context models v2 (ppt)

Context Models

Part of Enterprise Architecture Training

Bill RothChief Information Technology Architect

State of [email protected]

04/11/23 Context Models, Bill Roth, CiTA 2

Agenda

• What is a Context Model

• How do I build one

• How do I use it

• How does our agency use it– How would another agency see it

• Why should I care

• Where does this fit into the big picture


What is a context model

• A model to show any information flow from one source to another.

• An information flow can be any format– Text, voice, reports, video, financial, mail,

web, forms, signatures, etc.


Simple demo

KDOT Supplier

KDOT Purchaser

Request Bid

Current Bid

Purchase Order

Item requested & shipping order

Payment

Invoice


Simple demo

KDOT Supplier

KDOT Purchaser

Request Bid

Current Bid

Purchase Order


Payment

Invoice

ACTORSMessages


Define Context


Define ContextActors

Can be Groups, Roles, Systems

Examples

KHP, Dispatchers,

EADCR


Define Context Messages

Any Information sent from one place to another, In any format

Example, accident form, dispatch notice

All Types

Text, voice, radio, form, report, video, image, ect


Define ContextActors outside of topic area

Actors inside of topic area


ActorsCan be Groups, Roles, Systems

Bureau Of Computer Services

Bureau Chief

Bureau Chief Of Computer Services

CPMS

CMS

Email System

Area Engineer

Designer

Ben Nelson

DB2

Don’t use personal names or technology, both will change

Use the level of Detail that is appropriate for the topic.


MessagesActor A Actor B

Daily Report

Financial Transaction

Voice Message

Yearly Report

Request for Information

Batch File

Form

Signature

XML data

Role Specific information

Receipt Acknowledgement

If in doubt put it down, You can clarify it later

For every Yin there is a Yen. Look for the completeness


Message questions• What is the basic information flows• How about:

– Daily Cycles– Yearly cycles(FY, Calendar, Fed FY, Budget Cycle, – Monthly Cycles, Report distributions, Financials, status reports, – Get many levels of the organization involved. Some reports have

been delivered so long the current managers may not even be aware of them, especially if they are automated.

• Keep asking questions until they run out of answers, or you run out of time.

• Messages are always depicted with one-way arrows.


Business semantics based on fundamental categories or predicates

• most important core categories are the following:– Actors– Messages– Subjects or objects– Locations– Events

• From these, we can achieve yet another set of more abstract, derived categories:

• Business exchanges• Business processes• Business roles• Business process

activities and decisions• User interfaces/formulas/

decision rules• Business relationships• Business rules


Message as a document

Copyright Cutter Consortium & Ken Orr


Message as Data

Copyright Cutter Consortium & Ken Orr


What do you do with a context model

• Look for sequences of messages, These are Work flows

• Cyclical stuff can be scheduled• Any Message from a system is either an

interface or a report. – Look for commonalities, these can be a

service

• Any message that is a response to a request can be a service


So now this Context becomes?

KDOT Supplier

KDOT Purchaser

Request Bid

Current Bid

Purchase Order


Payment

Invoice

ACTORSMessages


Define Business Process


A Defined Business ProcessNow you can ask about the activity that

creates the message

Actors control each swimlane

Activity to do something

Message or content


Why are we using Context Models?

• For Clarity, for you yes, but mostly for Other Agency Staff, Use their terms, They need to see their stuff on the models.

• For completeness• For separation of things to decompose a project

into identifiable pieces• For identity of cycles, Business processes • For Identity of services being delivered, ?

automated, Scheduled, Extended, customized


So we identified an interface, now what?

• If I am going to rewrite the interface?– How can I build a detour to keep messages flowing

while new work is being tested– How Can I build verification to ensure new work

matches old work• I can associate the data with the Interface• Is there any thing you can propose to add value to the

interface• Is the interface essential• Identify the metrics of the Interface, frequency, volume,

size, type,• Can the Type change, IE Voice to VOIP


So I identified a Business process, Now What

• Come Back next month for Business Process discussion

• Model out Business Process, Don’t be surprised if you find new message flows

• Is there signatures needed that were overlooked

• Can the Business process be automated


How many types of Context Models are there

• As many as you need. We have done them – System to system only– Agency to agency only– System centered, total flows to all end points– Business Area centered, IE Construction– Organization area centered, IE Local Projects– Interagency (IE Water Office, KCJIS)

• There are a lot already done, Identify your topic and request all current messages for that topic

• Give feed back if someone else’s model is not accurate


KDOT's Business Partners

KDOT

Accident Reports, Traffic Impact Incidents

Road Conditions, Traffic Status Vehicle

Accident Analysis

"Drug Testing"/Drivers License Checks, Project

Plans, Vehicle Usage, Payment Information

Invoices, Transportation Statistics, GIS Views

Research Information

Incidents, Problems, Permit Applications

511 responses, KANROAD responses, Project

Information

Invoices, Permit Applications, Contract Status,

Utility GIS Info

Project Plans, Project Schedules

Contracts, Payments and Schedules

Design Plans, Weekly Accomplishments,

Invoices, Collaboration

Requests for Bids, Contracts, Plans,

Change Orders

Bids, Invoices, Status reports

Project Plans, Invoices, Contracts Funding

Limits5 year plans, TIP Plan Invoices, Local

Payments

Project Plans, Invoices, Contracts Funding

Limits

5 year plans, TIP Plan Invoices, Local

Payments

Grants, Loans Vehicle Information,

Inspection Information

Vehicle Reports, Applications, Ridership

Information

Permits, Road Conditions, Detours etc.

Travel and traffic info, Road Conditions,

Detours

Incidents, Problems, Permit Applications

Info req., incidents, problems

Req. for info, eGov transactions

Requested info, eGov transactions

Consultants,

Design

Contractors

Cities

Counties

Public Transit

Authorities

Law

Enforcement

Other State

Agencies

Universities

and Colleges

Public

Utilities

Truckers,

Trucking Co

Motorists

Other States

and Federal

Agencies


The Models don’t appear complete, What did I do wrong

• For 30 years we have been building solutions to feed stuff to agency Staff. Then they do something with it. They:– Import it to Excel/Access– Generate form letters from Word, Mail out packets– Separate and distribute to other parties– Incorporate this with other information and create reports then

distribute• If It goes to someone in your agency, Find out what they do with it. If

they do nothing with it it may be a dead end. (mostly they just don’t think about what they do as adding value)

• Basically keep asking questions until you see the real end customer And then ask what the real end customer does with it.


Things you can do for clarityPut the Organization roles inside the Organization units

KDOT SupplierKDOT Purchaser Request Bid

Current Bid

Purchase Order


Payment

Invoice

ACTORSMessages

Purchaser

Payment staff

Receipt clerk

Salesman

Shipping Officer

Billing Officer

Connect the messages to the roles, You can see there is now multiple parties involved in approval and authorities


Behind the scenes associations

• Associate Actors with Organization hierarchy• Organize Roles with Organization if unique• Associate Messages with data definition

– Abstract (IE Voice Data)– Unique(IE CPMS Project table)– If possible Identify the Key of the message (IE Project

ID, Voucher Number)

• You can do this for your project, • We will work with you to do this for total agency

models.


Agency and Your Business PartnersPS We may not be the only agency who works with these business

partners

KDOT Supplier

KDOT Purchaser

Request Bid

Current Bid

Purchase Order


Payment

Invoice

ACTORS

Purchaser

Payment staff

Receipt clerk

Salesman

Shipping Officer

Billing Officer

These are Relationships to manage & points for competition

SuppliersCustomers

Citizens

Legislature

Other Agencies

Cities

Counties


Look at Business partners Perspective

• How many ways to deal with different agencies

• How many types of messages are they getting

• Can you help them automate by making something available (IE a data file vs a hard copy report)

• Single Authority(IE PKI)• Volume of information exchange


As other agencies get these models

• Look for common business partners

• Look for common ways for secure interactions

• Look for common types of transactions

• Look for competitive alternatives

• Ask them better ways to work with the state

• Look for common services, yours-theirs


Context Model & Strategic Intent

• Look for Message flow causing problem• Highlight message flows that could be

customized to business partner needs• Highlight Message flows that could ease pain for

different roles in KDOT, IE Inspectors• Highlight areas where all messages are

transactions, No summary, no cyclical, No support for strategic measurements

• Highlight areas you are requesting to invest efforts in.


Future

• Did I mention that you could put future systems, future message flows, future roles & actors on a model

• Maybe a before and after model

• Or color coded(note that these don’t copy well)


How do I get a Context Model

• Conducting a modeling session• Room requirements• Preparation for a session• People involved• Technical requirements• Immediate feedback or next meeting

feedback• Follow up to a session• Getting approval of the session

deliverables.


Keep it free but disciplined

• Discipline and QA– Actors, messages, systems– How do you know if you have violated the basics.

• Combining low level context models– To get summary from a single perspective. IE

Business partner– To get summary from a single system – To see where gaps may exist

• Get other perspectives, Reviews• Note you can also get this from existing

documentation but it helps if the business community helps you build them.


Connecting Context models to Project plans

• Connecting Context models to project staging• Connecting context models to testing plans.• Connecting context models to Requirements

gathering• Connecting Context models to Design• Connecting Context models to implementation

phases– Like a KDOT Project, A detour needs to be built first if

you are going to work through traffic, and verification


Technology Architecture

• When you connect message flows to technical implementations, you can– Use the Context Models to identify big picture

needs and changes– Develop Macro level considerations for

Technology Architecture replace-ability.– Develop Phased evolutions for legacy

systems.


Why Do I care about a message?

Every Message becomes a program eventually. And each program is tied to associated technologies and is an investment for KDOT.

When you look at a message in current solution and you look at the message in Future solution. Look for technology and customization options that you can add to make life easier for our customers

CMS System Contractor

Area Engineer

Contractor Status Report

MainframeDB2

Views XXXProgram XXX

ServerWeb ServerBusiness Objects ServerSSL Layer

Program XXX

ClientContract ID Option

AE ID OptionSchedule Options

Authenticate

Parameters

Report

Parameters

DataService

USER Sees this

We Build this


Conclusion

• Understanding Your Business• Understanding relationship between your

Business, Its strategy, Its business Partners, and current and future IT Systems.

• Clarity is good, • Use Big Pictures and Big Paper, Or High

level and low levels related. This is not a 8 ½ X 11 exercise.


Strategy

objectives

goals

critical successfactors

OrganizationStructure

business units

roles

skills

business partnersBusinessProcesses

activities

goals workflow

Information

data

letters/faxes

drawings

email

Applicationsprograms

systems

spreadsheets

Technology

software

hardware network

Administrative Management

IT Management

Financial Management

Financial Assets

Human Resource Management

Program/Project/Contract Management

Local Support

Research and Laboratories

Safety

TransportationPlanning

Pre-Construction

Construction MaintenanceReal-timeOperations

Transportation Infrastructure Assets


IT Management


Financial Assets



IT Management


Financial Assets


Program/Project/Contract Management

Local Support

Research and Laboratories

Safety

TransportationPlanning

Pre-Construction

Construction MaintenanceReal-timeOperations

Transportation Infrastructure Assets

Enterprise Architecture

Focus on KDOT’s Process, Supporting Data and Communication Methods

Today’s Session


Possible Future Topics

• Business Processes Next Month

• Radar Charts

• Value Chains

• Data, Data Warehouse, Data models, etc

• Technical

• Application decomposition

• Legacy replacement