Kurt Van der Veken Proposal research approach, 17th of October 2012 Enterprise Architecture modeling...

Kurt Van der Veken

Proposal research approach, 17th of October 2012

Enterprise Architecture modeling to support collaborationThe ArchiMate language as a tool for communication

Master of Science Business Process Management and IT

T.89.3.17

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Contents

Introduction Business Process Management & IT Step by step

Enterprise Architecture in a nutshell What is EA? Goal of EA

EA modeling What is EA modeling? The ArchiMate Language ArchiMate & TOGAF

Research Exploring possibilities for research Concepts & relations Research design Who/How

Enterprise Architecture modeling to support collaboration - The ArchiMate language as a tool for communication

Interviewing Initial interviews Interview Categorization concepts Hypothesizes relationships

Reflections so far… Step by step General

Questions

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Business Process Management & IT


Information & process architecture Project management: Implementing ERP

systems Web services and application integration Practicum: ICT-management audit Business Processes Document management Software management Design with Business Rules

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Introduction

Thesis supervisors dr. ir. F.J.M. Mofers (Frans)dr. J.C.S.P. van der Woude (Jaap)

Examinator dr. ir. F.J.M. Mofers (Frans) Education BPMIT – Computer Science Enterprise Architecture modeling to support

collaborationThe ArchiMate language as a tool for communication


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Introduction

Step 0: Request to start the thesis Step 1: Provisional research proposal (5%) Step 2: Literature study (35%) Step 3: Final research proposal (5%) Step 4: Formulating research approach

(20%) Step 5: Executing the empirical research

(17,5%) Step 6: Writing the report (16%) Step 7: Presenting the report (Examination) Enterprise Architecture modeling to support collaboration - The ArchiMate language as a tool

for communication

Step by step

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Enterprise Architecture in a nutshell


What is Enterprise Architecture?

Enterprise Architecture is a new field or discipline which guides the design of business processes and information systems for an enterprise.

As an organizational role, EA is positioned between IT and business, strategy formulation on the one hand, and project-focused solution architecting (sometimes called system architecting) on the other (Tamm, Seddon, Shanks, & Reynolds, 2011).

Compared to other fields, for example the construction industry, architecture has been used in the design and construction of all size buildings. Architects use standard symbols that can be recognized and understood by all members of their industry to carry out the construction work (Chen, et al., 2008). The discipline EA is still much in development and no accepted standards exist today throughout different enterprises.

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Enterprise Architecture in a nutshell


Enterprise Architecture – defintions

Dynamic Architecture (DYA) uses the following definition: "A coherent whole of principles and models that provide guidance to the design and realization of processes, organizational structure, information management and technical infrastructure of an organization" (Berg & Steenbergen, 2004).

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Enterprise Architecture in a nutshellEnterprise Architecture – goal

The dream of every CEO is to have one standardized, integrated, flexible and manageable landscape of aligned business and IT processes, systems and procedures. Having complete control over all projects implementing changes in that landscape so that they deliver solutions that perfectly fit the corporate and IT change strategies, makes this dream complete (van der Raadt & van Vliet, 2008).

Today many organizations are struggling with changes in the organization by the increasing complexity of IT systems and business processes, and have problems keeping an overview of how the enterprise functions.Enterprise Architecture is a discipline that can assist in creating a clear understanding between stakeholders about the processes, IT infrastructure, technology and applications within an enterprise.This clear understanding will make an enterprise agile and flexible and grants them the opportunity to adapt to the ever changing market and can assist in maintaining compliance.


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Enterprise Architecture modeling

An enterprise model is an abstraction of how the enterprise conducts its business and it is built from various points of view (Adigun & Biyela, 2003).

The requirements for a EA modeling can be summarized as the following (Clark, et al., 2011) To support decision making, an EA language requires that the

notation will support the decision-maker’s goals, the domain in which the decision is required and the causal relations between that which is controlled and the decision.

The language must display precision such that there is clarity on any of the represented concepts.

The language must exhibit behavioral semantics – that is support how concepts affect each other as a result of actions.

The language must support representation of concepts at different levels of abstraction.

What is EA modeling?


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If every domain speaks its own language, draws its own models, and uses its own techniques and tools. Communication and decision making across domains is seriously impaired (Marc M. Lankhorst, 2004)


Why use EA modeling


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Enterprise Architecture modelingThe ArchiMate language

ArchiMate was developed to enable expression of business processes and their IT support in an easily understandable way (without low-level implementation details): visualization, analysis, communication, realization and management of architectures. ArchiMate also complements TOGAF by offering generic concepts that enable creation of consistent and integrated models that appropriately communicate TOGAF architecture views and enable communication and decision making across organization domains (Nakakawa, et al., 2011).

In a short time, ArchiMate has become the open standard for architecture modeling in the Netherlands, it is also fairly well known in the international enterprise architecture community, and recently it has been brought under the aegis of The Open Group (OpenGroup, 2011).

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ArchiMate & TOGAF


Now with the most recent release Archimate 2.0 that was published by The Open Group, there is even a better match between TOGAF and ADM by incorporating extensions like “Implementation and Migration” and Motivation in the language.

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Research

Within the Open Universiteit (Mofers & Woude, 2011) the following approaches of EA get attention for research: The setting of a framework through architecture (EA

principles) mainly for the business & information related to business rules, which is more or less comparable to a top down specification.

The architecture modeling approach (Archimate, Togaf) mainly used in the field of Information & Technology and related to system design, which, in relation to the models, can have a more bottom-up structure.

The architecture modeling approach is the starting point for the thesis, but the goal is to go further than just the field of Information & Technology. The research will be focused on collaborating trough the use of EA models not only for the ICT department, but also for different departments or business units within an enterprise.


Exploring possibilities for research @ the Open Universiteit

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Can an organization support communication and collaboration by using Enterprise Architecture modeling?


Concepts & relations

Research

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Research design

Research

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Research


Who & how

Financial Service Provider By doing System engineer Application developer Business Process documentation expert Head of technolgy Head of product management

Human Resources company By comparing modeling technique Enterprise Architect Manager Enterprise architecture team

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Interviewing


Initial interviews Creating a baseline. Testing concepts & relations (Without ArchiMate).

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Interviewing


Interviews Comparing with the baseline. Testing concepts & relations (With ArchiMate).

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Interviewing


Categorisation concepts & questions – Round 1

Do you have general overview of the documentation/models used in other departements? How do you currently use documentation/models for collaborating?

(Eg. During the initiation of a project, checking compliancy, troubleshooting …) Are the documents/models previously mentioned used only within your team or are they used

over the different teams in the enterprise? Do the models/documents support collaboration over multiple teams? Is it clear how these models/documentation link together with other models/documentation?

(eg. With the product management overview…Dependecies…) Is there a need to improve the current approach and documenting in relationship to

collaboration?

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Interviewing



How do you currently use documentation/models for communication? Do you use documentation/models created in other departements? Are these models/documents used as a means for communication with partners, customers &

employees? Are these models/documents used as a means for communication during the initiation of projects? What is represented in these documents/models?

(Eg. Network schemes, business processes, UML, workflows, policies & rules…) What level of detail are the models? (High level of abstraction versus detailed views) Are the models suited for the purpose of analyzing the impact of changes in the environment?

(What, why & who is impacted with changes.) Is there a need to improve the current approach of documenting in relationship to communication?

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Interviewing



Based on existing documentation/models can you identify who (stakeholders) needs to be involved during the initiation of a project?

Can all stakeholders understand the models & documentation? Where relevant stakeholders involved with the creation of the documentation or models? Is the documentation easily retrievable for the stakeholders? Is there a need to improve the current approach of modeling and documenting in relation

to getting more involvement of stakeholders? Is there a need to improve the current approach of modeling and documenting in relation

to be able to identify stakeholders in projects?

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Interviewing



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Interviewing


Categorisation concepts & questions – Round 1Shared Understanding - Processes Do you think that other stakeholders know about, agree on and understand the documentation/models of

the most important business processes in the organization? Do you know about, agree on and understand the documentation/models of the most important business

processes in the organization? Is there a need to have models with a high level abstraction of the most important business processes? Can these documents/models be used to present these business processes to stakeholders?

Shared Understanding - Systems Do you think that other stakeholders know of, agree on and understand the documentation/models of

application components and technology or infrastructure related to the main business processes? (Eg FE, BE, fraud module; IDS, WAF,FW, servers)

Do you know of, agree on and understand the documentation/models of application components and technology or infrastructure related to the main business processes? (Eg FE, BE, fraud module; IDS, WAF,FW, servers)

Is there a need to have application and technology models with a high abstraction level for the most important business processes?

Can these documents/models be used to present these application and technology models to stakeholders?

Shared Understanding - Concerns Can stakeholders concerns be identified in the models & documentation be identified in the initiation of a

project? (In which documents is this listed, eg. Policy documents.) Is there a need to improve the current approach of modeling and documenting in relationship to

identifying potential concerns of stakeholders ?

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Interviewing


Hypothesizes relationships & questions – Round 1

Efficient communication supports creating and maintaining shared understanding for stakeholders & architects (H1).

Do you think that improving the communication between the different stakeholders in the organization would lead to more shared understanding? (eg. *Creating a consensus on the importance and priority of changes and projects within the organization. *Getting a beter understanding how the enterprise works)

Shared understanding leads to more effective collaboration for stakeholders & architects (H2).

If shared understanding is maintained or obtained by models/documents, do you expect that the collaboration between stakeholders would be more effective?(eg. When implementing changes, starting projects…)

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Interviewing


Hypothesizes relationships & questions – Round 2

The ArchiMate language can be used as a tool for communication (H3).

EA-modeling supports effective collaboration for stakeholders & architects (H4).

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Reflections so far…

Step 0: Request to start the thesis Positive experience, provided clear arguments why EA.

Step 1: Provisional research proposal (5%) Took longer than expected, impossible in 20 hours.

Step 2: Literature study (35%) Books as foundation // articles for in-depth OU online library

Step 3: Final research proposal (5%) Iterative, not final until the research approach is final

Step 4: Formulating research approach (20%) A lot of brainstorming is required, discussing with the

promoters is very important. (Requires time…) How to be as objective as possible.


Step by step

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Reflections so far…

Hard to combine graduating with a full-time job and family life.

Knowledge on EA increased, but general insight in analyzing problems is increased even more.

“Step by step” versus “Two steps forwards one step back” Planning.

Difficult to be accurate due to the iterative character of doing research and limited previous experience with research.

Hope to stick with the initial plan to finish the thesis in March/April.

Finding participants for the research went better than expected.

Limited coaching by the promoters was necessary for me.


General

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Questions?


Kurt Van der Veken Proposal research approach, 17th of October 2012 Enterprise Architecture modeling...

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