Case USA106: How a Co-Working Network Substituted Space Booking Platforms for Enterprise Architecture Structure
- Sunil Dutt Jha
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
Overview:
This case is part of a 120-diagnostic series revealing how workspace operators have mislabeled front-end booking convenience as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”
In national co-working chains, a recurring pattern is treating space booking platforms as proof of architectural maturity.
Members could reserve desks or meeting rooms via an app, usage analytics improved, and cross-location access expanded — yet the enterprise structure linking pricing strategy, occupancy optimization, member lifecycle, partner services, and financial performance was never modeled.
P1–P6 Insight Preview:
These six perspectives define how an enterprise connects intent to execution
— P1: Strategy, P2: Business Processes, P3: System Behaviors, P4: Component Governance, P5: Implementation, P6: Business & Technology Operations.
P1 (Strategy): Platform adoption was promoted as a digital success, but no architecture-led plan tied it to retention, profitability, or multi-location service consistency.
P2 (Process): Booking and check-in workflows were optimized, but dispute handling, membership changes, and partner service delivery remained inconsistent.
P3 (System): Booking platforms weren’t behaviorally integrated with CRM, billing, and facility management systems.
P4 (Component): Access control, scheduling modules, billing engines, and CRM were governed independently, causing misalignment.
P5 (Implementation): Development sprints focused on user features while foundational integration backlog items were delayed.
P6 (Operations): Business ops could track usage in real time, but tech ops frequently reconciled mismatches between booking records, member entitlements, and invoices.
Stakeholder Impact Summary:
CEO/Network CEO – accountable for brand growth and profitability: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — convenience features grow adoption but don’t improve long-term economics or service standardization.
CIO – responsible for IT systems and integration: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — core systems lack unified governance, increasing operational friction.
Sales Head (Enterprise Accounts Manager) – manages corporate client contracts: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can promise flexibility but can’t ensure seamless cross-site service delivery.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures operational model aligns with strategy and service delivery: Confronts P1–P6 issues — booking is digitized, but enterprise workflows remain siloed.
Head of Facility Operations – oversees day-to-day space readiness and service execution: Feels P2, P3, & P6 — must manually fix access and billing mismatches, especially for high-value clients.
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