Case USA94: How a Co-Working Network Substituted Access Apps for Enterprise Architecture Maturity
- Sunil Dutt Jha
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
Overview:
This case is part of a 100-diagnostic series revealing how workspace providers have mislabeled member-facing convenience tools as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”
In national coworking networks, a recurring pattern is treating space access and booking apps as proof of architectural maturity.
Members could book meeting rooms, unlock doors with mobile passes, and manage accounts through an app — yet the enterprise structure linking pricing models, occupancy management, member lifecycle, partner services, and financial reporting 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): App adoption was celebrated as a digital transformation win, but no architecture-led plan tied it to profitability, retention, or service scalability.
P2 (Process): Room booking and check-in flows were automated, but move-in/out, dispute resolution, and partner service integration were inconsistent.
P3 (System): Access and booking apps weren’t behaviorally integrated with CRM, billing, or support platforms.
P4 (Component): Door controllers, booking software, billing engines, and CRM modules were governed independently.
P5 (Implementation): Frequent app feature releases overshadowed foundational system integration work.
P6 (Operations): Business ops could monitor occupancy in real time, but tech ops manually resolved mismatched member entitlements and billing records.
Stakeholder Impact Summary:
CEO/Network Founder – accountable for brand growth and profitability: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — convenience features drive adoption but don’t improve long-term unit economics.
CIO – responsible for IT systems and integrations: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — identity, access, and billing are not governed through a unified architecture.
Sales Head (Enterprise Accounts Manager) – manages corporate client relationships: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can offer booking convenience but can’t ensure cross-location service consistency.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures the operating model aligns with strategic and operational goals: Confronts P1–P6 issues — “app-first” thinking leaves enterprise workflows fragmented.
Head of Portfolio Operations – oversees daily space and service delivery: Feels P2, P3, & P6 — must manually reconcile member access with billing and support, especially across multiple sites.
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