jisc conference 2009: paradox of the agile institution

Joint Information Systems Committee 24/03/2009 | Supporting education and research | Slide 1

JISC Conference 2009Opening Digital Doors

inspiring innovation

Paradox of the agile institution: Techniques to enable confident adaptation to change

Speakers:1. Bill Olivier, Development Director for Systems and Technology, JISC2. John Callery, DCSF, Chief Enterprise Architect3. Bert van Zomeren, Technical University of Delft, Information Manager (CIO)4. Chris Cobb, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Roehampton University

inspiring innovation

Education, Skills, and Children’s Services

Introductory Overview of Introductory Overview of Enterprise Architecture Enterprise Architecture

JISC ConferenceJISC Conference2424thth March 2009March 2009

John Callery John Callery Chief Enterprise Architect, DCSFChief Enterprise Architect, DCSF

What is enterprise architecture?What is enterprise architecture?

Many definitions:

ANSI/IEEE Standard 1471-2000: Architecture ‘The fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its components, their relationship to each other and the environment, and the principles governing its design and evolution’.

TOGAF (Version 8) Two definitions of architecture, dependent on its contextual use – ‘A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of the system at component level to guide its implementation’ and ‘The structure of components, their interrelationships and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time’. Enterprise is any collection of organizations that have a common set of goals and / or a single bottom line.

Gartner: Enterprise Architecture as the process of describing and the description of the desired future state of an organization’s business process, technology, and information to best support the organization’s business strategy

Forrester Research: Enterprise Architecture as a planning, governance, and innovation function that enables an organization to progress towards its vision of its future state

What is enterprise architecture?What is enterprise architecture?

A set of practices and techniquesto provide a holistic view of the components of an enterprise, and their relationship to one anotherthat can be understood by different audiences, with different perspectives and concernsand can be used as a basis for changing the enterprise, so that it becomes more agile, more efficient, and optimally aligned to business goals and objectives

A variety of frameworks usedA variety of frameworks used

Business Domain

Information Domain

Application SystemsDomain

Technology Domain

A variety of tools availableA variety of tools available

0 10 20 30 40 50

BOC Group

Enamics

Adaptive

Avolution

Don't know

Agilense

alfabet

iGrafx

Casewise

M etastorm ProVision

Sybase PowerDesigner

Troux

M EGA

IDS Scheer ARIS

Other, please specify

IBM /Telelogic System Architect

M icrosoft Visio

Plan to use

Are using

Source: December 2008 EA Toolbox Online Survey

Some benefits of enterprise Some benefits of enterprise architecturearchitecture

Deal with complexitySeparates the wood from the trees – high level models that hide the complexity, provide a ‘whole system’ view, but also provide a way in to understanding the complexity of an enterprise


More agile enterpriseLoosely coupled modular ‘services’ that can be quickly reconfigured and reused to meet changing business needs


More efficient enterprise Through shared services, reused (replicated) services – lean processes


Improved delivery of changeEA a basis for impact analysis - and for de- risking delivery through more tightly scoped change projects


Improved Business/IT alignmentBusiness and technology services linked to business goals and objectives

Some pitfalls and challengesSome pitfalls and challenges

Be business not IT driven – get business sponsorship, understanding, and commitment

Demonstrate that it quickly adds value – look for real business problems

Get the right level of granularity – breadth rather than depth

Some pitfalls and challengesSome pitfalls and challenges

Don’t over engineer, over centralise, stifle innovation

Don’t let the means (frameworks, tools) distract you from the end (business improvement)

Don’t neglect governance – enterprise wide decisions - the tension between the enterprise view and the project view, between long term and short term

Education, Skills, and Children’s Services

Enterprise ArchitectureEnterprise Architecture for education, skills, and for education, skills, and

childrenchildren’’s servicess servicesJISC ConferenceJISC Conference2424thth March 2009March 2009

John Callery John Callery Chief Enterprise Architect, DCSFChief Enterprise Architect, DCSF

What are we doing?What are we doing?

Enterprise Architecture for Education, Skills and Children’s Services ‘system’

Why are we doing it?Why are we doing it?

A complex diverse delivery landscape but no overall model of the system as a whole against which to assess impact of change

System is fragmented – historically silo based – but needs to be joined up if it is to successfully deliver public services to citizens

Not always clear who is responsible for doing what, or who is doing what (Capability review)

Why are we doing it?Why are we doing it?

Duplication – opportunity for shared services and reuse of assets and greater efficiency

Problems of interoperability – particularly data sharing

Need to ensure IT aligned to business

How are we doing it?How are we doing it?

Using simplified Zachman framework as taxonomy

Education Skills and Children’s Services System Enterprise ArchitectureWHAT HOW WHEREWHOWHY WHEN

Organisation

Roles Teams

OrganisationInformation

Flows

Business Principles

Goals Strategies Objectives

Business Services

Business Processes

Information Objects

Information Collections

Subject Area Business

Data

Business Data

Overview

BusinessData

Strategic Portfolio

Change Scope

OrganisationApplications

Application Interaction

Application Environment

Physical Data Exchange

Specification

Physical Data Stores

Physical Networks

Application Data

Application Platform Services

Application Platform Products

Application Products

Logical Network

Applications For Business

ServiceApplications

BusinessChannels

Service Delivery Channel

Business Standards

Application Principles

Application Standards

Application Platform

principles

Application Platform

Standards

Application Product

Roadmap

Application Platform Roadmap

Strategic Portfolio Roadmap


EA objects or artefacts linked together


Iteratively – underpins information strategy development

AS-IS ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE

STAGE 3 – BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE AND ALIGNMENT

STAGE 1 – PRE BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOP ARTEFACTS

STAGE 2 – APPLICATION AND APPLICATION PLATFORM

ARCHITECTURE

1st CutOrganisation

1st CutRoles

OrganisationInformation

Flows

Goals Strategies Objectives

Business Functions

Business Processes

1st CutInformation

Objects

1st CutBusiness

Data

Physical Data Exchange

Specification

Physical Data Stores

Application Platform Services

Application Platform Products

Logical Network

Applications For Business

Service

Applications

1st CutBusinessChannels

Service Delivery Channel

Business Services

RevisedOrganisation

RevisedRoles

RevisedBusiness

Data

RevisedInformation

Objects

RevisedBusinessChannels

Application Interaction

Application Environment

Application Products

TARGET ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE

STAGE 4 – TARGET BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE

STAGE 5 – TARGET APPLICATION

ARCHITECTURE

STAGE 6 – TARGET APPLICATION PLATFORM

ARCHITECTURE

STRATEGY

STAGE 7 – STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Portfolio

Change Scope

Strategic Portfolio Roadmap

BUSINESS STRATEGYProblems and Opportunities

What does it look like?What does it look like?

The emergent business architecture –

business services (Work in progress)



business processes (Work in progress)



business data (Work in progress)

Message content = data objects

What does it look like? What does it look like?

The emergent application architecture –

current application systems (Work in progress)

What does it look like? What does it look like?

AUTHENTICATION SERVICES

PRESENTATION SERVICES

BUSINESS PROCESS SERVICES

INFORMATION SERVICES

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

DATA SERVICES

APPLICATION SERVICES

DCSF Target Architecture (Layers) Strategy & Architecture Unit

Version: 0.1 (DRAFT)

The emergent application architecture –

target state application services (Work in progress)


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The emergent application platform architecture (Work in progress)

Some key challenges so farSome key challenges so far

Time to get business engagement, commitment, and real as opposed to nominal understandingOften perceived to be ‘technical’ rather than a vehicle for business transformation and improvementBroad scope – and the pace required to produce a substantial EA in the available windowInsufficient in-house capability – enterprise architects who understand the sectorCountercultural – silo based and autonomous culture in many places

On the positive side, it has been very well received when the barriers to development and use have been overcome

A federated learning A federated learning environment for 3TU.environment for 3TU.

Bert van ZomerenBert van Zomeren Delft University of TechnologyDelft University of Technology

JISC conferenceJISC conferenceEdinburgh, march 2009Edinburgh, march 2009

This is aboutThis is about

•• The federation 3TU.The federation 3TU.•• Their ambition to have a federated Their ambition to have a federated

Virtual Learning Environment in 2011Virtual Learning Environment in 2011•• The role of Enterprise ArchitectureThe role of Enterprise Architecture•• First resultsFirst results•• Work in progressWork in progress•• Lessons learnedLessons learned•• Some challengesSome challenges

About 3TU. About 3TU.

•• UniversitiesUniversities of Delft, Eindhoven, Twente• Federation since february 7th, 2007• Main goal: stronger international position in

education and research• 9.000 staff, > 28.000 students• Collaboration in 3TU. Graduate School• 5 joint MSC programmes (since 2006)• Considerable differences in Size, Culture,

Organizational structure, IT Governance, IT environments, applications etc.

The caseThe case

Ambition of 3TU.Graduate School:A federated VLE, available in 2011

Use existing infrastructureIntegration based on SOA

3 portals with identical functionalityStandardize data objects

Archimate as a modelling language

website website website

Data Data Data

Functional services

Functional services

Functional services

Dataother

instititutons

website

Institution X

Functional services

Target architectureTarget architecture

The main ideaThe main ideaPresentation via TU-X

websiteTU-X

1

1. Information request33. request enters bus

22. Invoke service

4444. distribution

5 55

5. local results

6

6. aggregation by bus7. presentation to user

7

MethodsMethods

• Adoption of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)• Adoption of Archimate framework, modelling

language, tools (BiZZdesign Architect)• Determination of Architectural principles• Choice of 6 most important processes in the VLE• Top down design of processes and functional

services• Validation of proces models by students and staff• Choice of standards to exchange data objects• Independence of applications

Modelling activitiesModelling activities

TU/e has TU/e has ““workingworking”” VLEVLE

/ Dienst ICT PAGE 3724-3-2009

TU/e Digitale Leer en Werk Omgeving (GUI)

Onderwijs informatie makelaar (ESB)Berichten diensten

Kadaster voor changemanagement

Transactie gegevensBuiten(3TU.)

Owis Vubis Studyweb Exchange elk IS

Work in ProgressWork in Progress

• Proof of Concept:– Consultation of course catalogue– Adoption of XCRI-CAP standard for course

information• Archimate training for process architects• Developers webservices• Choice of middelware platform (ESB)• Roadmap for 3TU. VLE

Results/benefitsResults/benefits

• TU/e has a “working” learning environment based on the proposed architecture (performance issue)

• Concept of “integrated” VLE has gained acceptance and support in Delft and Twente

• Delft has a coursebase which is XCRI- Cap conformant.

Lessons learnedLessons learned

• Processes and services can be modelled using Archimate

• Model can be used to build a working Learning Environment

• Archimate training required• Some standards are available• SOA increases life-time of legacy• Performance may be an issue

ChallengesChallenges

• 3TU. is a collaboration between partners who are also fierce competitors

• Individual branding remains very important

• In IT more enthusiasm than in education: growing gap

• Clash of the titans: architects versus project managers

• No experience with services

More challengesMore challenges

• No real enterprise architects in 3TU.

• No power to enforce process design or standards

• Limited authority for architects• Demarcation line between 3TU. and

local infrastructure• Facility sharing??

(do we trust each other?)

EA in HE Support ‘Enabling the agile institution’

Working together, four institutions and expert supporters got to first impact within 12 months, starting simple, bootstrapping skills.

Doing HE ‐

‘convention’• Established approach with

strategic benefits• Professional discipline• 2‐3 yrs to ‘total EA’• 3‐10 years to professional

maturity• High consultancy input

Support activity in Strategic Technologies Group of Flexible Delivery ProgrammeDiffering readiness, adoption & maturityUK, NL and international (Open Group)Face to face and virtualGuidance, Frameworks and Knowledge

Working together enables ‘doing EA’ to progress better, faster

Growing network, learning from and with each other, creating resources for the Enterprise Architects in HE

Network

Challenges, Solutions

Leadership Governance

Gettingstarted

Training& Skills

Convincing

Guidance

TOGAF4HE

KillerAppsTools

BusinessCase

Models Library

EA Simulator Bench

marking

Maturity Baseline

Frameworks

Techwatch

Innovation Base

Stories

SynthesisOG

Community

Knowledge

Thought Leaders

EA Live

Professional Skills

Where ‘EA in HE’

Global

‘UKHE’

STG

EA in HESupport

Commit to program

Commit to EA

International Communities

The Open Group SURF

e-FrameworkITANA

Knowledge, experience,

goodwill, network

JISC FSD Programme

Strategic TechnologiesGroup

UCISA Leadership Foundation

What next?

24 March: JISC Conference, Edinburgh

“Paradox of the agile Institution”

27 April: The Open Group Conference, London

“ Hands on EA ‐

UK/NL face to face”

1 June: Programme Launch

Contact Us!Alex Hawker: [email protected]

David Rose: [email protected]