Hadi Kandjani

Capability Maturity Model for Collaborative Networks Based on Extended Axiomatic Design Theory

The paradigm of forming and sustaining Collaborative Networks as environments that create Virtual Organisations (VOs) assumes that effective (and efficient) enterprise engineering (EE) capabilities and processes are available. However, these processes are only effective if they produce VOs which have sufficiently limited complexity, because as complexity grows, the VO’s behaviour becomes increasingly harder to predict under all circumstances. This paper proposes the use of EE methods based on Extended Axiomatic Design Theory to limit the complexity of VOs – and of the CN itself. We introduce process- and people capability maturity levels, whereupon higher maturity implies higher probability of success of CNs in creating and maintaining VOs, and success of the VOs themselves, and formulate strategies for capability-improvement, intended to achieve higher levels of EE maturity.

Enterprise Architecture Cybernetics for Collaborative Networks: Reducing the Structural Complexity and Transaction Cost via Virtual Brokerage

This paper demonstrates that the efficiency of Virtual Organisation (VO) creation by Collaborative Networks (CNs) can be limited by the complexity of the network itself. The authors previously proposed the use of distributed Enterprise Engineering methods based on Extended Axiomatic Design Theory to limit the complexity of VOs, and of the CN itself. This paper formulates methods to calculate and reduce the structural complexity of CNs and the cost of VO creation transactions through virtual brokerages. The method is demonstrated through an example and also yields a heuristic rule regarding the optimal size of such brokerages.

Enterprise engineering and management at the crossroads

Challenges to future EIS due to business, socio-economic, and ecological environment complexity.Fundamental limitations to the controllability of complex systems as a challenge to sustainability.Complexity management and complexity reduction methods.State of the art of promising relevant areas of computing and communication. The article provides an overview of the challenges and the state of the art of the discipline of Enterprise Architecture (EA), with emphasis on the challenges and future development opportunities of the underlying Information System (IS), and its IT implementation, the Enterprise Information System (EIS). The first challenge is to overcome the narrowness of scope of present practice in IS and EA, and re-gain the coverage of the entire business on all levels of management, and a holistic and systemic coverage of the enterprise as an economic entity in its social and ecological environment. The second challenge is how to face the problems caused by complexity that limit the controllability and manageability of the enterprise as a system. The third challenge is connected with the complexity problem, and describes fundamental issues of sustainability and viability. Following from the third, the fourth challenge is to identify modes of survival for systems, and dynamic system architectures that evolve and are resilient to changes of the environment in which they live. The state of the art section provides pointers to possible radical changes to models, methodologies, theories and tools in EIS design and implementation, with the potential to solve these grand challenges.

The Enterprise Architecture Body of Knowledge as an Evolving Discipline

Enterprise Architecture (EA) as an area of interdisciplinary study relies on models, methods and theories of many disciplines. The article explores the linkage between the needs of enterprise problem domains, the evolution of domain specific disciplines, and the EA body of knowledge. A cybernetic view is presented in an attempt to explain the effects of an important driver of discipline development, namely the change in the complexity of application domains. For the EA discipline (EAD), as any other developing discipline, there should exist a commonly accepted terminology, allowing interdisciplinary theories to be stated, which in turn facilitate the creation of cross disciplinary models and methodologies. While there already exists a fundamental and generalised theory of EA, GERAM, it is a minimalist theory, not prescribing any particular reference models or any concrete methodology, thus there is a constant need to relate domain specific results to the generalised theory, whereupon the evolution of one needs to have impact on the other. In this article we treat the discipline-as-a-system, and use Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) to discuss three basic components of EAD as a viable system. A ‘co-evolution mechanisms’ for EAD is proposed, and a cybernetic model of co-evolution applied to EAD. We also discuss a cybernetic model of EAD using Checkland’s model for discipline development.

Towards a Cybernetic Theory and Reference Model of Self designing Complex Collaborative Networks

The multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary movement studying Collaborative Networks (CNs) introduced terminologies, reference architectures, methodologies and models, with the aim of helping the design, creation, operation and maintenance of CNs, and its virtual organisations (VOs). Almost a decade ago, the IST European VOMap project reported a lack of ‘well founded theory and models’ for sustainable collaborative networks, and this article is an attempt into this direction. The article defines and introduces ‘Cybernetics of Collaborative Networks’ (C2N) as a field of CN-research intended as a unified theory of CNs, formalising, synthesising, harmonising and systematising individual CN-related results addressing management and control problems in CNs. Through this envisaged synthesis, the paper invokes a number of relevant reference models and corresponding theories to outline a possible reference model and theory for self-designing CNs.

CO-EVOLUTION PATH MODEL (CePM): SUSTAINING ENTERPRISES AS COMPLEX SYSTEMS ON THE EDGE OF CHAOS

The purpose of this study is primarily theoretical—to propose and detail a model for system evolution and show its derivation from the fields of enterprise architecture (EA), cybernetics, and systems theory. Cybernetic thinking is used to develop the coevolution path model (CePM) to explain how enterprises coevolve with their environments. The model reinterprets Ashbys law of requisite variety, Stafford Beers viable system model, and Conant and Ashbys theorem of the “good regulator” to exemplify how various complexity management theories could be synthesized into a cybernetic theory of EA—informing management of mechanisms to maintain harmony between the evolution of the enterprise as a complex system and the evolution of its complex environment.

Reducing the structural complexity and transaction cost of collaborative networks using extended axiomatic design theory and virtual brokerage

The paradigm of forming and sustaining collaborative networks as environments that create virtual organisations assumes that effective (and efficient) enterprise engineering capabilities and processes are available. However, these processes are only effective if they produce virtual organisations that have sufficiently limited complexity, because as complexity grows, the virtual organisation’s behaviour becomes increasingly harder to predict under all circumstances. This article demonstrates that the efficiency of virtual organisation creation by collaborative networks can be limited by the complexity of the network itself. This article proposes the use of enterprise engineering methods based on extended axiomatic design theory to limit the complexity of virtual organisations – and of the collaborative network itself. This article also formulates methods to calculate and reduce the structural complexity of collaborative networks and the cost of virtual organisation creation transactions through virtual brokerages. The method is demonstrated through an example and also yields a heuristic rule regarding the optimal size of such brokerages. Also, process and people capability maturity levels were introduced for the use of enterprise engineering methods based on extended axiomatic design theory, whereupon higher maturity implies higher probability of success of collaborative networks in creating and maintaining virtual organisations, and success of the virtual organisations themselves (i.e. higher capability to limit the complexity of virtual organisations and of collaborative network itself). This article also formulates strategies for capability improvement, intended to achieve higher levels of enterprise engineering maturity.

Cybernetics of the Collaborative Networks Discipline

Collaborative Networks (CNs) research, like any other developing discipline, needs a roadmap facilitating the integration of previous results into a theoretical foundation. CN researchers argue that the required theoretical foundation must consolidate the existing body of knowledge, and provide grounding to define how to invoke results of other relevant disciplines. The authors have previously proposed the ‘Cybernetics of the Collaborative Networks’ (C2N) as a field of CN-research intended as a unified theory of CNs, formalising, synthesising, harmonising and systematising individual CN-related results addressing management and control problems in CNs. This article aims at further extending the concept of C2N and answering the question: what is a unified evolving theory of the CN discipline itself? To model the discipline-as-a-system, we use Beer’s Viable System Model (VSM) and introduce three basic components of the CN discipline as a viable system. A ‘co-evolution mechanisms’ for the discipline is proposed and a cybernetic model of co-evolution is applied to the CN discipline.

Enterprise Architecture Cybernetics for Global Mining Projects: Reducing the Structural Complexity of Global Mining Supply Networks via Virtual Brokerage

This paper applies the emerging paradigm of Collaborative Networks (CNs) to the global mining supply chains (introducing the new concept of ‘global mining supply networks’) and demonstrates that the efficiency of the global mining projects initiated and managed by the global mining supply networks can be limited by the complexity of the supply network itself. This paper then presents methods and theoretical examples to calculate and reduce the structural complexity of the global mining supply networks and the complexity of creation of the global mining projects through applying the virtual brokerages to the global mining supply networks.

Analysis of Interoperability Issues in Queensland Disaster Management System

The increasing rate of natural and man-made disaster draws considerable attention from decision makers and planners in communities and governments. Disaster Management projects require the collaboration of several disaster management organizations and it results in heterogeneous systems. Interoperability of these heterogeneous systems is essential in order to enable effective and feasible collaboration among various organizations. This paper investigates interoperability issues in Queensland disaster management by analyzing current Queensland floods using Enterprise Architecture (EA) principles. Finally, a reference model is proposed to improve interoperability in Queensland disaster management system.