Assignment 2 of ISIT903/403
RealWorld Case Study of EAD: Scenarios Building for as-is and to-be architectures
Each group will be randomly assigned a specific enterprise architecture in one organization unit.
First Part: On-Site Observation, Interviews, As-Is EAD
The team will probably conduct:
a. On-site observations in order to analyse the current Enterprise Architecture (EA).
This will help you to understand the firm’s dynamic and the business environment. Thereafter, you need to map the selected business process (as-is) using the ANSI or the EPC scheme. Finally, you need to validate the final process with your key informants in the organization unit.
b. Interviews
Semi-structured interviews with peoples involved in the chosen EA. All data gathered during these interviews needs to be recorded in an Excel or Word file and reviewed by your key informants in order to facilitate the design of the existing EA.
This part should also include observations: weaknesses and strengths of as-is EA and any business process mapping.
Second Part: Scenarios Building, To-Be EAD
The main goal here is to develop a target EA. The target EA should define a vision of future business operations and supporting technology. Here a key consideration is the determination of how far into the future the proposed EA will be implemented. This target EA (the to-be EA) should describe the desired capability and structure of the enterprise business process, information needs, and IT infrastructure at some point in the future. The target EA may include alternatives and options.
The target EA should:
•Reflect the EA team’s judgment about the future uses and characteristics of information within the enterprise
•Reflect the organization’s business requirements review, focusing on the opportunities to automate aspects of work and/or the access to information needed to perform work
•Incorporate technology forecasts
•Specify the needed level of interoperability needed between the data sources and the users of the data
•Identify the IT needed to support the enterprise’s technical objectives.
•Reflect budgetary and territorial concerns.
The output of assessment 2: Each group will have to submit a research report presenting the current EA (the as-is EA) and the future EA (the to-be EA) and your observations in terms of weaknesses and strengths, the justifications of that choice of target EA, and any other comments.
The research report should be Word document between 5500-6000 words in length, 1.5 lines spacing, regular Time New Roman, size 12 and you are required to follow Harvard citation standard.