Designing Informal EAM Interventions – A Complementary Approach for Managing Enterprise Architecture Complexity

Although Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is a mature discipline and widely adopted in practice, surveys indicate effectivity barriers that, at least partially, appear to be a consequence of local decision makers’ non-compliance with enterprise-wide architectural guidelines. Several recent contributions aim at extending the portfolio of EAM interventions by applying informal control mechanisms. Although promising to extend EAM effectivity, informal interventions are apparently not much utilized in EAM practice. Based on the assumption that a comprehensive presentation of design knowledge for informal EAM interventions would support more widespread adoption, this paper integrates existing knowledge components to a coherent design approach. The proposal covers theoretical justification, conceptual foundations, a taxonomy of generic informal interventions, a catalogue of derived EAM intervention types, and a process to systematically instantiate and evaluate situation-specific informal interventions. Two Action Design Research projects in large companies are summarized as evaluative evidence for the potential that comprehensive informal intervention design has for improving EAM effectivity

Institutional perspectives on the process of enterprise architecture adoption

Organizations often adopt enterprise architecture (EA) when planning how best to develop their information technology (IT) or businesses, for strategic management, or generally for managing change initiatives. This variety of different uses affects many stakeholders within and between organizations. Because stakeholders have dissimilar backgrounds, positions, assumptions, and activities, they respond differently to changes and the potential problems that emerge from those changes. This situation creates contradictions and conflicts between stakeholders that may further influence project activities and ultimately determine how EA is adopted. In this paper, we examine how institutional pressures influence EA adoption. Based on a qualitative case study of two cases, we show how regulative, normative, and cognitive pressures influence stakeholders’ activities and behaviors during the process of EA adoption. Our contribution thus lies in identifying roles of institutional pressures in different phases during the process of EA adoption and how it changes overtime. The results provide insights into EA adoption and the process of institutionalization, which help to explain emergent challenges in EA adoption.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

A Learning Perspective on Enterprise Architecture Management

Enterprise architecture management (EAM) has long been propagated in research and practice as an approach for keeping local information systems projects in line with enterprise-wide, long-term objectives. EAM literature predominantly promotes strictly governed and centralized coordination mechanisms to achieve the promised alignment contributions. Notwithstanding the increasing maturity levels in practice, organizations still struggle with the successful establishment of EAM, mainly due to the inherent challenges of a firmly centralized approach in complex organizational settings. This study opts for cooperative learning as a theoretical lens to afford a distinctive, non-centralized conceptualization of EAM. We empirically demonstrate EAM as a stage-wise learning process in which knowledge acquisition and cooperative interactions among individuals contribute to project performance on the local level. Projects that benefit from this particular learning process, in turn, are found to significantly leverage enterprise-wide performance

A Priority Based Enterprise Architecture Implementation Assessment Model: An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach

Despite of many Enterprise Architecture (EA) frameworks and methodologies available, in reality EA implementation is a challenging process. In order to assure a progressive EA implementation, assessment and monitoring mechanism is required. The existing EA assessment approaches are mostly based on checklist or maturity model and designed to assess post EA implementation. Less EA assessment is found to cater on the pre and during EA implementation process. This indicates that the lack of systematic assessment mechanism, especially for pre and during EA implementation phase. Hence, based on the gap identified, this study proposes a priority based assessment model for pre and during EA implementation process. This integrated model of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is designed to assess the priority and capability of the organization in implementing EA. The assessment criteria were formulated from findings of an exploratory study. Six main criteria and 27 sub-criteria have been identified as the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in EA implementation. Based on these CSFs, a Priority based EA Implementation Assessment Model (PEAIAM) has been formulated and presented in this paper

INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GOVERNANCE AND THE BEHAVIOR OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS CONTEXT

IT Governance (ITG) institutionalization might reduce the negative impact of political issues on IT results especially through the behavioral pillar. This research used the Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) concept to understand this phenomenon. OCB describes a person\u27s voluntary commitment to an organization that is not part of his/her contractual tasks. The goal of this study is confirming that ITG institutionalization effects civil servants’ behavior. The set of hypotheses of the theoretical-empirical model are based on the presumption that ITG institutionalization exerts a positive effect on each variable of OCB. A descriptive-confirmative ex-post facto research was operationalized through a survey research with 173 civil servants in the Executive and Judiciary Branch of a Brazilian state. A questionnaire was developed and validated through Factor Exploratory Analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. All hypotheses were confirmed, showing the effect of ITG institutionalization on the behavior of individuals. The theoretical contribution is the development of an ITG institutionalization construct and the demonstration of a positive and significant relationship between this and the OCB construct. The practical contribution highlights the possibility of IT managers performing their IT tasks through behavior change of individuals encouraged by the ITG institutionalization

An Integrated Six-Sigma and CMMI framework for software process improvement

A process improvement framework such as Capability Maturity Model (CMM) can help develop the maturity of a software development organization over time to achieve predictable and repeatable process performance. However, in the absence of a methodology for process performance measurement, ongoing data-oriented process improvement is hard to institutionalize. For organizations following CMMI, this makes navigating their way through higher-level process management and optimization activities called forth in CMMI Level 4 and Level 5 especially challenging. Altogether, this constitutes a major stumbling block for software organizations striving for higher process maturity as Level 4 and Level 5 Process Areas are essential to institutionalizing process improvement in an organization. Six-Sigma introduces tremendous process measurability through its statistical error-control focus and offers compelling tools and techniques that have strong applicability to software development. Six-Sigma focus on data and metrics married with the CMMI coverage of all aspects of software development through its Process Areas can together provide a powerful process control and improvement framework. A CMMI and Six-Sigma hybrid framework has been presented as a means of achieving software development performance and productivity improvements through statistical error control. Such a hybrid CMMI and Six Sigma framework provides not just greater guidance and rigor in certain areas than CMMI alone but also an inherent flexibility by making an extensive toolset available for use in a wide variety of scenarios. This integrated framework demonstrates that CMMI and Six Sigma are highly complementary and are capable of adding greater value when used in conjunction with each other. This is partly because together they address the weaknesses that may become apparent when either framework is used alone. Six Sigma answers the \u27how\u27 for areas where CMMI only provides the \u27what\u27. Conversely, CMMI provides the overall vision and roadmap that is lacking from individual Six Sigma improvements. It is hoped that this will serve as a blueprint for an implementation of CMMI that makes use of relevant Six Sigma tools and techniques

The impact of IT governance institutionalization on individuals’ behavior in Portugal

Information technology (IT) is increasingly important in organizations' life and has, therefore, become essential to the development of sustainable business growth. Thus, it is necessary to adopt IT governance (ITG) mechanisms to better control solutions, sustainable growth, and better decision making. Since an advantageous competitive differential lies in the behavior of its employees, this work focuses on the behavioral expression of ITG, aiming to analyze the effect of the impact of ITG institutionalization on the main dimensions of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). OCB describes the voluntary commitment of the individuals to an organization, with attitudes that are not part of their contractual functions. A descriptive-confirmative ex post facto research was conducted through survey research to 112 employees of IT-related departments and divisions from companies in Portugal. The Partial least square - structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test the overall model. The general hypothesis of this study was confirmed, showing that the ITG institutionalization has a positive effect on the individuals’ OCBs. Moreover, this study was subjected to a comparative analysis with one made in Brazil, which confirmed that the ITG institutionalization Model has different effects on individuals' OCBs in cultural terms. Finally, two main contributions emerge. On the one hand, in theory, it confirmed the relationship between OCB and ITG constructs. On the other hand, in practice, it shows the organizations that by implementing their ITG Mechanisms, they are increasing employees' OCBs and, consequently, organizational effectiveness.As tecnologias de informação (TI) são cada vez mais importantes nas organizações, sendo essenciais para o desenvolvimento sustentável dos negócios. Assim, torna-se necessário a adoção de mecanismos de Governação de TI (GTI) para uma melhor decisão, controlo das soluções, e crescimento sustentável. Estando o diferencial competitivo no comportamento dos seus colaboradores, este trabalho foca-se na expressão comportamental da GTI, analisando o impacto da institucionalização da GTI nas dimensões do Comportamento de Cidadania Organizacional (CCO). O CCO é descrito como o compromisso voluntário dos indivíduos para com a organização, com atitudes que não fazem parte de suas funções contratuais. Foi realizada uma pesquisa ex post facto com desenho descritivo e natureza confirmatória a partir de um questionário a 112 funcionários de departamentos e divisões de TI de empresas em Portugal. Foi utilizada a Modelação de Equações Estruturais com Mínimos Quadrados Parciais (PLS-SEM) para testar o modelo. A hipótese geral deste estudo foi confirmada, mostrando que a institucionalização do GTI tem um efeito positivo na CCO dos indivíduos. Além disso, foi realizada uma análise comparativa entre este estudo e outro realizado no Brasil, confirmando que o efeito da institucionalização do GTI sobre os CCO dos indivíduos altera de acordo com o contexto cultural. Finalmente, podemos afirmar, na teoria, que se confirma a relação entre os construtores da CCO e do GTI, e de forma pratica, para as organizações Portuguesas que implementam os seus mecanismos de GTI, estes aumentam as CCO dos funcionários e, consequentemente, a eficácia organizacional

Identifying Factors Contributing Towards Information Security Maturity in an Organization

Information security capability maturity (ISCM) is a journey towards accurate alignment of business and security objectives, security systems, processes, and tasks integrated with business-enabled IT systems, security enabled organizational culture and decision making, and measurements and continuous improvements of controls and governance comprising security policies, processes, operating procedures, tasks, monitoring, and reporting. Information security capability maturity may be achieved in five levels: performing but ad-hoc, managed, defined, quantitatively governed, and optimized. These five levels need to be achieved in the capability areas of information integrity, information systems assurance, business enablement, security processes, security program management, competency of security team, security consciousness in employees, and security leadership. These areas of capabilities lead to achievement of technology trustworthiness of security controls, integrated security, and security guardianship throughout the enterprise, which are primary capability domains for achieving maturity of information security capability in an organization. There are many factors influencing the areas of capabilities and the capability domains for achieving information security capability maturity. However, there is little existing study done on identifying the factors that contribute to achievement of the highest level of information security capability maturity (optimized) in an organization. This research was designed to contribute to this area of research gap by identifying the factors contributing to the areas of capabilities for achieving the highest level of information security capability maturity. The factors were grouped under the eight capability areas and the three capability domains in the form of an initial structural construct. This research was designed to collect data on all the factors using an online structured questionnaire and analyzing the reliability and validity of the initial structural construct following the methods of principal components analysis (PCA), Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling. A number of multivariate statistical tests were conducted on the data collected regarding the factors to achieve an optimal model reflecting statistical significance, reliability, and validity. The research was conducted in four phases: expert panel and pilot study (first phase), principal component analysis (PCA) and reliability analysis (RA) of the factor scales (second phase), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using LISREL (third phase), and structural equation modeling (SEM) using LISREL (fourth phase). The final model subsequent to completing the four phases reflected acceptance or rejection of the eleven hypotheses defined in the initial structural construct of this study. The final optimized model was obtained with the most significant factors loading on the capability areas of information integrity, information security assurance, business enablement, security process maturity, security program management, competency of security team, security conscious employees, and security leadership, including the most significant factors loading the three capability domains of security technology trustworthiness, security integration, and security guardianship. All the eleven hypotheses were accepted as part of the optimal structural construct of the final model. The model provides a complex integrated framework of information security maturity requiring multi-functional advancements and maturity in processes, people, and technology, and organized security program management and communications fully integrated with the business programs and communications. Information security maturity is concluded as a complex function of multiple maturity programs in an organization leading to organized governance structures, multiple maturity programs, leadership, security consciousness, and risk-aware culture of employees

An Organizational Maturity Model of Software Product Line Engineering

Software product line engineering is an inter-disciplinary concept. It spans the dimensions of business, architecture, process, and the organization. Some of the potential benefits of this approach include cost reduction, improvements in product quality and a decrease in product development time. The increasing popularity of software product line engineering in the software industry necessitates a process maturity evaluation methodology. Accordingly, this paper presents an organizational maturity model of software product line engineering for evaluating the maturity of organizational dimension. The model assumes that organizational theories, behavior, and management play a critical role in the institutionalization of software product line engineering within an organization. Assessment questionnaires and a rating methodology comprise the framework of this model. The objective and design of the questionnaires are to collect information about the software product line engineering process from the dual perspectives of organizational behavior and management. Furthermore, we conducted two case studies and reported the assessment results using the organizational maturity model presented in this paper