Addressing the Control Challenges of the Enterprise Architecture Process

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Alec Cram ◽  
M. Kathryn Brohman ◽  
R. Brent Gallupe
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Enterprise Architecture ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Research Initiatives

ABSTRACT This paper examines the enterprise architecture process from the perspective of information systems controls, which refer to attempts to influence the behavior of employees in order to achieve organizational goals. Although controls have been extensively studied in processes such as systems development, there is little research examining control within the enterprise architecture process, despite its rising importance in today's organizations. This paper examines how enterprise architecture controls are employed in practice and considers the challenges faced in their design and operation. Drawing on empirical data from two in-depth case studies, enterprise architecture controls are classified and analyzed using COBIT 5. Our findings identify a series of specific challenges with enterprise architecture controls. Based on these challenges, we outline recommendations to practitioners in overseeing the enterprise architecture process and develop propositions to help guide future research initiatives to enhance enterprise architecture performance.

Optimizing the ROI of Enterprise Architecture Using Real Options

2011 ◽  
pp. 48-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Rico
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Real Options ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Enterprise Architecture ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Local State ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Goals And Objectives ◽  
Contemporary Approach

This chapter illustrates how to optimize the return on investment (ROI) of enterprise architecture. Enterprise architecture is a blueprint for defining the structure and operation of organizations such as local, state, and federal agencies. Done well, enterprise architecture results in leaner and more effective information systems that satisfy organizational goals and objectives. This chapter introduces a suite of simple metrics and models for measuring the ROI of enterprise architecture. This chapter also introduces real options, which is a contemporary approach to measuring ROI. Whereas typical measures tend to underestimate ROI, real options have the ability to unearth business value hidden deep within the economics of investments in enterprise architecture.

Examining the Quality of Evolution Frameworks and Metamodeling Paradigms of Information Systems Development Methodologies

2011 ◽  
pp. 265-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Berki
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Software Quality ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Quality Outcomes ◽  
Quality Properties ◽  
Quality Perceptions ◽  
Formal Quality

Information systems development methodologies and associated CASE tools have been considered cornerstones for building quality into an information system. The construction and evaluation of methodologies are usually carried out by evaluation frameworks and metamodels, both considered as meta-methodologies. This chapter investigates and reviews representative metamodels and evaluation frameworks for assessing the capability of methodologies to contribute to high-quality outcomes. It presents a summary of their quality features, strengths, and weaknesses. The chapter ultimately leads to a comparison and discussion of the functional and formal quality properties that traditional meta-methodologies and method evaluation paradigms offer. The discussion emphasizes the limitations of methods and metamethods used to model and evaluate software quality properties, such as computability and implementability, testing, dynamic semantics capture, and people’s involvement. This analysis, along with the comparison of the philosophy, assumptions, and quality perceptions of different process methods used in information systems development, provides the basis for recommendations about the need for future research in this area.

Information Systems, Software Engineering, and Systems Thinking

2011 ◽  
pp. 315-332
Author(s):  
Doncho Petkov ◽  
Denis Edgar-Nevill ◽  
Raymond Madachy ◽  
Rory O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Software Engineering ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Systems Software ◽  
Potential Improvement

This article traces past research on the application of the systems approach to information systems development within the disciplines of information systems and software engineering. Their origins historically are related to a number of areas, including general systems theory. While potential improvement of software development practices is linked by some leading experts to the application of more systemic methods, the current state of the practice in software engineering and information systems development shows this is some way from being achieved. The authors propose possible directions for future research and practical work on bringing together both fields with systems thinking.

Individual Improvisation in Information Systems Development

2009 ◽  
pp. 105-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Magni ◽  
Bernardino Provera ◽  
Luigi Prosperpio
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Product Development ◽  
New Product Development ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Turbulent Environments ◽  
Group Outcomes ◽  
Individual Attitude

Improvisation is rapidly becoming an important issue for both scholars and practitioners. Organizations that operate in turbulent environments must learn to swiftly adapt and respond to such nstability, especially in areas as innovation and new product development. In such contexts, traditional top-down, carefully-planned approaches to innovative projects may represent an obstacle to effectively dealing with environment uncertainty. Prior research on improvisation has focused considerable attention on the centrality of improvisation in individual and group outcomes, while less emphasis has been placed on how individual attitude toward improvisation is formed. In an attempt to fill this gap, we will theoretically analyze the antecedents of individual attitude toward improvisation, by looking at the information systems development (ISD) domain. In particular, the outcome of this chapter is the development of theoretical propositions which could be empirically tested in future research.

Information Systems Methodologies in Use

1993 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Westrup
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Successful Completion ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
The Creation

Research into information systems development (ISD) methodologies is generally restricted to the creation or elaboration of methodologies or the provision of CASE support. This paper proposes that a fruitful area of research, which will provide insights into the effectiveness of ISD methodologies, must centre on the observation of the practice of systems developers, users and managers, and the study of methodologies in use. Such a programme requires certain techniques, ideally longitudinal ethnographic case studies. Preliminary results from a couple of case studies indicate that ISD methodologies are not used as prescribed but this does not necessarily prevent the successful completion of development projects.

Exploring Ideology in the Adoption of Socio-Technical Assemblages

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-48
Author(s):  
David Edwards ◽  
Keith Horton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Organizational Adoption ◽  
Enterprise Level ◽  
Ideological Dimension ◽  
Longitudinal Case Studies

In this paper the authors explore ideological influences on the organizational adoption and development of the Managed Learning Environment (MLE), an enterprise level approach to information systems development in Higher Education, that was advocated by UK national agencies such as the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The authors present three detailed longitudinal case studies. To capture the ideological dimension of MLE we use the concept of Technology Action Framing. They find that the ideological dimension of the technology has a significant impact on organisational socio technical processes by shaping strong and often conflicting attitudes to the adoption of MLE. The findings contribute to better understanding of this pattern of socio technical adoption and development.

Business Process Simulation

2010 ◽  
pp. 240-253
Author(s):  
Tony Elliman ◽  
Tally Hatzakis ◽  
Alan Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Process Simulation ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Automated Information System ◽  
Modelling Techniques

This paper discusses the idea that even though information systems development (ISD) approaches have long advocated the use of integrated organisational views, the modelling techniques used have not been adapted accordingly and remain focused on the automated information system (IS) solution. Existing research provides evidence that business process simulation (BPS) can be used at different points in the ISD process to provide better integrated organisational views that aid the design of appropriate IS solutions. Despite this fact, research in this area is not extensive; suggesting that the potential of using BPS for the ISD process is not yet well understood. The paper uses the findings from three different case studies to illustrate the ways BPS has been used at different points in the ISD process. It compares the results against IS modelling techniques, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages that BPS has over the latter. The research necessary to develop appropriate BPS tools and give guidance on their use in the ISD process is discussed.

Perspectives on Reference Modeling

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fettke ◽  
Peter Loos
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Reference Models ◽  
Reference Modeling ◽  
Business Engineering

Conceptual models play an increasingly important role in all phases of the information systems life cycle. For instance, they are used for business engineering, information systems development, and customizing of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Despite conceptual modeling being a vital instrument for developing information systems, the modeling process often is resource-consuming and faulty. As a way to overcome these failures and to improve the development of enterprise-specific models, the concept of reference modeling has been introduced. A reference model is a conceptual framework and may be used as a blueprint for information systems development. In this Chapter, we seek to motivate research on reference modeling and introduce the chapters of this book on using reference models for business systems analysis. Our discussion is based on a framework for research on reference modeling that consists of four elements: reference modeling languages, reference modeling methods, reference models, and reference modeling context. Each element of the framework is discussed with respect to prior research, the contributions of chapters in this book, and future research opportunities.

ENTERPRISE MODELLING AND THE TELEOLOGICAL APPROACH TO REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING

1995 ◽  
Vol 04 (01) ◽  
pp. 45-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. LOUCOPOULOS ◽  
E. KAVAKLI
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Requirements Engineering ◽  
Social Roles ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Software System ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Systems Requirements

A critical factor in successful requirements analysis appears to be the understanding not only of what the system under consideration should do, but also why. To capture the purpose of an information system, one needs a mechanism to describe the behaviour of the organization in which the system will operate. This approach suggests further understanding and modelling of the organizational goals and the way that these goals become operationalised. In software systems development we often make the distinction between the enter prise world and the system world. The former describes the domain about which the proposed software system is to provide some service, while the second is concerned with specifications on what the system does and include descriptions of the systems requirements, conceptual designs and implementations. This paper describes an approach which involves the explicit modelling of organizational objectives, social roles and operations and the synthesis of these different perspectives towards a set of information systems requirements.

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