Sustainability needs to be incorporated into the models and plans used improve
business performance. One of the strategic tools for business is Enterprise
Architecture (EA).
The Australian Government Information Management Office, in their Australian
Government Architecture (AGIMO, p. 290, 2011) define Enterprise Architecture (EA)
as:
"The explicit description and documentation of the current and desired
relationships among business and management processes and information technology. An
EA describes the ‘current architecture’ and ‘target
architecture’ to include the rules and standards and systems life cycle
information to optimise and maintain the environment which the agency wishes to
create and maintain by managing its ICT portfolio. The EA must also provide a
strategy that will enable the agency to support its current state and also act as the
roadmap for transition to its target environment. These transition processes will
include an agency's capital planning and investment control processes, agency EA
planning processes and agency systems life cycle methodologies."
Neil Ward-Dutton in his blog posting on Real-world Enterprise Architecture part
I: journey vs destination (2007a) argues that it should not focus too much on the
technical nature of EA outputs (diagrams and reports) and concentrate on communicating
with business people and stakeholder engagement. In Part 2 (2007b) he argues that large
organisations are rarely truly centralised and actually use a federated style of IT
work.
Models
For its Reference Models, AGIMO (p12, 2011) adapted the Federal Enterprise
Architecture Framework (FEAF) of the United States Government, which has five
areas:
- Performance Reference Model (PRM)
- Business Reference Model (BRM)
- Service Reference Model (SRM)
- Data Reference Model (DRM)
- Technical Reference Model (TRM)
Performance Reference Model (PRM)
The Performance Reference Model (PRM) shows the relationship between input
and output of the process being modelled and allows both to be measured and reported.
AGIMO define:
- Measurement Domains: Inputs; Processes and Activities; Outputs;
Usage;
and Outcomes (AGIMO, p13, 2011)
- Measurement Indicators: "... specific, quantifiable
measures defined by the implementing agency to suit the measurement purpose and the
measurement domain in which it resides." (AGIMO, p51, 2011)
Business Reference Model
The
Business Reference Model (BRM) provides a
functional view of the operations and its services of an organisation. This need not
follow the existing organisational structure as it should reflect what the organisation
provides its clients, not how it is currently structured. AGIMO (p. 102, 2011) uses a
modified form of the US Federated Enterprise Architecture Business Reference
Model (FEA-BRM). This is intended to provide a of whole-of-government approach to
providing services. AGIMO identifies three levels in its BRM:
- Business Areas: which describe government functionality and
activities surrounding the operations of government
- Lines of Business within each business area: which relate to
government functions at the middle level of the BRM hierarchy
- Business Capabilities under each Line of Business (LoB): which
relate to government sub-functions, at the lowest level of the BRM hierarchy.
Service Reference Model (SRM)
The AGIMO Service Reference Model classifies Service Domains and
within these Service Types used to build the ICT system (AGIMO, p. 165, 2011):
- Customer Services
- Customer Relationship Management
- Customer Preferences
- Customer Initiated Assistance
- Process Automation Services
- Tracking and Workflow
- Routing and Scheduling
- Business Management Services
- Management of Process
- Organisational Management
- Investment Management
- Supply Chain Management
- Digital Asset Services
- Content Management
- Document Management
- Knowledge Management
- Records Management
- Business Analytical Services
- Analyses and Statistics
- Visualisation
- Knowledge Discovery
- Business Intelligence
- Reporting
- Back Office Services
- Data Management
- Human Resources
- Financial Management
- Assets/Materials Management
- Development and Integration
- Human Capital / Workforce Management
- Support Services
- Security Management
- Collaboration
- Search
- Communication
- Systems Management
- Forms Management
Data Reference Model (DRM)
A Data Reference Model defines the information used across an organisation
(AGIMO, p. 191, 2011). As an example of the data description for "person" and
"event" entities:
- Person is shown as personidentifier shown as an integer;
fullName shown as a string; birthDate shown as a Date; age shown as an Integer;
address shown as a String; etc.
- Eventis shown as eventidentifier shown as an Integer; eventType
shown as a String; eventDate shown as a Date; eventTime shown as Time; etc
This allows different agencies of the Australian Government to share data on people
and events.
Technical Reference Model (TRM)
The Technical Reference Model defines the ICT to be used t implement what is
described in the other models (AGIMO, p. 246, 2011). This can be as detailed as
defining which web browser will be used, or with the use of standards.
Now Read
- Ward-Dutton's
Real-world Enterprise Architecture part I (2007a) and
Part II (2007b).
-
Chapter 2, Reference Model Overview, (AGIMO, pp. 12-18, 2011).
Questions
- Enterprise Architecture for sustainability: EA has a bewildering
range of models and diagrams to describe the business of an organisation. Pick one
model or diagram from the EA of your organisation, or one you are familiar with and
explain how sustainability goals can be advanced using it. If you do not have access
to EA for an organisation, use the Australian Government Architecture Reference
Models (AGIMO, 2011).
- Centralised and decentralised use of ICT: Documents such as the
Australian Government Architecture Reference Models (AGIMO, 2011), imply an
organisation has just one way of working. But Neil Ward-Dutton in his blog
"Real-world Enterprise Architecture part II" (2007b) says that large
organisations are rarely truly centralised and actually use a federated style of IT
work. Give examples from your organisation, or an organisation you are familiar with,
of centralised or decentralised use of ICT and its implications for energy savings
strategies.