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BusinessScenarios

Introduction|BenefitsofBusinessScenarios|CreatingtheBusinessScenario|ContentsofaBusinessScenario|ContributionstotheBusinessScenario|BusinessScenariosandtheTOGAFADM|GuidelinesonDevelopingBusinessScenarios|GuidelinesonBusinessScenarioDocumentation|GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectives|

Summary

Thischapterdescribesamethodforderivingbusinessrequirementsforarchitectureandtheimpliedtechnicalrequirements.

Introduction

Akeyfactorinthesuccessofanenterprisearchitectureistheextenttowhichitislinkedtobusinessrequirements,anddemonstrablysupportingandenablingtheenterprisetoachieveitsbusinessobjectives.

Businessscenariosareanimportanttechniquethatmaybeusedatvariousstagesoftheenterprisearchitecture,principallytheArchitectureVisionandtheBusinessArchitecture,butinotherarchitecturedomainsaswell,ifrequired,toderivethecharacteristicsofthearchitecturedirectlyfromthehighlevelrequirementsofthebusiness.Theyareusedtohelpidentifyandunderstandbusinessneeds,andtherebytoderivethebusinessrequirementsthatthearchitecturedevelopmenthastoaddress.

Abusinessscenariodescribes:

Abusinessprocess,application,orsetofapplicationsthatcanbeenabledbythearchitectureThebusinessandtechnologyenvironmentThepeopleandcomputingcomponents(called"actors")whoexecutethescenarioThedesiredoutcomeofproperexecution

Agoodbusinessscenarioisrepresentativeofasignificantbusinessneedorproblem,andenablesvendorstounderstandthevaluetothecustomerorganizationofadevelopedsolution.

Agoodbusinessscenarioisalso"SMART":

Specific,bydefiningwhatneedstobedoneinthebusinessMeasurable,throughclearmetricsforsuccessActionable,by:

ClearlysegmentingtheproblemProvidingthebasisfordeterminingelementsandplansforthesolution

Realistic,inthattheproblemcanbesolvedwithintheboundsofphysicalreality,time,andcostconstraints

Timebound,inthatthereisaclearstatementofwhenthesolutionopportunityexpires

GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectivesprovidesdetailedexamplesonobjectivesthatcouldbeconsidered.Whateverobjectivesyouuse,theideaistomakethoseobjectivesSMART.

BenefitsofBusinessScenarios

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Abusinessscenarioisessentiallyacompletedescriptionofabusinessproblem,bothinbusinessandinarchitecturalterms,whichenablesindividualrequirementstobeviewedinrelationtooneanotherinthecontextoftheoverallproblem.Withoutsuchacompletedescriptiontoserveascontext:

Thereisadangerofthearchitecturebeingbasedonanincompletesetofrequirementsthatdonotadduptoawholeproblemdescription,andthatcanthereforemisguidearchitecturework.

Thebusinessvalueofsolvingtheproblemisunclear.Therelevanceofpotentialsolutionsisunclear.

Also,becausethetechniquerequirestheinvolvementofbusinesslinemanagementandotherstakeholdersatanearlystageinthearchitectureproject,italsoplaysanimportantroleingainingthebuyinofthesekeypersonneltotheoverallprojectanditsendproducttheenterprisearchitecture.

Anadditionaladvantageofbusinessscenariosisincommunicationwithvendors.MostarchitecturenowadaysisimplementedbymakingmaximumuseofCommercialOffTheShelf(COTS)softwaresolutions,oftenfrommultiplevendors,procuredintheopenmarket.TheuseofbusinessscenariosbyanITcustomercanbeanimportantaidtoITvendorsindeliveringappropriatesolutions.Vendorsneedtoensurethattheirsolutioncomponentsaddvaluetoanopensolutionandaremarketable.Businessscenariosprovidealanguagewithwhichthevendorcommunitycanlinkcustomerproblemsandtechnicalsolutions.Besidesmakingobviouswhatisneeded,andwhy,theyallowvendorstosolveproblemsoptimally,usingopenstandardsandleveragingeachother'sskills.

CreatingtheBusinessScenario

TheOverallProcess

Creatingabusinessscenarioinvolvesthefollowing,asillustratedinCreatingaBusinessScenario:

1.Identifying,documenting,andrankingtheproblemdrivingthescenario2.Identifyingthebusinessandtechnicalenvironmentofthescenarioanddocumentingitinscenariomodels3.Identifyinganddocumentingdesiredobjectives(theresultsofhandlingtheproblemssuccessfully)get"SMART"4.Identifyingthehumanactors(participants)andtheirplaceinthebusinessmodel5.Identifyingcomputeractors(computingelements)andtheirplaceinthetechnologymodel6.Identifyinganddocumentingroles,responsibilities,andmeasuresofsuccessperactordocumentingtherequiredscriptsperactor,andtheresultsofhandlingthesituation7.Checkingfor"fitnessforpurpose"andrefiningonlyifnecessary

Figure:CreatingaBusinessScenario

AbusinessscenarioisdevelopedoveranumberofiterativephasesofGathering,Analyzing,and

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Reviewingtheinformationinthebusinessscenario.

Ineachphase,eachoftheareasaboveissuccessivelyimproved.Therefinementstepinvolvesdecidingwhethertoconsiderthescenariocompleteandgotothenextphase,orwhetherfurtherrefinementisnecessary.Thisisaccomplishedbyaskingwhetherthecurrentstateofthebusinessscenarioisfitforthepurposeofcarryingrequirementsdownstreaminthearchitectureprocess.

Thethreephasesofdevelopingabusinessscenarioaredescribedindetailbelow,anddepictedinPhasesofDevelopingBusinessScenarios.

Figure:PhasesofDevelopingBusinessScenarios

Gathering

TheGatheringphaseiswhereinformationiscollectedoneachoftheareasinCreatingaBusinessScenario.Ifinformationgatheringproceduresandpracticesarealreadyinplaceinanorganizationforexample,togatherinformationforstrategicplanningtheyshouldbeusedasappropriate,eitherduringbusinessscenarioworkshopsorinplaceofbusinessscenarioworkshops.

Multipletechniquesmaybeusedinthisphase,suchasinformationresearch,qualitativeanalysis,quantitativeanalysis,surveys,requestsforinformation,etc.Asmuchinformationaspossibleshouldbegatheredandpreprocessed"offline"priortoanyfacetofaceworkshops(describedbelow).Forexample,arequestforinformationmayincludearequestforstrategicandoperationalplans.Suchdocumentstypicallyprovidegreatinsights,buttheinformationthattheycontainusuallyrequiressignificantpreprocessing.Theinformationmaybeusedtogenerateaninitialdraftofthebusinessscenariopriortotheworkshop,ifpossible.Thiswillincreasetheunderstandingandconfidenceofthearchitect,andthevalueoftheworkshoptoitsparticipants.

Averyusefulwaytogatherinformationistoholdbusinessscenarioworkshops,wherebyabusinessscenarioconsultantleadsaselectandsmallgroupofbusinessrepresentativesthroughanumberofquestionstoelicittheinformationsurroundingtheproblembeingaddressedbythearchitectureeffort.Theworkshopattendeesmustbecarefullyselectedfromhighlevelsinthebusinessandtechnicalsidesoftheorganization.Itisimportanttogetpeoplethatcanandwillprovideinformationopenlyandhonestly.Whereadraftofthebusinessscenarioalreadyexistsforexample,asaresultofpreprocessinginformationgatheredduringthisphase,asdescribedabovetheworkshopmayalsobeusedtoreviewthestateofthebusinessscenariodraft.

Sometimesitisnecessarytohavemultipleworkshops:insomecases,toseparatethegatheringofinformationonthebusinesssidefromthegatheringofinformationonthetechnicalsideandinothercasessimplytogetmoreinformationfrommorepeople.

Whengatheringinformation,thearchitectcangreatlystrengthenthebusinessscenariobyobtaining"realworldexamples"i.e.,casestudiestowhichthereadercaneasilyrelate.Whencitingrealworldexamples,itisimportanttomaintainalevelofanonymityofthepartiesinvolved,toavoidblame.

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Analyzing

TheAnalyzingphaseiswhereagreatdealofrealBusinessArchitectureworkisactuallydone.Thisiswheretheinformationthatisgatheredisprocessedanddocumented,andwherethemodelsarecreatedtorepresentthatinformation,typicallyvisually.

TheAnalyzingphasetakesadvantageoftheknowledgeandexperienceofthebusinessscenarioconsultantusingpastworkandexperiencetodevelopthemodelsnecessarytodepicttheinformationcaptured.Notethatthemodelsanddocumentationproducedarenotnecessarilyreproducedverbatimfrominterviews,butratherfilteredandtranslatedaccordingtotherealunderlyingneeds.

IntheAnalyzingphaseitisimportanttomaintainlinkagesbetweenthekeyelementsofthebusinessscenario.Onetechniquethatassistsinmaintainingsuchlinkagesisthecreationofmatricesthatareusedtorelatebusinessprocessestoeachof:

ConstituenciesHumanActorsComputerActorsIssuesObjectives

Inthisway,thebusinessprocessbecomesthebindingfocalpoint,whichmakesagreatdealofsense,sinceinmostcasesitisbusinessprocessimprovementthatisbeingsought.

Reviewing

TheReviewingphaseiswheretheresultsarefedbacktothesponsorsoftheprojecttoensurethatthereisasharedunderstandingofthefullscopeoftheproblem,andthepotentialdepthofthetechnicalimpact.

Multiplebusinessscenarioworkshopsor"readout"meetingswiththesponsorsandinvolvedpartiesarerecommended.Themeetingsshouldbesetuptobeopenandinteractive.Itisrecommendedtohaveexercisesbuiltintomeetingagendas,inordertotestattendees'understandingandinterestlevels,aswellastotestthearchitect'sownassumptionsandresults.

Thisphaseisextremelyimportant,astheabsenceofsharedexpectationsisinmanycasestherootcauseofprojectfailures.

ContentsofaBusinessScenario

Thedocumentationofabusinessscenarioshouldcontainalltheimportantdetailsaboutthescenario.Itshouldcapture,andsequence,thecriticalstepsandinteractionsbetweenactorsthataddressthesituation.Itshouldalsodeclarealltherelevantinformationaboutallactors,specifically:thedifferentresponsibilitiesoftheactorsthekeypreconditionsthathavetobemetpriortopropersystemfunctionalityandthetechnicalrequirementsfortheservicetobeofacceptablequality.

Therearetwomaintypesofcontent:graphics(models),anddescriptivetext.Bothhaveaparttoplay.

BusinessScenarioModelscapturebusinessandtechnologyviewsinagraphicalform,toaidcomprehension.Specifically,theyrelateactorsandinteractions,andgiveastartingpointtoconfirmspecificrequirements.

BusinessScenarioDescriptionscapturedetailsinatextualform.Atypicalcontentslistforabusinessscenarioisgivenbelow.

TableofContents

PREFACE

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

DOCUMENTROADMAP

BUSINESSSCENARIO

BUSINESSSCENARIOOVERVIEW

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BACKGROUNDOFSCENARIO

PURPOSEOFSCENARIO

DEFINITIONS/DESCRIPTIONSOFTERMSUSED

VIEWSOFENVIRONMENTSANDPROCESSES

BUSINESSENVIRONMENT

Constituencies

PROCESSDESCRIPTIONS

Process"a"

etc....

TECHNICALENVIRONMENT

Technicalenvironment"a"

etc....

ACTORSANDTHEIRROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIES

COMPUTERACTORSANDROLES

RELATIONSHIPOFCOMPONENTSANDPROCESSES

HUMANACTORSANDROLES

RELATIONSHIPOFHUMANSANDPROCESSES

INFORMATIONFLOWANALYSIS

PRINCIPLESANDCONSTRAINTS

ITPrinciples

Constraints

REQUIREMENTS

BUSINESSSCENARIOANALYSIS

PROBLEMSUMMARY

Issues

Objectives

SUMMARY

APPENDIXES

APPENDIXA:BUSINESSSCENARIOSADDITIONALINFORMATION

APPENDIXBn:BUSINESSSCENARIOWORKSHOPNOTES

ContributionstotheBusinessScenario

Itisimportanttorealizethatthecreationofabusinessscenarioisnotsolelytheprovinceofthearchitect.Asmentionedpreviously,businesslinemanagementandotherstakeholdersintheenterpriseareinvolved,toensurethatthebusinessgoalsareaccuratelycaptured.Inaddition,dependingontherelationshipthatanorganizationhaswithitsITvendors,thelatteralsomaybeinvolved,toensurethattherolesoftechnicalsolutionsarealsoaccuratelycaptured,andtoensurecommunicationwiththevendors.

Typically,theinvolvementofthebusinessmanagementisgreatestintheearlystages,whilethebusinessproblemsarebeingexploredandcaptured,whiletheinvolvementofthearchitectisgreatestinthelaterstages,andwhenarchitecturalsolutionsarebeingdescribed.Similarly,ifvendorsare

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involvedinthebusinessscenarioprocess,theinvolvementofthecustomerside(businessmanagementplusenterprisearchitects)isgreatestintheearlystages,whilethatofthevendorsisgreatestinthelaterstages,whentheroleofspecifictechnicalsolutionsisbeingexploredandcaptured.ThisconceptisillustratedinRelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario.

Figure:RelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario

VendorITarchitectsmightbeabletoassistenterpriseITarchitectswithintegrationofthevendors'productsintotheenterprisearchitecture.ThisassistancemostprobablyfallsinthemiddleofthetimelineinRelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario.

BusinessScenariosandtheTOGAFADM

BusinessscenariosfiguremostprominentlyintheinitialphaseoftheArchitectureDevelopmentMethod(ADM),ArchitectureVision,whentheyareusedtodefinerelevantbusinessrequirements,andtobuildconsensuswithbusinessmanagementandotherstakeholders.

However,thebusinessrequirementsarereferredtothroughoutallphasesoftheADMlifecycle,asillustratedinRelevanceofRequirementsThroughouttheADM.

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Figure:RelevanceofRequirementsThroughouttheADM

BecausebusinessrequirementsareimportantthroughoutallphasesoftheADMlifecycle,thebusinessscenariotechniquehasanimportantroletoplayintheTOGAFADM,byensuringthatthebusinessrequirementsthemselvesarecompleteandcorrect.

GuidelinesonDevelopingBusinessScenarios

GeneralGuidelines

Thestakeholders(e.g.,businessmanagers,endusers)willtellyouwhattheywant,butasanarchitectyoumuststillgainanunderstandingofthebusiness,soyoumustknowthemostimportantactorsinthesystem.Ifthestakeholdersdonotknowwhattheywant:

Taketime,observe,andrecordhowtheyareworkingtodayStructureinformationinsuchawaythatitcanbeusedlaterUncovercriticalbusinessrulesfromdomainexpertsStayfocusedonwhatneedstobeaccomplished,andhowitistobeaccomplished

Thiseffortprovidestheanchorforachainofreasonfrombusinessrequirementsthroughtotechnicalsolutions.Itwillpayofflatertobediligentandcriticalatthestart.

QuestionstoAskforEachArea

ThebusinessscenarioworkshopsmentionedaboveintheGatheringphasearereallystructuredinterviews.Whilethereisnosinglesetofappropriatequestionstoaskinallsituations,thefollowingprovidessomeguidancetohelpbusinessscenarioconsultantsinaskingquestions.

Identifying,Documenting,andRankingtheProblem

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Istheproblemdescribedasastatementofwhatneedstobeaccomplished,likestepsinaprocess,andnothow(withtechnology"push")?

Iftheproblemistoospecificora"how":

RaisearedflagAsk"Whydoyouneedtodoitthatway?"questions

Iftheproblemistoovagueorunactionable:

RaisearedflagAsk"Whatisityouneedtodo,orwillbeabletodoifthisproblemissolved?"questions

Askquestionsthathelptoidentifywhereandwhentheproblemexists:

Whereareyouexperiencingthisparticularproblem?Inwhatbusinessprocess?Whendoyouencountertheseissues?Duringthebeginningoftheprocess,themiddle,theend?

Askquestionsthathelptoidentifythecostsoftheproblem:

Doyouaccountforthecostsassociatedwiththisproblem?Ifso,whatarethey?Aretherehiddencosts?Ifso,whatarethey?Isthecostofthisproblemcoveredinthecostofsomethingelse?Ifso,whatandhowmuch?Istheproblemmanifestedintermsofpoorqualityoraperceptionofanineffectiveorganization?

IdentifyingtheBusiness&TechnicalEnvironment,andDocumentinginModels

Questionstoaskaboutthebusinessenvironment:

Whatkeyprocesssuffersfromtheissues?Whatarethemajorstepsthatneedtobeprocessed?Location/scaleofinternalbusinessdepartments?Location/scaleofexternalbusinesspartners?Anyspecificbusinessrulesandregulationsrelatedtothesituation?

Questionstoaskaboutthecurrenttechnologyenvironment:

Whattechnologycomponentsarealreadypresupposedtoberelatedtothisproblem?Arethereanytechnologyconstraints?Arethereanytechnologyprinciplesthatapply?

IdentifyingandDocumentingObjectives

Isthe"what"sufficientlybackedupwiththerationalefor"why"?Ifnot,askformeasurablerationaleinthefollowingareas:

ReturnoninvestmentScalabilityPerformanceneedsCompliancetostandardsEaseofusemeasures

IdentifyingHumanActorsandtheirPlaceintheBusinessModel

Anactorrepresentsanythingthatinteractswithorwithinthesystem.Thiscanbeahuman,oramachine,oracomputerprogram.Actorsinitiateactivitywiththesystem,forexample:

ComputeruserwiththecomputerPhoneuserwiththetelephonePayrollclerkwiththepayrollsystemInternetsubscriberwiththewebbrowser

Anactorrepresentsarolethatauserplaysi.e.,auserissomeoneplayingarolewhileusingthesystem(e.g.,John(user)isadispatcher(actor)).Eachactorusesthesystemindifferentways

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(otherwisetheyshouldbethesameactor).Askaboutthehumansthatwillbeinvolved,fromdifferentviewpoints,suchas:

DeveloperMaintainerOperatorAdministratorUser

IdentifyingComputerActorsandtheirPlaceintheTechnologyModel

Askaboutthecomputercomponentslikelytobeinvolved,againfromdifferentpointsofview.Whatmusttheydo?

DocumentingRoles,Responsibilities,MeasuresofSuccess,RequiredScripts

Whendefiningroles,askquestionslike:

Whatarethemaintasksoftheactor?Willtheactorhavetoread/write/changeanyinformation?Willtheactorhavetoinformthesystemaboutoutsidechanges?Doestheactorwishtobeinformedaboutunexpectedchanges?

CheckingforFitnessforPurpose,andrefiningifnecessary

Isthereenoughinformationtoidentifywho/whatcouldfulfilltherequirement?Ifnot,probemoredeeply.

Isthereadescriptionofwhen,andhowoften,therequirementneedstobeaddressed?Ifnot,askabouttiming.

GuidelinesonBusinessScenarioDocumentation

TextualDocumentation

Effectivebusinessscenariodocumentationrequiresabalancebetweenensuringthatthedetailisaccessible,andpreventingitfromovershadowingtheresultsandoverwhelmingthereader.Tothisend,thebusinessscenariodocumentshouldhavethemainfindingsinthebodyofthedocumentandthedetailsinappendices.

Intheappendices:

Capturealltheimportantdetailsaboutabusinessscenario:SituationdescriptionandrationaleAllmeasurementsAllactorrolesandsubmeasurementsAllservicesrequired

Capturethecriticalstepsbetweenactorsthataddressthesituation,andsequencetheinteractionsDeclarerelevantinformationaboutallactors:

PartitiontheresponsibilityoftheactorsListpreconditionsthathavetobemetpriortopropersystemfunctionalityProvidetechnicalrequirementsfortheservicetobeofacceptablequality

Inthemainbodyofthebusinessscenario:

Generalizealltherelevantdatafromthedetailintheappendices

BusinessScenarioModels

Rememberthepurposeofusingmodels:Capturebusinessandtechnologyviewsinagraphicalform

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HelpcomprehensionGiveastartingpointtoconfirmrequirementsRelateactorsandinteractions

Keepdrawingsclearandneat:DonotputtoomuchintoonediagramSimplerdiagramsareeasiertounderstand

Numberdiagramsforeasyreference:Maintainacatalogofthenumberstoavoidduplicates

GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectives

TheImportanceofGoals

Oneofthefirststepsinthedevelopmentofanarchitectureistodefinetheoverallgoalsandobjectivesforthedevelopment.Theobjectivesshouldbederivedfromthebusinessgoalsoftheorganization,andthewayinwhichITisseentocontributetomeetingthosegoals.

Everyorganizationbehavesdifferentlyinthisrespect,someseeingITasthedrivingforcefortheenterpriseandothersseeingITinasupportingrole,simplyautomatingthebusinessprocesseswhichalreadyexist.Theessentialthingisthatthearchitecturalobjectivesshouldbeverycloselyalignedwiththebusinessgoalsandobjectivesoftheorganization.

TheImportanceofSMARTObjectives

Notonlymustgoalsbestatedingeneralterms,butalsospecificmeasuresneedtobeattachedtothemtomakethemSMART,asdescribedabove.

Theamountofeffortspentindoingthiswillleadtogreaterclarityforthesponsorsofthearchitectureevolutioncycle.Itwillpaybackbydrivingproposedsolutionsmuchmorecloselytowardthegoalsateachstepofthecycle.Itisextremelyhelpfulforthedifferentstakeholdersinsidetheorganization,aswellasforsuppliersandconsultants,tohaveaclearyardstickformeasuringfitnessforpurpose.Ifdonewell,theADMcanbeusedtotracespecificdecisionsbacktocriteria,andthusyieldtheirjustification.

ThegoalsbelowhavebeenadaptedfromthosegiveninpreviousversionsofTOGAF.Thesearecategoriesofgoals,eachwithalistofpossibleobjectives.EachoftheseobjectivesshouldbemadeSMARTwithspecificmeasuresandmetricsforthetask.However,sincetheactualworktobedonewillbespecifictothearchitectureprojectconcerned,itisnotpossibletoprovidealistofgenericSMARTobjectivesthatwillrelatetoanyproject.

Instead,weprovideheresomeexampleSMARTobjectives.

ExampleofMakingObjectivesSMART

Underthegeneralgoalheading"ImproveUserProductivity"below,thereisanobjectivetoprovidea"ConsistentUserInterface"anditisdescribedasfollows:

"Aconsistentuserinterfacewillensurethatalluseraccessiblefunctionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite.Thiswillleadtobetterefficiencyandfewerusererrors,whichinturnmayresultinlowerrecoverycosts."

TomakethisobjectiveSMART,weaskwhethertheobjectiveisspecific,measurable,actionable,realistic,andtimebound,andthenaugmenttheobjectiveappropriately.

Thefollowingcapturesananalysisofthesecriteriaforthestatedobjective:

Specific:Theobjectiveofproviding"aconsistentuserinterfacethatwillensurealluseraccessiblefunctionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite".isprettyspecific.However,themeasureslistedinthesecondsentencecouldbemorespecific...

Measurable:Asstatedabove,theobjectiveismeasurable,butcouldbemorespecific.Thesecondsentencecouldbeamendedtoread(forexample):"Thiswillleadto10%greateruserefficiencyand20%fewerorderentryusererrors,whichinturnmayresultin5%lowerorderentrycosts".

Actionable:Theobjectivedoesappeartobeactionable.Itseemsclearthatconsistencyoftheuser

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interfacemustbeprovided,andthatcouldbehandledbywhoeverisresponsibleforprovidingtheuserinterfacetotheuserdevice.

Realistic:Theobjectiveofproviding"aconsistentuserinterfacethatwillensurealluseraccessiblefunctionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite"mightnotberealistic.ConsideringtheusetodayofPDAsattheuserendmightleadustoaugmentthisobjectivetoassurethatthedownstreamdevelopersdon'tundulycreatedesignsthathindertheuseofnewtechnologies.Theobjectivecouldberestatedas"aconsistentuserinterface,acrossuserinterfacedevicesthatprovidesimilarfunctionality,thatwillensure..."etc.

Timebound:Theobjectiveasstatedisnottimebound.Tobetimeboundtheobjectivecouldberestatedas"BytheendofQ3,provideaconsistent...".

TheaboveresultsinaSMARTobjectivethatlooksmorelikethis(againrememberthisisanexample):

"BytheendofQ3,provideaconsistentuserinterfaceacrossuserinterfacedevicesthatprovidesimilarfunctionalitytoensurealluseraccessiblefunctionsandservicesappearandbehaveinasimilarwaywhenusingthosedevicesinapredictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite.Thiswillleadto10%greateruserefficiencyand20%fewerorderentryusererrors,whichinturnmayresultin5%lowerorderentrycosts."

CategoriesofGoalsandObjectives

Althougheveryorganizationwillhaveitsownsetofgoals,someexamplesmayhelpinthedevelopmentofanorganizationspecificlist.Thegoalsgivenbelowarecategoriesofgoals,eachwithalistofpossibleobjectives,whichhavebeenadaptedfromthegoalsgiveninpreviousversionsofTOGAF.

EachoftheobjectivesgivenbelowshouldbemadeSMARTwithspecificmeasuresandmetricsforthetaskinvolved,asillustratedintheexampleabove.However,theactualworktobedonewillbespecifictothearchitectureprojectconcerned,anditisnotpossibletoprovidealistofgenericSMARTobjectivesthatwillrelatetoanyproject.

Goal:ImproveBusinessProcessPerformance

Businessprocessimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

IncreasedprocessthroughputConsistentoutputqualityPredictableprocesscostsIncreasedreuseofexistingprocessesReducedtimeofsendingbusinessinformationfromoneprocesstoanotherprocess

Goal:DecreaseCosts

Costimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

LowerlevelsofredundancyandduplicationinassetsthroughouttheenterpriseDecreasedrelianceonexternalITserviceprovidersforintegrationandcustomizationLowercostsofmaintenance

Goal:ImproveBusinessOperations

Businessoperationsimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

IncreasedbudgetavailabletonewbusinessfeaturesDecreasedcostsofrunningthebusinessDecreasedtimetomarketforproductsorservicesIncreasedqualityofservicestocustomersImprovedqualityofbusinessinformation

Goal:ImproveManagementEfficacy

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Managementefficacyimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

IncreasedflexibilityofbusinessShortertimetomakedecisionsHigherqualitydecisions

Goal:ReduceRisk

Riskimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

EaseofimplementingnewprocessesDecreasederrorsintroducedintobusinessprocessesthroughcomplexandfaultysystemsDecreasedrealworldsafetyhazards(includinghazardsthatcauselossoflife)

Goal:ImproveEffectivenessofITOrganization

ITorganizationeffectivenesscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

IncreasedrolloutofnewprojectsDecreasedtimetorolloutnewprojectsLowercostinrollingoutnewprojectsDecreasedlossofservicecontinuitywhenrollingoutnewprojectsCommondevelopment:applicationsthatarecommontomultiplebusinessareaswillbedevelopedor

acquiredonceandreusedratherthanseparatelydevelopedbyeachbusinessarea.Opensystemsenvironment:astandardsbasedcommonoperatingenvironment,whichaccommodates

theinjectionofnewstandards,technologies,andapplicationsonanorganizationwidebasis,willbeestablished.Thisstandardsbasedenvironmentwillprovidethebasisfordevelopmentofcommonapplicationsandfacilitatesoftwarereuse.

Useofproducts:asfaraspossible,hardwareindependent,offtheshelfitemsshouldbeusedtosatisfyrequirementsinordertoreducedependenceoncustomdevelopmentsandtoreducedevelopmentandmaintenancecosts.

Softwarereuse:forthoseapplicationsthatmustbecustomdeveloped,developmentofportableapplicationswillreducetheamountofsoftwaredevelopedandaddtotheinventoryofsoftwaresuitableforreusebyothersystems.

Resourcesharing:dataprocessingresources(hardware,software,anddata)willbesharedbyallusersrequiringtheservicesofthoseresources.Resourcesharingwillbeaccomplishedinthecontextofsecurityandoperationalconsiderations.

Goal:ImproveUserProductivity

Userproductivityimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

Consistentuserinterface:aconsistentuserinterfacewillensurethatalluseraccessiblefunctionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite.Thiswillleadtobetterefficiencyandfewerusererrors,whichinturnmayresultinlowerrecoverycosts.

Integratedapplications:applicationsavailabletotheuserwillbehaveinalogicallyconsistentmanneracrossuserenvironments,whichwillleadtothesamebenefitsasaconsistentuserinterface.

Datasharing:databaseswillbesharedacrosstheorganizationinthecontextofsecurityandoperationalconsiderations,leadingtoincreasedeaseofaccesstorequireddata.

Goal:ImprovePortabilityandScalability

Theportabilityandscalabilityofapplicationswillbethroughthefollowingobjectives:

Portability:applicationsthatadheretoopensystemsstandardswillbeportable,leadingtoincreasedeaseofmovementacrossheterogeneouscomputingplatforms.Portableapplicationscanallowsitestoupgradetheirplatformsastechnologicalimprovementsoccur,withminimalimpactonoperations.

Scalability:applicationsthatconformtothemodelwillbeconfigurable,allowingoperationonthefullspectrumofplatformsrequired.

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Goal:ImproveInteroperability

Interoperabilityimprovementsacrossapplicationsandbusinessareascanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

Commoninfrastructure:thearchitectureshouldpromoteacommunicationsandcomputinginfrastructurebasedonopensystemsandsystemstransparencyincluding,butnotlimitedto,operatingsystems,databasemanagement,datainterchange,networkservices,networkmanagement,anduserinterfaces.

Standardization:byimplementingstandardsbasedplatforms,applicationswillbeprovidedwithandwillbeabletouseacommonsetofservicesthatimprovetheopportunitiesforinteroperability.

Goal:IncreaseVendorIndependence

Vendorindependencewillbeincreasedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

Interchangeablecomponents:onlyhardwareandsoftwarethathavestandardsbasedinterfaceswillbeselected,sothatupgradesortheinsertionofnewproductswillresultinminimaldisruptiontotheuser'senvironment.

Nonproprietaryspecifications:capabilitieswillbedefinedintermsofnonproprietaryspecificationsthatsupportfullandopencompetitionandareavailabletoanyvendorforuseindevelopingcommercialproducts.

Goal:ReduceLifecycleCosts

Lifecyclecostscanbereducedthroughmostoftheobjectivesdiscussedabove.Inaddition,thefollowingobjectivesdirectlyaddressreductionoflifecyclecosts:

Reducedduplication:replacementofisolatedsystemsandislandsofautomationwithinterconnectedopensystemswillleadtoreductionsinoverlappingfunctionality,dataduplication,andunneededredundancybecauseopensystemscansharedataandotherresources.

Reducedsoftwaremaintenancecosts:reductionsinthequantityandvarietyofsoftwareusedintheorganizationwillleadtoreductionsintheamountandcostofsoftwaremaintenance.Useofstandardofftheshelfsoftwarewillleadtofurtherreductionsincostssincevendorsofsuchsoftwaredistributetheirproductmaintenancecostsacrossamuchlargeruserbase.

Incrementalreplacement:commoninterfacestosharedinfrastructurecomponentsallowforphasedreplacementorupgradewithminimaloperationaldisturbance.

Reducedtrainingcosts:commonsystemsandconsistentHumanComputerInterfaces(HCIs)willleadtoreducedtrainingcosts.

Goal:ImproveSecurity

Securitycanbeimprovedintheorganization'sinformationthroughthefollowingobjectives:

Consistentsecurityinterfacesforapplications:consistentsecurityinterfacesandprocedureswillleadtofewererrorswhendevelopingapplicationsandincreasedapplicationportability.Notallapplicationswillneedthesamesuiteofsecurityfeatures,butanyfeaturesusedwillbeconsistentacrossapplications.

Consistentsecurityinterfacesforusers:acommonuserinterfacetosecurityfeatureswillleadtoreducedlearningtimewhenmovingfromsystemtosystem.

Securityindependence:applicationdeploymentcanusethesecuritypolicyandmechanismsappropriatetotheparticularenvironmentifthereisgoodlayeringinthearchitecture.

A25%reductionincallstothehelpdeskrelatingtosecurityissues.A20%reductionin"falsepositives"detectedinthenetwork(afalsepositiveisaneventthatappears

tobeanactionablesecurityevent,butinfactisafalsealarm).

Goal:ImproveManageability

Managementimprovementcanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:

Consistentmanagementinterface:consistentmanagementpracticesandprocedureswillfacilitate

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managementacrossallapplicationsandtheirunderlyingsupportstructures.Aconsistentinterfacecansimplifythemanagementburden,leadingtoincreaseduserefficiency.

Reducedoperation,administration,andmaintenancecosts:operation,administration,andmaintenancecostsmaybereducedthroughtheavailabilityofimprovedmanagementproductsandincreasedstandardizationoftheobjectsbeingmanaged.

Summary

BusinessscenarioshelpaddressoneofthemostcommonissuesfacingITexecutives:aligningITwiththebusiness.

ThesuccessofanymajorITprojectismeasuredbytheextenttowhichitislinkedtobusinessrequirements,anddemonstrablysupportsandenablestheenterprisetoachieveitsbusinessobjectives.Businessscenariosareanimportanttechniquethatmaybeusedatvariousstagesofdefiningenterprisearchitecture,oranyothermajorITproject,toderivethecharacteristicsofthearchitecturedirectlyfromthehighlevelrequirementsofthebusiness.Businessscenariosareusedtohelpidentifyandunderstandbusinessneeds,andtherebytoderivethebusinessrequirementsthatthearchitecturedevelopment,andultimatelytheIT,hastoaddress.

However,itisimportanttorememberthatbusinessscenariosarejustatool,nottheobjective.Theyareapartof,andenable,thelargerprocessofarchitecturedevelopment.Thearchitectshouldusethem,butnotgetlostinthem.Thekeyistostayfocusedwatchoutfor"featurecreep",andaddressthemostimportantissuesthattendtoreturnthegreatestvalue.

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