected to the CRM Capability:

• Locations:
  • Example: New York Headquarters (HQ)
  • Connection: The CRM team is based at the New York HQ, where they manage customer interactions and relationships.
• Legal Entities
  • Example: XYZ Corporation USA
  • Connection: The CRM processes are implemented under XYZ Corporation USA, which ensures compliance with local regulations.
• IT Assets
  • Example: Salesforce CRM Software
  • Connection: The CRM capability utilizes Salesforce as the primary software for managing customer data, tracking interactions, and automating sales processes.
• Third Parties
  • Example: External Marketing Agency
  • Connection: The CRM team works with an external marketing agency to develop and implement customer outreach campaigns.
• Physical Assets
  • Example: Office Equipment (Computers, Phones)
  • Connection: The CRM team uses office equipment like computers and phones to communicate with customers and enter data into the CRM system.
• Information Assets
  • Example: Customer Database
  • Connection: The customer database contains all the information related to customer interactions, preferences, and purchase history, which is critical for CRM activities.
• Products
  • Example: Premium Subscription Service
  • Connection: The CRM capability focuses on managing relationships with customers who have purchased the premium subscription service, ensuring they receive high-quality support and engagement.
• Teams
  • Example: CRM Team
  • Connection: The dedicated CRM team is responsible for managing and optimizing customer relationships, utilizing various tools and processes.
• People
  • Example: Jane Doe, CRM Manager
  • Connection: Jane Doe leads the CRM team, oversees the implementation of CRM strategies, and ensures alignment with organizational goals.
• Processes
  • Example: Customer Feedback Process
  • Connection: The customer feedback process collects and analyzes customer feedback to improve products and services, directly impacting the effectiveness of the CRM capability.

When looking at the organization from an internal perspective, all these objects are relevant to render the necessary skills for the capability. By no means might this be a comprehensive list of objects relevant to the capability. There might be none or numerous objects of the same type all faciliting the same capability. At the same time, objects might be supporting multiple capabilities.

To develop this further, objects also have connections with each other, with one or multiple other objects. For the fictive example above, the following connections could be realistic:

• New York Headquarters (Location) and XYZ Corporation USA (Legal Entity): The HQ is the main office for XYZ Corporation USA.
• Salesforce CRM Software (IT Asset) and Customer Database (Information Asset): Salesforce is used to manage and access the customer database.
• External Marketing Agency (Third Party) and Customer Database (Information Asset): The agency uses insights from the customer database to create targeted marketing campaigns.
• Office Equipment (Physical Assets) and CRM Team (Team): The CRM team uses office equipment to perform their daily tasks.
• Premium Subscription Service (Product) and Customer Database (Information Asset): Data about customers of the premium subscription service is stored in the customer database.
• CRM Manager (Person) and CRM Team (Team): The CRM Manager leads the CRM team.
• Customer Feedback Process (Process) and CRM Team (Team): The CRM team executes the customer feedback process to gather insights.