Testimonials – Strategy To Reality

See what leaders and change-makers are saying about Whynde Kuehn and her book, Strategy to Reality.

Represented here are more than 35 testimonials from professionals spanning 11 countries in diverse sectors and industries. These people embody vast perspectives, including C-suite, senior business and technology executives, higher education, strategy, transformation, innovation, data and analytics, artificial intelligence, product management, human-centered design, business architecture and enterprise architecture, non-profit organizations, FinTechs, entrepreneurship, and consulting.

“One word: Powerful! In Strategy to Reality, globally recognized strategy execution and business architecture expert, Whynde Kuehn, has bottled the secret sauce necessary to enable the transmutation of big ideas into operating reality. And today, more than ever, success or failure with this task creates either an upward growth spiral, or a downward death spiral for almost every organization. Why? Because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced digital transformation to the top of every organizational agenda as the #1 survival strategy. Whether you are the YMCA, a regional restaurant chain, an energy company, a bank, a grocery chain, or an automobile manufacturer, survival today necessitates the rapid creation and successful execution of strategies to digitally transform overnight. Core to success with that strategy is data and analytics, because in the new world order data drives digital. This has introduced a critical new organizational role into the strategy to execution equation: the Chief Data Officer. I applaud Whynde for the timely compilation of this practical how-to guide based on decades of hands-on experiences enabling organizations around the world to successfully execute big, transformational ideas that have materially impacted the top and bottom lines. Once you read this book, I am confident that you will too!.”

Mark I. Johnson, Editorial Board Chair, Chief Data Officer Magazine and Regional Vice President & Executive Leader, Strategic Data Management and Analytics, Fusion Alliance

“Despite decades of research and many articles and books on the topic, strategy execution is no better today in most organizations than it was twenty years ago. From my experiences working with many types of organizations, the main reason for this failure is that most organizations are missing an effective means to link strategy (and changes to strategy) to project-level execution. Business architecture, if positioned correctly within an organization and staffed appropriately, can be an effective bridge between business strategy formulation and strategy execution—a critical role that is missing or poorly functioning in many organizations today. This practical book focuses on many of the critical factors needed to do that.”

Brian H. Cameron, PhD, Associate Dean for Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education, Clinical Professor of Information Systems, Founding Director – Center for Enterprise Architecture, Founding President – Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations, Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University

“I’ve known Whynde for several years and I am privileged to have learned a great deal from her already through conversations while reflecting on the global landscape of digital business transformation, the failures and the successes, the lessons learned, and the best practices. This has all led me to better understand the value proposition of business architecture, and more specifically, Whynde’s approach to it. She generally, and within Strategy to Reality, takes care to filter the noise one would encounter in the space of business transformation practices. As a passionate practitioner, and a generous and caring person, Whynde provides invaluable firsthand knowledge and advice that can greatly benefit both individuals and corporations in not only comprehending how to best drive change but also gives the techniques that can be readily applied as solutions to real-life scenarios.”

Suleiman Barada, Senior Advisor, Union of Arab Banks

“Successful strategy implementation is vital for any business leader or organization. Whynde Kuehn has an exceptional understanding of not only the challenges but also the methodology which has already helped business leaders across the world in this very complicated discipline. Strategy to Reality gives you a thorough introduction along with the practical steps on how to use the well-recognized methodology of business architecture to achieve your goals.”

Lene Østerberg, COO, Linconomy

“I have known and worked with Whynde Kuehn for the better part of the past two decades and pleased to have the opportunity to comment on Strategy to Reality. Much has been written about business architecture over the past decade, but this book is unique in striking the right balance for a discipline that continues to expand across the globe, yet remains a mystery to many. What resonates most are Kuehn’s insights into the need to shift how people think and act. Indeed, maximizing the value of business architecture requires making a cultural shift, which few organizations understand at the outset their journey. Kuehn explains in clear terms how to unleash the elegance and power of business architecture in a way that is equally compelling to those just starting out and to others who may be well down the path towards maturity. I recommend that you not only pick up this book, but keep it close at hand as your practice matures as it will continue to inform and inspire along the way.”

William Ulrich, President, Tactical Strategy Group and President and Cofounder, Business Architecture Guild

“Listen, Whynde Kuehn just gets it. Her grasp on business architecture and proven approaches to it makes her a leader among leaders. Her book Strategy to Reality helps get everyone in your organization speaking the same language and building a strong business foundation for your future. It truly takes a village to run a successful company and without Whynde and her book you are already at a disadvantage. Digital transformation doesn’t happen without a solid foundation in business architecture. The CIO understands that business architecture is the API—the ultimate connector—for strategy to execution. Recognizing how to move from strategy to execution doesn’t happen though without the right blueprint in place. Strategy to Reality will help your organization begin its journey to realizing its full potential. This book provides value from any perspective, not just IT. Regardless of your experience level, Strategy to Reality is the one book in your library that you will continue to use over and over. Whynde is a gift to us all. She pushes us to be better. She not only makes us feel that we can do it, but she inspires us to want more, think bigger, and achieve our goals. She does this by guiding us, training us, believing in us, and making it fun. I have never seen her without a smile. Her talent in making everybody comfortable is admirable.”

Robert Field, Vice President of Global Information Technology and Digital Solutions, Precipart

“As one of the most inspiring global leaders and true innovative pioneers for the business architecture community, Whynde Kuehn’s modern, multi-dimensional approach and holistic expert guidance has been the blueprint to support successful executive leaders, business transformation teams, and game changing innovation. Whynde’s passion, world class coaching, and commitment to advancing the business architecture industry is unparalleled—which will undoubtedly result in this book becoming the go-to guide for all future leaders seeking to drive scalable business value amongst today’s complex ecosystem landscape. I absolutely love this book and it is a timely guide for navigating the rapidly changing landscapes facing all organizations today.”

Shaun Rolls, Managing Director, Closed Circle International and Global Head of EDM Council Innovation Lab

“I have been fortunate to learn from Whynde for many years and she has been instrumental in developing business architecture skills across our entire company. The discipline of business architecture would not be where it is today without Whynde sharing her wealth of experience and this is exemplified through Strategy to Reality. Whynde strikes the almost impossible balance between setting a high standard for quality and best practice, while providing practical tools for practitioners to deliver real world outcomes. This book is a must for strategists, architects, and business executives looking to make a meaningful difference in their ecosystem.”

Krishan Jogia, Managing Director, Evolve&Amplify

“Whynde Kuehn is the rare combination of personal, academic, and professional excellence blended with business expertise, approachability, and the relentless pursuit of improvement. Whynde’s ability to explore complex business problems and clearly distill them into clear and actionable items is impressive and I highly recommend her as an instructor or business partner. Her new book, Strategy to Reality, provides critical thinking and guidance to business architecture practitioners and organizations seeking improvement in their implementation of key strategic objectives.”

Gary Wright, Business Architect, Entrepreneur and Unabomber Survivor

“This book will up your business architecture game and achievable outcomes by increasing your understanding of the business architecture foundations, the role of business architecture in strategy execution, and the ecosystem of a business architect’s relationships in the broader ecosystem of IT and business leaders. Strategy to Reality shares a vision of a business architecture practice that is fully embedded and influencing the business with universally valued strategy work. Enjoy exploring this vision to advance your agenda to create or turbo-charge the business architecture practice in your organization!”

Grant Ecker, VP Global Enterprise Architecture at Walgreens Boots Alliance

“I’ve known Whynde for a while now as a peer and I am always amazed by how much thought leadership and value she provides to support the business architecture profession in organizations, new practitioners, and emerging leaders around the world. Her approach is unique as she not only offers her vast knowledge and experience, but she also demonstrates it through her own leadership style and through coaching, how to connect people and navigate the business landscape, key skills often missing in those of us with more traditionally analytical mindsets whatever profession or role we might have. There’s a lot everyone can learn from her and I can’t expressed how much I’ve learned myself through observation, listening, and interacting with her. Her StraightTalk articles and book get into all of these facets of business architecture…need I say more.”

Julie Choo, Strategic Advisor, Coach and Product Architect, Author of THE STRATEGY JOURNEY (2020), Founder and CEO of Stratability Academy

“Whynde Kuehn is a force of nature in the business architecture world. Her efforts in delivering world-leading architecture practices, is perhaps only matched by the countless hours she has dedicated to helping business architects on their professional journeys. When coupled with her tireless efforts through the Business Architecture Guild, and involvement in various community-building activities, Whynde stands apart as a true global leader in the business architecture discipline. With this new book, Strategy to Reality, Whynde brings her unique combination of experience, enthusiasm, and pragmatism to not only the global business architecture community, but to anyone interested in enacting positive organizational change.”

Darryl Carr, Editor, Enterprise Architecture Professional Journal and Enterprise Architect and Architecture Community Lead, JourneyOne

“I have known and worked with Whynde for many years to, as she so eloquently puts it, “explore, explain, and ask questions about the mountain” of business and other forms of architecture practices in my work as the CEO of Iasa, a global association for architects. As one of the world’s leading experts on the topic of business architecture, Whynde Kuehn needs no introduction nor accolades from me. However, I offer them anyway for her amazing work on the discipline of business architecture as well as the benefits an organization can hope to achieve by leveraging it. Business architecture combined with other specializations of the architecture practice creates the kind of readiness an organization of any type needs to face the rapid change in customer ecosystems, disruptions, and opportunities that this digital age presents. Too often, I have seen organizations fail to deliver digital transformation, agility, and value without business architects to connect the strategy to the execution for enterprise digital advantage. This book should be on every executive’s desk and in the hands of every business architect and change maker out there. But I would go further and say these techniques represent the fundamentals of all architecture practices whether they be solution, enterprise, software, or business architects. For too long we have tried to deliver major change without a clear understanding of what we were changing and how we wanted to change it. I have had the pleasure of exploring these techniques and seeing how well they work in the real world. Now it is your turn.”

Paul Preiss, CEO, Iasa Global

“My respect for Whynde Kuehn began when I was a mentee of hers, learning the tips and tricks of the trade of business architecture that Whynde helped the industry define. In the time since, I have heard her speak, seen her work, and co-presented business architecture concepts with her. In this vast experience, I wholeheartedly believe Whynde is uniquely positioned to demystify business architecture, helping people and companies realize a path from strategy to execution. Her innate and unmatched ability to speak to these concepts in a real world manner has helped thousands of people drive success in their organizations by employing a strategy-to-execution methodology. Within the pages of Strategy to Reality, Whynde uses concepts of business architecture—aligned with other professional disciplines—to provide perspective to executives, business architects, and other professionals, and those who aspire to transform their organizations. This perspective helps a reader to understand where and how to start their transformational journey, and takes them through the steps required to move to the pinnacle of their professional summit. This book offers an opportunity to learn from a true adventurer—professionally and personally. Whynde’s unique experiences in consulting, strategic advisory, non-profit management, and exploring the world have culminated in an incredible book from an incredible person. I personally jump at any opportunity to collaborate with Whynde; I would suggest you do the same and immerse yourself in Strategy to Reality. I know you will find the journey worth it and the insights you gain will advance you and your company.”

Alex Randell, Business Architecture Industry Leader and Technologist

“Whynde Kuehn is a true thought leader in business architecture. As a pioneer in the field, she helped build the profession almost from the ground up. Now she comes with a book that already can be considered a standard work. Whether you are new to business architecture or a seasoned professional, it offers a comprehensive and insightful book that is grounded in practice and years of experience. Like a business capability, Strategy to Reality strikes a perfect balance between the human side, the necessary conceptual information, the essential processes, and practical tools and techniques.”

Coen de Bruijn, Director Enterprise Data & Analytics Program, Nike and Author of Key Performance Illusions

“Whynde uses a practical approach to business architecture that makes it natural and real for organizations. Leveraging her experience and deep knowledge in leading business transformations all over the world, she provides great insight and successful approaches to standing up and running a world class business architecture practice in any organization. If you are looking to stand up a business architecture practice, become a stronger business architect, or make your business strategy a reality, then this book is for you.”

Theresa Fannin, Director, Product Management

“Whynde is one of the best thought leaders and accomplished practitioners in this space today. I first worked with her back in 2006 when she helped lead the implementation of the business architecture practice at one of the largest insurance companies in the world. I’ve since worked with her on many occasions and each time she delivers world-class service. Whynde has an incredible gift for understanding the value of a company’s mission and helping them understand what takes it to deliver that value to the customer. She asks the hard questions, gets to the root of the challenges, then provides meaningful insights, realistic options, and manageable solutions. Connecting the dots between strategy and execution is incredibly difficult. It is much harder than most people realize. Whynde can help any organization, large or small, overcome that challenge with proven methods and frameworks. I’m very excited she is sharing her magic with the rest of the world.”

Dan Hlavac, Director of Enterprise Architecture

“The Emperor's New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen is an analogous illustration of the business architecture discipline missing in the strategy-to-execution flow. I've had the privilege to work closely with Whynde as she molded and crafted the fledgling discipline into its current mature form. What does it take to offer simple yet powerful tools and techniques for successful organizational transformation? The passion to sustain, the collaborative mindset to bring others along, and the structured approach to make it consumable. These qualities manifest themselves in the work Whynde brings to you in the form of the book. The business ecosystem is changing faster than ever, with new technologies, left-field competitors, new ecosystems, and changing customer expectations. If you don’t leverage business architecture (and this book that captures the essence), you'll be handicapped in your business transformation.”

Raj Ramesh, Artificial Intelligence Architect

“For many, business architecture as a discipline might sound like dull and hard-to-understand theory. Not so, I can promise you, when you meet the energy, brain, and personality behind business architecture! Whynde Kuehn, to me, is all of that. She sparks the passion for business architecture within anyone she ever works with. This book is the essence of all her experience, knowledge, and passion—in an easy-to-access fashion—for all of us to benefit from!”

Juliane Berger, Global Solutions Manager, Allianz Digital Health

“Whynde Kuehn is a teacher, mentor, and business architecture master. She focuses on breaking down complex problems with practical, real-world examples. Whynde takes business architecture from a mere buzz word into a call to action that is relevant for any business or organization looking to transform, grow or just stay current. Strategy to Reality adds to her ever-growing repertoire of insightful and practical resources to help you understand your business and bridge the gap between strategy and execution.”

Ryan Erlandsen, Business Architect

“I have had the honor of being one of the non-profit leaders that Whynde has helped to translate a big picture vision into valuable action steps; turning the vision into a strategy that became reality. Whynde's business architecture embodies the Nelson Mandela quote "It always seems impossible, until it's done". Time and time again, I have witnessed Whynde getting it done; making the impossible, possible for change makers from Mozambique to Rwanda to the USA. I'm forever grateful to have been one of them. I'm also grateful she is sharing her incredible expertise with the world through this book, since there is only one Whynde Kuehn and only 24 hours in a day, but millions of people who desire to deliver value and activate change. What a gift she is giving the world through this blueprint!”

Christine Garde Denning; Founder & CEO; CouldYou?

“Whynde is one of the most high-capacity leaders on the planet. This would be completely intimidating if it weren’t for how she goes about it. Whynde is genius at translating complex concepts into clear and compelling ideas. Then she shows you how to turn Herculean endeavors into achievable goals. And perhaps her greatest brilliance is her ability to instill belief in each person she works with—not only does she help design straightforward plans, she imparts contagious confidence. You can't help but go for it and accomplish more than you thought possible. And that is the gift of this book—you not only get Whynde’s wise insights, you also gain an enthusiastic guide cheering you along.”

Tamara Park, CEO, StoryNow

“Whynde is a Business Architecture Guru and my business architecture mentor for at least 10 years. I used almost everything in this book—from building the business architecture function in a large shipping company to maturing business architecture competence in a bank to performing merger & acquisition analysis to advising on transformative operating models. The skill that I gained through the content of this book gave me a strong ability to simplify complex environments, communicate with executive stakeholders, bridge business and IT as well as articulate abstract business visions into actionable execution plans. Not only is business architecture a method of strategy execution, but also a form of continuously improving yourself through innovative ideas—especially with having Whynde as your lifetime coach.”

Dilek Guncag, Senior Business Architect, Nordea Bank

“Whynde offers a fresh, strategic, and practical approach for any business leader to achieve their vision. Whynde’s enthusiasm, knowledge, and insights into the business world are infectious! She has inspired me to develop a better understanding of business architecture, allowing me to dive deeper into more complex business challenges—unlocking innovation opportunities, better customer experiences, and new pathways for my clients to achieve greater success. I highly recommend reading Whynde’s book and to challenge yourself in bringing business architecture into your organization.”

Fran Mether, Innovation & Design Lead, Arteri

“Whynde Kuehn is a master at bringing you along with her on a journey that stretches your thinking and understanding about how organizations succeed. You will begin to question what you thought you knew about strategy and organizational transformations as you are guided to see the blueprints required to define, measure, and track success. Strategy to Reality engages you in a conversational work of genius that simplifies complex topics and gives you straight, practical answers on how to solve challenges for your team/organization. Whynde is a selfless guide devoting herself to the betterment of business architecture for all interested in learning and listening. Her podcasts provide quick bursts of priceless knowledge and share information in fun, quirky ways. I have personally had the pleasure of working with Whynde over two decades and across multiple companies. She has a passion to provide global leadership supporting non-profit and for-profit organizations to advance their strategies. Her approach is personable and professional. If seeking support for defining, measuring, or developing your strategies and ensuring successful executives, Whynde can get you there.”

Janel Bommaiah, Program Manager, IT Applications, First American Title – National Commercial Services

“Bridging the gap between the theory and practice of Business Architecture can sometimes be a daunting task. At least that was my early experience in the practice. However, engaging Whynde Kuehn made all the difference! Whynde’s pragmatic approach to business architecture and engaging personal style, help take the concepts of the practice and make them real. She tailors her approach, understanding her audience and bringing them along on a journey to realizing the true value business architecture can bring to their organization. I am so excited that Whynde is bringing her wealth of understanding and depth of practical experience on this topic to the world, through her book, Strategy to Reality. This is a recommended read for anybody looking to further explore the practice of business architecture; gain understanding of the concepts that make up the practice; add a few tools and templates to their business architecture toolkit; and answer questions about how to make it real in their organization. Let Whynde be your Sherpa as she expertly guides you through the wonders of the business architecture world and makes it real for you and your organization!”

Barbara J. Leisle, Director, Portfolio Architecture, Canada Life Assurance Company

“I’ve interacted with Whynde Kuehn in multiple learning experiences, as well as in a professional capacity. It’s no surprise that she possesses a wealth of knowledge about the business architecture profession, given her background. Her gift though is her willingness and desire to share that knowledge in so many ways with the rest of the world. Whynde’s engagement in multiple training offerings, learning cohorts, mentoring, volunteer events and pure giving enable that knowledge to spread and deliver value to those who need it most. In keeping with the key tenet of business architecture, that of value delivery, Whynde has the ability to distill incredibly complex content to a variety of audiences that interact with business architecture and its practitioners to ensure the messaging hits home. In reviewing Strategy to Reality, there is no mistake that Whynde is clearly defining the WHY’s of business architecture with organization value propositions and then giving the guidance to focus on the right things…whether as a CEO or a business architect practitioner. There’s no mistaking the fact that Whynde continues to bring her knowledge, heart, and passion forward. Only the medium of her first book has changed.”

Doug Goldberg, Sr Architect, Cargill, Inc

“Whynde is probably the most passionate and driven professional I have met in my career. She is simply fantastic to work and has a unique ability to connect and decompose the abstract concepts of business architecture to a simple to follow, consumable real world format. She has created tremendous value to the field of business architecture through her contributions and thought leadership. I have personally referenced artefacts created by Whynde such as StraightTalk and other business architecture articles and white papers published on Biz Arch Mastery as well as those published with the Business Architecture Guild. Being a part of the network of business architects led by Whynde is one of the best decisions I have made in my career as it has truly contributed to my learning and growth. Whynde has been a key influencer to shape my career into a successful business architecture professional. ”

Amrutha Suresh, Enterprise Business Architect

“Whynde has provided exceptional guidance to Cutter clients, across many years and industry sectors, helping them to establish and/or mature their business architecture practices. Without exception, executives and teams alike are effusive in their praise of Whynde, based not only on the stellar results her work generates, but also because of Whynde’s unique style. Part of this is her enthusiasm and authentic desire to help clients succeed. But, equally important, while she has a deep understanding and appreciation for the merit of all business architecture practices, she tempers this with pragmatism and flexibility, adjusting to fit each client organization’s reality. Never giving up on the need to focus on value, Whynde has been known to adopt a building the plane while flying approach when appropriate—just enough architecture, just in time, as the client’s strategic milestones require. Equally important, she ensures the success of business architecture initiatives by ensuring the practice’s role is closely integrated with other teams, building the partnerships needed to clinch organization-wide acceptance, and fostering teams that are business-leaning with just the right balance of architectural rigor. It’s exciting to think that readers can now tap into Whynde’s wisdom, experience, and vision via Strategy to Reality to translate their strategies into action! ”

Karen Coburn, CEO, Cutter Consortium, an Arthur D. Little Company

“Architecture has always been a challenge for business and technology organizations. The problem hasn’t been how to create architecture, but rather, how to make it relevant to rest of the organization, especially to the business. Over the past decade, business architecture’s focus on business, not IT, has made great progress in providing transparency and objectiveness to business decision makers and improving the execution of business strategy. Yet still, as John Maynard Keynes said: “The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones.” Success requires not only creating effective business architecture, but as important, making it, and the architecture program, deliver sustainable value to the organization. In this insightful text, Whynde Kuehn distills her extensive experience as a master business architect and change leader to guide organizations through all aspects of the challenge and truly turn strategy into reality.”

Mike Rosen, Author, Enterprise and Business Architecture Thought Leader

“Business leaders are aware that navigating the business' ecosystem can be complex. And that the transformation journey from strategy to execution can be a challenge. From the start, strategic planning gave us the $10 maps to navigate this journey. Now, business architecture provides the GPS (extra layers and depth) to those maps. Strategy to Reality lays out the essentials for the business architecture practice and for assembling your A(rchitecture)-team who'll help you navigate on the road to results.”

Keen Gutierrez, Business Architecture Practitioner (Logistics and Supply Chain)

“Whynde Kuehn brings clarity to the practice and tools of business architecture and how the discipline can provide value to the business. Using a light touch and easy language, Ms. Kuehn demystifies the, for many, elusive term of business architecture. Through a series of Q&As, the book helps business leaders and managers understand why they should invest in business architecture. Based on her experience as a practitioner, consultant, and community beacon, she shares her insights into the opportunities and challenges of embarking on the business architecture journey, and how to enjoy the ride.”

Runar J. Solberg, Business Architect, Statnett SF and Ph.D. candidate, The School of Economics and Business at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (HH-NMBU)

“As a business architecture practitioner, mentor, and instructor, I find that one of the main challenges for many of us is to speak to and demonstrate the value of business architecture in a way that resonates with executives and decision makers. With decades of experience and vast knowledge of business architecture, Whynde Kuehn, in Strategy to Reality, provides by far the most comprehensive view into the art and science of business architecture, as the cornerstone of successful execution and enablement of business strategies. Whynde is an internationally recognized thought leader and influencer in the business architecture field. Her dedication and passion for business architecture has truly taken the whole community to the next level of maturity. Strategy to Reality is indeed a major milestone and a source of inspiration for all of us who believe in and strive to challenge the status quo and elevate the business architecture position as a strategic discipline; a discipline that's vital to the success of organizations in today's more-than-ever changing business ecosystems. Thank you, Whynde!”

NAVID KHERADMAND, FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, ARCHIST

See what leaders and change-makers are saying about Whynde Kuehn and her book, Strategy to Reality.

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