Rik Bos

The design of focus area maturity models

Maturity models are a well-known instrument to support the improvement of functional domains in IS, like software development or testing While maturity models may share a common structure, they have to be developed anew for each functional domain Focus area maturity models are distinguished from fixed-level maturity models, like CMM, in that they are especially suited to the incremental improvement of functional domains In this paper we present a generic method for developing focus area maturity models based on both extensive industrial experience and scientific investigation In doing so, we show two examples of focus area maturity models, one for enterprise architecture and one for software product management We used a design science research process to develop the method presented.

The dynamic architecture maturity matrix: instrument analysis and refinement

The field of enterprise architecture is still very much in development. Many architecture teams are looking to improve their effectiveness. One of the instruments to do so is the Dynamic Architecture Maturity Matrix. In the past the DyAMM has been applied to many architecture practices to assess their architecture maturity level. In this paper we present an analysis of these assessments. This provides us with an overview of common strengths and weaknesses in existing architecture practices. In addition, we use the set of assessments to analyze the DyAMM instrument for four types of anomalies.

Achieving Enterprise Architecture Benefits: What Makes the Difference?

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is rapidly becoming an established discipline. However, this does not mean that the practice of EA is already fully standardized. Practitioners as well as researchers report various techniques being used in the EA practice. And although EA has various potential benefits, evidence of real benefits is only just emerging. This paper presents empirical evidence of the relations between EA techniques used and EA benefits perceived, as well as the influence of contextual factors. The evidence is based on the results of a survey (n=293) held among both architects and stakeholders of EA in a wide variety of organizations. Employing multivariate regression analysis we found that the combination of project compliance, EA choices being explicitly linked to business goals and organized knowledge exchange between architects is a strong predictor for EA being perceived as a good instrument. We also established that significant differences exist in EA practice effectiveness between different economic sectors. Government appears to reap less benefits from EA than other sectors. The empirical evidence furthermore shows only a small influence of organizational size and number of architects on EA effectiveness.

The Enterprise Architecture Realization Scorecard: A Result Oriented Assessment Instrument

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a well-accepted, but relatively young discipline. Since most practices are in the early stages of maturity, our research is aimed to develop an assessment instrument to measure and improve the EA management function’s ability to realize its goals. In this paper, we propose the Enterprise Architecture Realization Scorecard (EARS) and an accompanying method to discover the strengths and weaknesses in the realization process of an EA management function. During an assessment, representative EA goals are selected, and for each goal, the results, delivered during the different stages of the realization process, are analyzed, discussed and valued. The outcome of an assessment is a numerical EARScorecard, explicated with indicator-values, strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. The concept and composition of the EARS is primarily inspired by the principles of CobiT and TOGAF’s Architecture Development Method. Two cases are discussed to illustrate the use of the instrument.

A Lightweight Method for the Modelling of Enterprise Architectures

This paper introduces an easy to learn method to describe enterprise architectures with a limited focus on the relation between enterprise functions and IT-systems. We have designed the Enterprise Architecture Modelling method (EAM), driven by our teaching requirements and based on our ERP modelling experience. EAM consists of these diagram types: the Supply Chain Diagram, showing the business environment; the Enterprise Function Diagrams for the interoperation of enterprise functions; the Scenario Overlay for modelling the main business processes; the System Infrastructure Diagram, depicting the technical infrastructure of IT systems and networks; and the Application Overlay Diagram, showing which applications give support to which enterprise functions. We satisfactorily conducted about 40 case studies based on EAM. To solicit feedback we performed an enquiry among users of EAM. A future step will be testing the use of EAM in managerial decision taking in practice.

A Selection-Method for Enterprise Application Integration Solutions

With new developments such as cloud computing and SOA, integrating different applications is becoming increasingly important. We observed that many organizations have difficulties in the selection of a suitable application-integration solution. In this paper we present a method for the selection of enterprise application integration solutions. This method supports organizations in choosing solutions that consist of both technological and organizational measures. We used an assembly-based method engineering approach to construct the method. We validated the method using a case study and expert reviews.

A Framework for Organizational Compliance Management Tactics

Organizational compliance with laws, industrial standards, procedures and enterprise architectures has become a highly relevant topic for both practitio ners and academics. However, both the fundamental insights into compliance as a concept and the tactics for bringing an organization into a compliant state have been described in a fragmented manner. Using literature from various disciplines, this paper presents two contributions. First, it describes the fundamental concepts regarding compliance. Second, it presents a framework in which the various tactics for achieving organizational compliance can be positioned.

An Artifact Model for Projects Conforming to Enterprise Architecture

This article presents a model for projects that have to adhere to Enterprise Architecture (EA) in order for their results to be aligned with the broader organization. The model features project artifacts (i.e. deliverables such as Software Architecture Documents), their mutual relationships, their relationship with EA, and the processes in which they are created and tested on conformance. We start with applying Activity Theory to show the crucial mediating role that artifacts have in projects and to identify and justify the new EA-related artifacts we introduce. We subsequently incorporate these findings and existing best practices in a standard systems development approach in order to create a practical model that projects can apply for EA conformance. This model features both new, dedicated EA artifacts, and well-known existing artifacts of which we describe the way they should conform to EA. Finally, two action research studies are used to empirically support the model.