Domain Architectures as an Instrument to Refine Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise architecture is concerned with the fundamental organization of the operating environment of an enterprise. The enterprise architecture is used to plan and control the construction of the systems that populate the operating environment. As the scope covered can be considerable in large enterprises, introducing domain architectures to partition and detail the enterprise architecture is a plausible approach. We formulate prescriptive criteria that consistent domain architectures must meet. By integrating the creation of domain architectures into an extended strategic alignment model we develop a theory that accounts for both the creation, scope-setting and detailing. Based on the creation viewpoint we derive a multi-level classification taxonomy. The primary differentiator is that between domains that are created from business usage viewpoints and those that are created from solution construction viewpoints. Four cases of domain architectures from actual practice are described that illustrate the variety encountered. Domain classifications in all cases conform to the theoretical model. The criteria, the developed theory and the cases have both academic relevance as well as significance for practitioners

Enterprise architecture for small and medium-sized enterprises

Enterprise architecture (EA) is used as a holistic approach to keep things aligned in a company. Some emphasize the use of EA to align IT with the business, others see it broader and use it to also keep the processes aligned with the strategy. Although a lot of research is being done on EA, still hardly anything is known about its use in the context of a small and medium sized enterprise (SME). Because of some specific characteristics of SMEs, it is interesting to look how EA can be applied in a SME. In this PhD, we present an approach for EA for SMEs, which combines four dimensions to get a holistic overview, while keeping things aligned. The approach is developed with special attention towards the characteristics of SMEs. Case studies are used to refine the metamodel and develop an adequate method, while tool support is being developed to enable the validation rounds

Quality-aware model-driven service engineering

Service engineering and service-oriented architecture as an integration and platform technology is a recent approach to software systems integration. Quality aspects ranging from interoperability to maintainability to performance are of central importance for the integration of heterogeneous, distributed service-based systems. Architecture models can substantially influence quality attributes of the implemented software systems. Besides the benefits of explicit architectures on maintainability and reuse, architectural constraints such as styles, reference architectures and architectural patterns can influence observable software properties such as performance. Empirical performance evaluation is a process of measuring and evaluating the performance of implemented software. We present an approach for addressing the quality of services and service-based systems at the model-level in the context of model-driven service engineering. The focus on architecture-level models is a consequence of the black-box character of services

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

Competences of IT Architects

The field of architecture in the digital world uses a plethora of terms to refer to different kinds of architects, and recognises a confusing variety of competences that these architects are required to have. Different service providers use different terms for similar architects and even if they use the same term, they may mean something different. This makes it hard for customers to know what competences an architect can be expected to have.\ud \ud This book combines competence profiles of the NGI Platform for IT Professionals, The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), as well as a number of Dutch IT service providers in a comprehensive framework. Using this framework, the book shows that notwithstanding a large variety in terminology, there is convergence towards a common set of competence profiles. In other words, when looking beyond terminological differences by using the framework, one sees that organizations recognize similar types of architects, and that similar architects in different organisations have similar competence profiles. The framework presented in this book thus provides an instrument to position architecture services as offered by IT service providers and as used by their customers.\ud \ud The framework and the competence profiles presented in this book are the main results of the special interest group “Professionalisation” of the Netherlands Architecture Forum for the Digital World (NAF). Members of this group, as well as students of the universities of Twente and Nijmegen have contributed to the research on which this book is based

Towards an unified information systems reference model for higher education institutions

Higher education institutions are currently facing many challenges that are making them to start compete strategically, like other not-for-profit firm. To adequately support such new approach, their information systems and business strategies should be totally aligned. However, the current existing landscape of heterogeneous information systems and applications deployed in many institutions can compromise such aim. Recently, reference architectures and models have emerged as instruments suitable to help company’s decision-makers to cope with such tensions. However, whilst many of such architectural models already exist for several industries, little has been done so far in higher education. In this paper, we briefly review major existing developments in such way before to inductively derive a unified information systems reference model tailored for higher education institutions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Architecting business process maps

Process maps provide a high-level overview of an organization's business processes. While used for many years in different shapes and forms, there is little shared understanding of the concept and its relationship to business process architecture. In this paper, we position the concept of process map within the domain of architecture description. By 'architecting' the concept of business process map, we identify and clarify diverging views of this concept as found in the literature and set requirements for describing process maps. A meta-model for a process mapping language is produced as a result. The proposed meta-model allows investigating the suitability of EA modelling languages as a basis for defining a domain-specific language for process mapping along with the creation of a better understanding of business process architecture in relation to enterprise architecture, which can be beneficial for both BPM and EA professionals

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MODEL BETWEEN BUSINESS PROCESSES AND ICT’S THROUGH ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURES FOR SME’S

Small and Medium manufacturing companies, as a result of globalization, have serious difficulties to compete in international markets, studies show that has been difficult for these businesses to adopt new methods of work organization, that does become more competitive and productive. In Mexico, SME’s have successfully integrated the administrative processes into information and communication technology; moreover the processes of quality and production have less support by ICT’s. This research project proposes a model of strategic alignment between the key business processes of SME’s and the ICT’s, using enterprise architectures. The proposal was applied to a firm of a pilot sample, finding a complete support of management processes by ICT’s. Partial support for production and quality processes, resulting an improvement proposal for the integration of the essential processes of manufacturing SME’s into ICT’s