Removing the barriers to the architecture discipline

Have you ever been confused by jargon-y architect language? Things like “TOGAF”, “BPMN”, and “UML” — what do they mean, and why do they matter? Or suffered through a system implementation that had a lot of upfront planning, but ended up with scope creep?

Welcome to the What’s Your Baseline Podcast, where we explore these topics and more. This podcast is about Enterprise Architecture and Business Process Management, and how you can set up your practice to get the most out of it.

It is for:

  • newbies who just get started with these topics,
  • organizations who want to improve their EA/BPM groups and the value that they get from it,
  • as well as practitioners who want to get a different perspective and care about the discipline.

So what can you expect here? Each episode, we’ll be diving into a topic that is relevant for you. What it is, why it’s interesting and why you should care. We’ll also share stories from the road – how to implement best practices, and their value.

Join us on this bi-weekly journey with the What’s Your Baseline Podcast and companion blog.

Best EA Podcast for 3 Years in a Row!

Latest episodes

Have you noticed transformation fatigue in your organization? The feeling that you run faster and faster, and have to do more with less, while you don't accomplish the results of the changes that you were out for?Well, one aspect of that might be that you haven't “picked up” the folks in your organization where they are, and now they are working silently against the positive change that you want to instill. In the past, this was a simple concept, but today it is difficult to manage. That is why we invited Neelesh to our show so that he can share his years of org change management experience with us.Neelesh is an Operational Excellence Leader with 18+ years of experience driving enterprise-wide transformation, automation, and performance optimization for Fortune 500 firms in financial services, banking, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and high-tech. He's a proven expert in end-to-end process improvement, digital transformation, intelligent automation, and large-scale operational strategy, leading global teams to streamline workflows, enhance efficiency, and reduce costs. Neelesh specializes in scaling process excellence initiatives, integrating AI, process mining, and automation to drive sustainable business impact.In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about:Neelesh's backgroundThe resistance to change — the “why” … and the lack of a “change muscle” in organizationsDid the approach to OCM change over the years?The change curve and the “never-ending change” today — take a break and celebrate milestonesHow can change be decelerated to a more “human pace”? (Spoiler alert: not likely)Best practices in OCMSetting up communities / safe spaceThe role of managers in change — bottom-up vs. top-down changesNeelesh is active on LinkedIn and can be reached here: linkedin.com/in/neeleshharmalker.Please reach out to us by either sending an email to hello@whatsyourbaseline.com or sign up for our newsletter and get informed when we publish new episodes here: https://www.whatsyourbaseline.com/subscribe/.
  1. Ep.91 – Leading Effective Change: Neelesh Harmalker
  2. Ep. 90 – Legacy Modernization: Kastin Deal
  3. Ep. 89 – Business Process Management Trends: Zbigniew Misiak
  4. Ep. 88 – AI-Driven Task Mining: Tuhin Chakraborty⁠
  5. Ep. 87 – Process Management Education: Matúš Mala
  6. Ep. 86 – Successful Architecture Implementation (Roland wrote a book)

See more episodes

Meet your hosts

This podcast is hosted by Roland Woldt and J-M Erlendson, two experienced consultants with decades of experience in large consulting firms and tool vendors.

About Roland

Roland is the main author of this site and the podcast host.

He is a well-rounded executive with 25+ years of Business / Digital Transformation consulting and software development / system implementation experience, in addition to leadership positions within the German Armed Forces (11 years).

He has worked as a Team Lead, Engagement / Program Manager, and Enterprise / Solution Architect on many projects. Within these projects, he was responsible for the full project life cycle, from shaping a solution and selling it, to setting up a methodological approach through design, implementation, and testing, up to the roll-out of solutions.

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About J-M

J-M Erlendson

J-M is the co-host of the podcast, and is a Business Process Architect, Methodology Specialist, Conference Speaker, and Transformation Engineering Lead with over 15 years of experience in Business Process Management (BPM), Enterprise Architecture, Supply Chain Management, and Project Management. He helps clients develop and implement business process frameworks, hone process-centric strategies, and execute process improvement and architecture modernization projects. 

He is a leader in business, founding and running multiple highly successful independent arts companies and charities.

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Meet our interview guests

Here are the guest on our show so far. Click on an image to open the episode in a new tab.

What others say

Praveen Edwin

Praveen Edwin

The What’s Your Baseline? podcast is a tool I keep in my back pocket to navigate the challenges in an ever-changing business technical ecosystem.

 

The podcast episodes cover topics that are relevant to business process management, process optimization and enterprise architecture domains.

 

The podcast gives me an immediate perspective on how, as an enterprise architect, I should look at these topics with a lens to see where and how it applies within my landscape.

Praveen Edwin

Reddy Ice
Jose Pires

José Pires

Enterprise Architecture and Process Management nowadays are filled with technical jargon, which is an unnecessary obstacle for organizations and professionals who want to get started or stand up their own practices effectively and efficiently.

The What’s Your Baseline podcast demystifies these disciplines with clear information and targeted advice. In addition to architecture-relevant topics, the podcast includes culture, business, and digital transformation practical insights that will help you run your practice better.

Roland and J-M also have great chemistry, which makes listening to their show both valuable and entertaining.

José Pires

Excellence & Innovation
Helge Hess

Dr. Helge Hess

In a business world deluged by so many buzzwords, clarity is power. That is exactly the value that the podcast ‘What’s your Baseline?’ delivers.

The two hosts Roland and J-M have decades of practical experience in the fields of Business Process Management and Enterprise Architecture and manage not only to explain theoretical concepts, but also to show the very concrete practical benefits for companies on their way to Operational Excellence.

A must-hear for all BPM/EA stakeholders!

Dr. Helge Hess

Software AG
Kevin Scully

Kevin Scully

Whats Your Baseline tackles the myths and facts of the multi-billion dollar Process Intelligence market; covering topics such as Task Mining, Process Discovery, Process Mining, Process Modeling and RPA.

Roland and J-M, with their guests, provide valuable insight into the nuances of each approach to better understand how to optimize business processes. Using a medical simile, process mining provides the “prognosis” and RPA provides the “medicine.”

It’s refreshing to hear from experts who have been in the trenches versus industry analysts who just review spreadsheets and hearsay.

Kevin Scully

Kryon
Nina Bourgeois

Nina Bourgeois

In a world where podcasts have become more and more popular, it is hard to find one that is informational, provides transparency, and has facts from experts in the field.

The “What’s Your Baseline?” podcast provides valuable insight into the Business Process Management and Enterprise Architecture world. It uncovers multitudes of questions one may have, and secrets to help one succeed in this space. It is the perfect on-the-go podcast for someone who is looking to learn more without having to get on a call with a sales person. J-M and Roland have 15-25 years of success in the field.

This is a must-listen to podcast for anyone looking for something relatable and to keep them hooked!

Nina Bourgeois

Zuora
Jakub Dvorak

Jakub Dvořák

Despite competing for every valuable minute of listeners’ time in an already crowded podcast scene, it’s always a pleasure to compliment a show of people who are as passionate about their work as you are.

And I can honestly say that it is precisely what I feel from Roland and his co-host J-M on the What’s Your Baseline podcast. It’s a great show about the fascinating world of BPM!

Jakub Dvořák

Process& - Host of the Mining Your Business podcast

Where to find us?

The What’s Your Baseline Podcast can be found on all major platforms. Click on an icon below or search in your favorite podcasting app.

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