REAL Talk With Sam Holcman
R.E.A.L. - Realistic, Enabling, Actionable, Logical. Every day we hear jargon and see writing from so-called “experts,” and we don’t know what we should follow and what we should avoid. Published practices aren’t always best practices! Listen to episodes from Sam Holcman’s radio show, webinars, and podcasts, Real Talk with Sam Holcman. Each episode gets to the bottom of what business executives, managers, practitioners, and staff actually need to create innovative solutions that deliver- no utopia required. This business podcast provides practice-based insights into business transformation, enterprise architecture, business architecture, organizational transformation, and technology transformation based on real-world practices. We provide you with insights that can provide true value to organizations and individuals that face today’s and tomorrow’s competitive pressures and provide a usable takeaway from each program.
Episodes

32 minutes ago
32 minutes ago
The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop Enterprise Architectures (EA) is attempting to transform the field, but it comes at a cost: a noticeable decline in traditional EA competency and growing skepticism among stakeholders as to the worth of Enterprise Architecture. Contemporary Enterprise Architects expertise is no longer just a nice-to-have - it is a strategic imperative for any organization seeking to thrive in an AI-driven world.

5 days ago
5 days ago
This is a post from Peter Kinev that I will be embellishing a bit. Somehow, over time, Enterprise Architecture has developed a language of its own. A language that seems more designed to deflect than to inform. I think it is time we change the narrative.

6 days ago
6 days ago
This historical synergy between engineering and manufacturing int the industrial age offers a powerful analogy for understanding the complementary relationship between EACOE Architecture Models and EACOE Implementation Models for Enterprise Architecture, in the EACOE methodology for Enterprise Architecture (EA). Just as the collaboration between engineers and manufacturers powered the Industrial Revolution, the partnership between EACOE architecture models and EACOE implementation models is crucial for successful enterprise transformation. One without the other is incomplete: architecture without implementation remains theoretical, while implementation without architecture risks inefficiency and misalignment.

Saturday Jun 21, 2025
Saturday Jun 21, 2025
This somewhat extended broadcast of Real Talk brings forward the fundamental truth facing success use of AI – most organizations data is not at all ready for use in AI (or for that matter, decision making outside of AI). You will hear a bit of sarcasm in my voice, and at the end, yes a commercial on how to actually build a quality data environment. Wishing it were not true, will not make it so.

Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
Tuesday Jun 17, 2025
In the quest to optimize budgets, many organizations focus heavily on minimizing upfront costs - especially when it comes to Enterprise Architecture training, and certification decisions. However, prioritizing initial cost savings above all else can be a risky strategy, often leading to long-term inefficiencies, increased risks, and diminished personal, professional and organizational credibility.

Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
How do you get someone to click on your article, product version, advertisement, or post? Just put AI or artificial intelligence in the headlines. Click bait has been around since the advent of the internet. But you need to read past the headline to understand what actually it takes to “use” AI – Data, as this broadcast describes with an actual example.

Friday Jun 06, 2025
Friday Jun 06, 2025
With the advent of the internet, LinkedIn, Facebook, Artificial Intelligence, etc., behind all of these are people. Well, who are these people, what are their “characteristics”, how do we recognize them, and who should we pay attention to? This broadcast outlines these types of people, with a bit of humor, yet serious tone.

Wednesday Jun 04, 2025
Wednesday Jun 04, 2025
We explore the analogy between the agility of a salad bar - where a chef or diners assemble custom salads from a variety of ingredients - and the use of the EACOE Enterprise Architecture (EA) Framework and its elements to assemble business solutions, as opposed to traditional computer programming or coding.
This paradigm shift, from crafting each solution from the ground up to assembling from a menu of well-defined options, underpins modern approaches to both dining and enterprise technology.

Monday Jun 02, 2025
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Planned obsolescence in Enterprise Architecture or Business Architecture certification takes on a unique - and often contentious form, when certifying bodies release a new version of a credential, effectively rendering previous versions less valuable or even obsolete, despite earlier assurances of permanence or lifetime validity. This scenario can have significant repercussions for certified professionals and organizations alike. One indicator of this phenomenon is a certification that is attached to a named and indicated certification version number.

Thursday May 29, 2025
Thursday May 29, 2025
An often-cited Wayne Gretzky quote applies perfectly here: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” In Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture, this means developing architectures that identify possible future trends, rather than just reacting to what’s already happening.