"When systems don't align, people start getting creative ... often with Excel."

As organizations grow, their digital landscapes often become increasingly complex. Systems no longer align seamlessly with processes, and practical workarounds start to appear. This challenge formed the starting point of the seventh Digital Transformation Community (DTC) event at TU/e, centred around the theme “Digital Architecture: From Excel workarounds to seamless integration.”

A familiar problem for many participants quickly surfaced: when systems do not align well with organizational needs, employees find their own solutions. “When applications are not well aligned with each other or with the organization, people start messing with Excel to make things work,” says Remco Dijkman. While effective in the moment, these workarounds often introduce inefficiencies and risks.

The event brought together researchers, industry professionals and students to explore how digital architecture can provide structure and direction. Talks from academia and industry highlighted how organizations can better align their application landscape with business goals, while also addressing the human and organizational side of transformation.

A key element of the afternoon was the interactive workshop on the skills of future digital architects. Industry participants emphasized the importance of challenge-based learning: helping students not only understand concepts, but also experience the complexity of real digital environments and learn how to organize them.

This exchange reflects the broader role of the Digital Transformation Community. By connecting researchers, students and practitioners, the community creates a collaborative environment to share knowledge and co-develop methods and tools for digital transformation. The goal is to support organizations in navigating digitalization and translating it into sustainable impact

Participants left with new insights they could apply directly, such as using a clear overview of organizational capabilities as a basis for structuring applications. It is this combination of practical relevance, academic insight and interaction that makes the DTC a valuable network for organizations looking to move forward in digital transformation.