Critical Issues in Enterprise Architecting – A Literature Review

Enterprise Architecture (EA) has been identified as a means to Business-/IT-Alignment, cost reduction or to facilitate change. Research has been focusing on the effectiveness of EA management while the enterprise architecting process is the process of developing, managing, utilizing and maintaining architectural descriptions (ADs) for EA. In this paper we present the results of a literature review on the process of enterprise architecting. Our research contribution is a consolidated view on the challenges and issues arising throughout the architecting process

Computational Enterprise Modeling and Simulation: Enabling Enterprise Performance Improvement, Modernization and Transformation

Lean Advancement Initiative Annual Conference presentatio

Enterprise Architecture Modeling, Design and Transformation: Defining the Missing Links

Outline - • Propose a unifying conceptual framework guiding the “front-end” of planned enterprise change (transformation) management process • Enterprise architecture design process (enterprise architecting) • Choice of enterprise architecture for emphasis • Enterprise architecture modeling strategies • Transition moves available for enterprise transformation • Show how the framework links together a number of the key design decisions that need to be considered simultaneously, under alternative combinations of major contingency condition

Search-based system architecture development using a holistic modeling approach

This dissertation presents an innovative approach to system architecting where search algorithms are used to explore design trade space for good architecture alternatives. Such an approach is achieved by integrating certain model construction, alternative generation, simulation, and assessment processes into a coherent and automated framework. This framework is facilitated by a holistic modeling approach that combines the capabilities of Object Process Methodology (OPM), Colored Petri Net (CPN), and feature model. The resultant holistic model can not only capture the structural, behavioral, and dynamic aspects of a system, allowing simulation and strong analysis methods to be applied, it can also specify the architectural design space. Both object-oriented analysis and design (OOA/D) and domain engineering were exploited to capture design variables and their domains and define architecture generation operations. A fully realized framework (with genetic algorithms as the search algorithm) was developed. Both the proposed framework and its suggested implementation, including the proposed holistic modeling approach and architecture alternative generation operations, are generic. They are targeted at systems that can be specified using object-oriented or process-oriented paradigm. The broad applicability of the proposed approach is demonstrated on two examples. One is the configuration of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) under multi-objective optimization and the other is the architecture design of a manned lunar landing system for the Apollo program. The test results show that the proposed approach can cover a huge number of architecture alternatives and support the assessment of several performance measures. A set of quality results was obtained after running the optimization algorithm following the proposed framework --Abstract, page iii

Assessing system architectures: the Canonical Decomposition Fuzzy Comparative methodology

The impacts of decisions made during the selection of the system architecture propagate throughout the entire system lifecycle. The challenge for system architects is to perform a realistic assessment of an inherently ambiguous system concept. Subject matter expert interpretations, intuition, and heuristics are performed quickly and guide system development in the right overall direction, but these methods are subjective and unrepeatable. Traditional analytical assessments dismiss complexity in a system by assuming severability between system components and are intolerant of ambiguity. To be defensible, a suitable methodology must be repeatable, analytically rigorous, and yet tolerant of ambiguity. The hypothesis for this research is that an architecture assessment methodology capable of achieving these objectives is possible by drawing on the strengths of existing approaches while addressing their collective weaknesses. The proposed methodology is the Canonical Decomposition Fuzzy Comparative approach. The theoretical foundations of this methodology are developed and tested through the assessment of three physical architectures for a peer-to-peer wireless network. An extensible modeling framework is established to decompose high-level system attributes into technical performance measures suitable for analysis via computational modeling. Canonical design primitives are used to assess antenna performance in the form of a comparative analysis between the baseline free space gain patterns and the installed gain patterns. Finally, a fuzzy inference system is used to interpret the comparative feature set and offer a numerical assessment. The results of this experiment support the hypothesis that the proposed methodology is well suited for exposing integration sensitivity and assessing coupled performance in physical architecture concepts --Abstract, page iii

Goal-oriented requirements modeling as a means to address stakeholder-related issues in EA

In this paper we explore goal-oriented requirements engineering (GORE) as a means to address stakeholder-related issues in the enterprise architecting process. We elaborate on a recent literature analysis on enterprise architecting issues. We refine this literature analysis results by identifying problem areas that we consider solvable by increasing the focus on the stakeholders in EA. We develop a conceptual model, which we use to provide reasoning about means to foster stakeholder orientation and thereby to address stakeholder-related issues. We argue that a stronger focus on the stakeholders‟ benefits EA and that this increased stakeholder orientation can be reached by leveraging intentional modeling used in software engineering

A Process-oriented Approach for Migrating Software to Heterogeneous Platforms

Context: Heterogeneous computing, i.e., computing performed on processors of different types - such as combination of CPUs and GPUs, or CPUs and FPGAs - has shown to be a feasible path towards higher performance and less energy consumption. However, this approach imposes a number of challenges on the software side that must be addressed in order to achieve the aforementioned advantages.Objective: The objective of this thesis is to improve the process of software deployment on heterogeneous platforms. Through a detailed analysis of the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice, we aim to provide a reasoning framework for engineers to migrate software to be executed on such platforms.Method: To achieve our goal, we conducted: (i) a literature review in the form of a systematic mapping study on software deployment on heterogeneous platforms; (ii) a multiple case study in industry that highlights the main challenges and concerns in the state-of-the-practice in the area; and (iii) a study in which we propose and evaluate a decision framework to guide engineers in migrating software for execution on heterogeneous platforms, with a case study in the automotive domain.Results: In the mapping study, we provided a thorough classification of the identified concerns and approaches to deploying software on heterogeneous platforms. Among other findings, we discovered a lack of holistic approaches that include development processes, as well as few validation studies in industrial contexts. In the second study, we discovered and analyzed common practices and challenges that companies face when using heterogeneous platforms. One of such challenges is related to the lack of approaches that cover the software development lifecycle. In the third study, we proposed a decision framework that guides engineers in the process of reasoning for migrating software for execution on heterogeneous platforms. It consists of five stages (assessing, re-architecting, developing, deploying, evaluating), each containing a set of aspects to be addressed through the answers to predefined questions.Conclusions: This thesis addresses a gap that was identified in both theory and practice concerning the lack of holistic approaches to migrate software for execution on heterogeneous platforms. Our proposed approach addresses the problem through systematic guidance for engineers.Future work: In the future, we intend to further refine the proposed framework through case studies in domains other than automotive. We will explore its integration with existing software engineering processes in industrial contexts, performing in-depth analysis of the required adaptations and providing detailed solutions within the stages of the framework

Flexible and Intelligent Learning Architectures for SOS (FILA-SoS)

Multi-faceted systems of the future will entail complex logic and reasoning with many levels of reasoning in intricate arrangement. The organization of these systems involves a web of connections and demonstrates self-driven adaptability. They are designed for autonomy and may exhibit emergent behavior that can be visualized. Our quest continues to handle complexities, design and operate these systems. The challenge in Complex Adaptive Systems design is to design an organized complexity that will allow a system to achieve its goals. This report attempts to push the boundaries of research in complexity, by identifying challenges and opportunities. Complex adaptive system-of-systems (CASoS) approach is developed to handle this huge uncertainty in socio-technical systems

Exploring Maintainability Assurance Research for Service- and Microservice-Based Systems: Directions and Differences

To ensure sustainable software maintenance and evolution, a diverse set of activities and concepts like metrics, change impact analysis, or antipattern detection can be used. Special maintainability assurance techniques have been proposed for service- and microservice-based systems, but it is difficult to get a comprehensive overview of this publication landscape. We therefore conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to collect and categorize maintainability assurance approaches for service-oriented architecture (SOA) and microservices. Our search strategy led to the selection of 223 primary studies from 2007 to 2018 which we categorized with a threefold taxonomy: a) architectural (SOA, microservices, both), b) methodical (method or contribution of the study), and c) thematic (maintainability assurance subfield). We discuss the distribution among these categories and present different research directions as well as exemplary studies per thematic category. The primary finding of our SLR is that, while very few approaches have been suggested for microservices so far (24 of 223, ?11%), we identified several thematic categories where existing SOA techniques could be adapted for the maintainability assurance of microservices

Application of Executable Architecture in Early Concept Evaluation using the DoD Architecture Framework

The increasing complexity in the development of today\u27s modern warfighting systems demands a systematic evaluation approach in the assessment of the envisaged capability and estimating the cost effectiveness, especially in the early stages of Concept Development. This research focused on the development of early Concept evaluation methodology through the use of Executable Architecture (EA) through the System Architecting process. Particularly, the methodology was applied in the assessment of a proposed Multi-tiered Unmanned Aircraft System System-of-System that is designed provide target acquisition and conduct dynamic strike on Theater Ballistic Missile launchers. Through the implementation of the evaluation methodology using dynamic modeling of the system-under-design, the research was able to provide quantitative assessment of different design parameters on the overall system effectiveness, as measured using a set of pre-determined Measures-of-Effectiveness. Specifically, Innoslate was used to develop the EA model of a fictitious multi-tier Unmanned Aircraft System System-of-Systems, and provided quantitative assessment of the overall system performance due to changes in the design parameters. Specification, the research showed that the proposed evaluation methodology provides system architects with the tool to 1) evaluate different design parameters, 2) understand the overall system capability given sub-system capabilities, and 3) determine sub-system requirement given desired system performance