Who is responsible for leading a business architecture engagement with the customer?

Who is responsible for leading a business architecture engagement with the customer?
A . Sales leadership
B . Services team
C . Account team (account manager, engineer)
D . Business architect
E . Technology specialists

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Answer: D

Explanation:

There are many variations in the teams that engage with customers. These teams are composed on individuals from team leadership, the account team, and services team. In the context of business architecture, the Cisco Business Architect is the primary role that focuses on engaging with the customer from a business perspective. Individuals who are aspiring to become a Cisco Business Architect are also considered in these roles.

Aspiring Cisco Business Architects will be more technology- than business-focused. Each role has various levels of responsibilities and different levels of engagement throughout the business-led approach. For example, the level of active engagement for Account Manager is part of their role when working with the Cisco Business Architect. The Account Manager will participate in many of the activities during a business-led approach. Their level of involvement will vary while working with the Cisco Business Architect. Take into consideration that the roles may differ depending on the organization. For example, the Services Team may be part of the Account Team.

Roles throughout the business architecture approach:

The Cisco Business Architect leads the customer engagement throughout the business-led approach. They determine when and where during the engagement to use available resources. The Cisco Business Architect can rely on the Account Manager, Specialist System Engineers, and other roles to provide varying levels of support during the engagement. The Cisco Business Architect can act as a mentor during the engagement to help the aspiring Cisco Business Architect acquire further knowledge, skills, and experience.

The Account Manager is directly responsible for the customer relationship. They can benefit from many aspects of the skills that are required for Cisco Business Architect. The System Engineer can be considered as the apprentice architect. While there is much they need to aware of, they must be careful of how they apply their knowledge. In some situations, the Cisco Business Architect is responsible for the account. This situation is manifested mainly in the Cisco Customer Solution Architect (CSA) role. This situation is similar to the System Engineer, who has the awareness of the Cisco Business Architect skills. Knowing when and how they are applied allows the Account Manager to understand their role in the context of a business-led approach.

The Technology Specialists are focused on technology and in some situations they are needed to support the engagement that the Cisco Business Architect leads. Outside of those engagements, the Technology Specialists may be the people that are technically involved with the business stakeholders. The Technology Specialists must be aware of the Cisco Business Architect skills and when and how they are applied. Being aware of the skills allows the Technology Specialists to understand their role in the context of a business-led approach. In the case where the Cisco Business Architect is responsible for the account the Technology Specialists will have a different role.

These roles do not depict System Engineering leadership, Sales Leadership, or Services. System Engineering Leadership requires awareness, understanding of the maturity levels, engagement type, and the ability to support the roles throughout the business-led approach.