Architecture Elements

Capture Requirements

• Business Domains
• Business Capabilities

Key Stakeholders

• Business Analyst
• Business Executive

Information Sources

• Essential pre-defined Business Capability Models
• Any existing business capability documentation
• High level process documentation
• Business website(s)

Views this Data Enables

• Business Capability Model
• Business Capability Summary

Purpose

Defining the business capability model gives the business and IT a common language with which to discuss the business/IT engagement. The business capability model is a key anchor for your enterprise architecture and engagement with the business.

Method

• Essential has a number of pre defined business capability models that can be used to provide a starter for 10.
• Utilise these, along with any existing business capabilities that have been defined, or create your own model. Good sources of information on the capabilities are the business website(s), high level process documentation and the BAs understanding of the business, all of which can be used to create the Business Capability Model. If you are using one of our pre-defined models then upload it an amend it to your needs.
• Validate the Capability Model with a number of key Business Executive.
• Import to Essential and publish for review.

Data Capture

Via the Business Capability Editor (Cloud)

Use the capability editor create your hierarchy. We recommend you bulk import capabilities with Launchpad first. IMPORTANT: set the root node capability for the editor to work.

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Business Capability Model. Use the following sheets:

• Business Domains
• Business Capabilities

Capture Requirements

• Business Processes
• Business Process to Required App Service
• Physical Process to App and Service

Key Stakeholders

• Business Executive
• Business Analyst
• Application Owner
• IT Service Management

Information Sources

• High level process documentation
• IT Service Management Spreadsheets for any information on business processes and applications they use for support

Views this Data Enables

• Business Process Catalogue
• Business Process Family Summary
• Business Process Summary

Purpose

Mapping the business processes to both the business capabilities they support and the applications they use allows us to see where we have duplication and inefficiencies in our processes and in our applications. This allows us to understand how IT can better support the business to:

• Reduce duplication
• Increase efficiency and agility
• Reduce costs

Method

• The processes need to be defined at a high level only, just name and description. Detailed process flows can be linked if they are documented elsewhere, but they are not required for now.
• The application services that each process requires should be captured.
• Additionally, for each process defined, the organisation(s) that perform it and the application and service they use when performing it should be captured.
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Note: at the enterprise architecture level, we are less concerned about detailed process flows. We may from time to time use them for deeper insight, but they are not needed for every process.

Data Capture

The Business Process editor allows you to map processes to capabilities and applications.

If you have no processes, then use the Set-up Manager to create placeholder processes for you.

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Business Process Model. Use the following sheets:

• Business Process
• Business Process Family
• Business Process to App Services
• Physical Process to App

Capture Requirements

• List of Applications
• As many details as possible from:
  • Codebase, e.g. package, bespoke
  • Lifecycle status, e.g. production, sunset
  • Delivery Model, e.g. onsite, cloud
  • Owners – business and application
• If possible, Application Services
  • Services the application provides
  • Services the organisation uses

Key Stakeholders

• Application Owners
• IT Service Management
• Business Rep/Users

Information Sources

• CMDB
• Spreadsheets
• Service Management
• IT Finance
• Business Rep/Users

Views this Data Enables

• Application Catalogue
• Application Summary
• Feeds into views like the Business Capability Dashboard and Application Rationalisation

Purpose

The application catalogue is another key anchor for your enterprise architecture. Understanding the applications, what they are used for and who they are used by in your estate provides the basis for understanding:

• How IT supports the business
• Where you have duplication
• Where you have shadow IT
• How you can reduce costs
• How you can increase agility

For low maturity EA teams, the application catalogue is often a good starting point for any initiative, primarily as the data is often spread across the organisation and having a single consolidated list helps projects to understand impacts better, helps the business know what they have got, helps give the CIO sight of what they have to manage for the business, etc. As an EA team, it can become the anchor around which you can pivot other initiatives, such as rationalisation, transformation and risk management.

Method

• Consolidate information sources
• Review with stakeholders to:
  • Clean up and de-duplicate
  • Add Additional detail
• IT reps should understand the concept of Application Services. Business Users may not, so ask them what they are doing when they use the application and create services from their answers, e.g. “We use Workday to manage employee performance, talent acquisition and to manage payroll”, which would lead to services for Performance Management, Payroll Management (which could potentially be decomposed further) and Talent Acquisition
• Either, use Launchpad to Import into Essential, or if using Essential Cloud you can use the Application Editor or the APIs (we suggest you use the APIs or Launchpad if it is a bulk load) , and publish for review

Data Capture

Via the Application Editor (Cloud) 
Note: you can create your own specific application editor using the editor builder, see Essential University

Via the back-end data capture (Cloud/OS) 

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Application Catalogue. Use the following sheets:

• Applications
• Application Services
• Organisations
• App Services to Apps
• Applications to Org Users

Optional:

• Sites
• Organisation to Sites

Capture Requirements

• Application Capabilities required
• Application Services required for each capability
• Applications mapped to the Application Services they provide

 Key Stakeholders

• Application Owners
• IT Service Management
• Business Analysts

 Information Sources

• IT Service Management Spreadsheets
• Application documentation
• Business Capability model, if available

Views this Data Enables

• Application Reference Model
• Application Service Summary
• Application Rationalisation
• Application Footprint Analysis

Purpose

Understanding in detail the application estate from an application capabilities perspective, this is an application focused view not a business-usage driven view of the applications. This is differentiation is important as you are considering what the application could do, not what the are doing for your organisation.  Seeing this allows you to start to understand:

• Where you have opportunities to rationalise
• Where you have shadow IT
• Where you can reduce costs

You can use this application perspective to also see, via the services, where applications are under-utilised, i.e. where their functionality is partly used but they have more capabilities, e.g. Workday has Finance as well as HR capabilities, your organisation may only be using the HR elements when they could use more (and replace other applications).

 Method

• Determine what Application Capabilities you require to support your business. There are two typical ways to do this:
  • If a Business Capability model exists, use the Business Capabilities to create Application Capabilities as they often closely mirror the business
  • If no Business Capability model exists, utilise the BAs business knowledge to brainstorm the Application Services that the different areas of the business will require and group those into capabilities
• Map the Application Services to the Application Capabilities
• Identify the Application Services provided by each Application
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

See Essential University for meta-model

You can also use Launchpad for this for bulk load of data

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Application Reference Model. Use the following sheets:

• Application Capabilities
• Application Services
• Organisations
• App Services to App Capabilities
• App Services to Apps
• Applications to Org Users
• Sites
• Organisation to Sites

Capture Requirements

• List of Applications
• List of Technology Components
• List of Technology Products
• Technology Products mapped to the Technology Components they Provide (Technology Product Roles)
• Technology Product Role Lifecycle Status
• Applications mapped to Technology Products they use

Key Stakeholders

• Application Owners
• IT Service Management
• Infrastructure Team
• Solution Architects

Information Sources

• CMDB
• Spreadsheets, work with:
  • IT Service Management
  • Solution Architects

Views this Data Enables

• Application Technology Strategy Alignment
• Application Catalogue
• Technology Component Catalogue
• Technology Product Catalogue

Purpose

Understanding the technology products you have, and which products should be used to provide the technology components required, alongside what technologies are actually used by your applications allows you to understand:

• Where you have technology risk
• Where the risk to the business is greatest
• Where you can rationalise technologies to save money

Method

• If a Technology Reference Model exists, review with Stakeholders to:
  • Clean up and de-duplicate
  • Confirm Lifecycle Status’
  • Confirm Technology Product Roles
• If not, use the CMDB and Solution Architects knowledge to:
  • Capture the technology products in place
  • Define the technology components that they provide. Then define the lifecycle status for each Product against each Component
  • Map the Applications to the Technology Components they require and the Products used to provide them
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Application Technology Architecture. Use the following sheets:

• Applications
• Technology Components
• Technology Products
• Apps to Technology Products

Optional

• Technology Domains
• Technology Capabilities
• Technology Supplier
• Technology Families

Capture Requirements

• List of Applications
• Detail of Application dependencies, i.e. which applications pass and receive data
• An understanding of the Information Exchanged between the applications (optional)

Key Stakeholders

• Application Owners
• IT Service Management
• Infrastructure Team
• Solution Architects

Information Sources

• CMDB
• Spreadsheets, work with:
  • IT Service Management
  • Solution Architects

Views this Data Enables

• Application Catalogue
• Application Information Dependency

Understanding the dependencies between applications is crucial for managing change:

• Understand impact of change
• Understand where two or more applications use the same data

Method

• Ensure any new applications defined are not duplicates, for example known by a different name
• Consolidate Information Exchanged
  • This defines, for example, the feed itself. It can be called a name that describes the actual information exchanged i.e. Unaudited Positions and the label can be used to display the technical name
  • Ensure the names and descriptions are correct and that duplicates are not created or single feeds re-used
  • If possible gather the additional details of acquisition method, i.e. batch upload, Direct API call, and timeliness, i.e. Real-time, Weekly
• If you do not know the information that is exchanged you can just capture the fact that there is a dependency for now
• It is also useful to capture where there is manual data entry required between applications, for example, where something has to be re-keyed into a second system
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Use the drag and drop Application Integration Editor (Cloud) to map applications and data flowing between them.
In open source use the below: 

Launchpad

For bulk data loads, Launchpad can be used to populate the Application Dependency view. Use all the sheets::

• Applications
• APIs
• Information Exchanged
• Application Dependencies

Capture Requirements

• Technology Domains
• Technology Capabilities
• Technology Components mapped to the capabilities they support

Key Stakeholders

• Solution Architects/Technical Architects
• IT Service Management

Information Sources

• Solution Architects/Technical Architects
• IT Service Management Spreadsheets

Views this Data Enables

• Technology Reference Model

Purpose

The Technology Reference Model provides an understanding of the technologies that are required to support the application estate. It is another key anchor for your enterprise architecture and provides the basis to understand:

• Where you have duplication
• Where you have risk
• How you can reduce costs
• How you can increase agility

Method

• If no existing model exists, utilise the Architects knowledge to brainstorm the Technology Components that will be required to support the application estate
• Group the Components to create the Technology Concepts and Domains
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Technology Reference Model. Use the following sheets:

• Technology Domains
• Technology Capabilities

Capture Requirements

• Technology Components
• Technology Suppliers
• Technology Products mapped to the components they provide
• Lifecycles for the products for that use

Key Stakeholders

• Solution/Technical Architects
• IT Service Management

Information Sources

• Solution/Technical Architects
• IT Service Management Spreadsheets

Views this Data Enables

• Technology Catalogue
• Technology Product Summary
• Technology Component Summary

Purpose

Understanding in detail the technology components that are required, and which technology products can provide them allows understanding of:

• Where you have duplication
• Where you have risk
• How you can reduce costs
• How you can increase agility

Method

• Utilise the Architects and Service Managers knowledge and spreadsheets to collate all the technology products currently in use across the application estate
• Create a list of all the Products, including versions, and their Suppliers
• If a Technology Reference Model exists, map the Technology Products to the components
• If not, group the products to define the Technology Components
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Technology Reference Model. Use the following sheets:

• Technology Components
• Technology Products
• Suppliers

Capture Requirements

• Applications
• Application Deployments
• Technology Nodes

Key Stakeholders

• Solution/Technical Architects
• IT Service Management
• Support

Information Sources

• Support
• IT Service Management Spreadsheets
• Application Teams

Views this Data Enables

• Application Deployment Summary
• Application by Host Country
• Node Summary (Limited)

Purpose

Understanding where applications are deployed, and if required adding information to the nodes such as IP address, technology type, etc. It enables questions such as:

• What is the impact of node X failing/our cloud provider being unavailable? Which applications would fail?
• Which applications are on technology nodes using unsupported technology? Are any critical?
• What is the impact as we implement our Cloud First strategy

Method

• Gather the applications, ideally this should have been done as part of an earlier play
• Engage the Service Management or Infrastructure teams and get the server list. Try and get geographic location of the servers as part of this work
• Engage the Application owners and break out Prod, Dev, Test and any other deployments you want. Get Prod as a minimum. Where the owners don’t know discuss with the dev teams, release control and/or infra. You may do this as a spreadsheet exercise
• Once collated import the data into Essential, or use the application deployment Editor (Cloud only)

Data Capture

Launchpad

Populate these sheets to get the Application technology deployments working

• Applications
• Technology Products
• Technology Components
• App to Tech Products

Capture Requirements

• Data Subjects
• Data Objects
• Data Object Attributes
• Data Governance Personnel, i.e. Data Owners

Key Stakeholders

• Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• DBAs

Information Sources

• Existing Data Models
• Business Process Documentation
• Database structures

Views this Data Enables

• Data Catalogue
• Data Object Summary (partial)
• Data Subject Summary (partial)

Purpose

A Data Dictionary, or Catalogue, provides a consistent set of definitions for an organisation’s data.  It can be used as an anchor to enable future uses:

• Which applications use which data
• Where data issues exist
• Which application(s) should be the source of information for analytics

Method

• If Data Models exist use these and the Data Analysts knowledge to start to define the data used in your organisation
• Next, and if no Data Models exist:
  • Use the Business Process documentation and the BAs knowledge to help define the data objects that would be required in a process
  • Use the DBAs knowledge to understand any gaps in the data objects identified.
  • Add the Data Object Attributes
  • Group the Data Objects into Data Subjects
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

• Data Subject
• Data Object
• Data Object Inheritance
• Data Object Attribute

Capture Requirements

• Data Subjects
• Data Objects

Key Stakeholders

• Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• DBAs

Information Sources

• Existing Data Models
• Business Process Documentation
• Database structures

Views this Data Enables

• Data Subject Model
• Data Object Model

Purpose

Data Models allow understanding of what data and data relationships are required by an organisation to support its capabilities

Method

• If Data Models exist use these and the Data Analysts knowledge to start to define the data required by your organisation and how it links together.
• Next, and if no Data Models exist:
  • Use the Business Process documentation and the BAs knowledge to help define the data objects that would be required by the business processes.
  • Use the DBAs knowledge to understand any gaps in the data objects identified and to define how they link.
  • Group the Data Objects into Data Subjects
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

• Organisation
• Data Subject
• Data Object
• Data Object Inheritance
• Data Object Attribute

Capture Requirements

• Applications
• Data Objects and Attributes
• Data Representations
• Information Concepts and Views
• Information Representations

Key Stakeholders

• Data Analyst
• Business Analyst
• DBAs
• IT Service Management

Information Sources

• Existing Data Models
• Business Process Documentation
• Database structures

Views this Data Enables

• Data Object Provider Model
• Data Object Summary
• Application Information Dependency Model

Purpose

Understanding where data is stored and used by applications enables:

• Effective and fast project impact assessment as existing information flows are understood
• Improved MI as the best source of data is understood

Method

• If a Data Catalogue has been defined, use that to define the data held
• Use the DBAs knowledge to understand what data is contained in Application Databases
• Use the Business Process documentation and the BAs knowledge to help define the data that business processes use and what applications store that data
• De-duplicate the data to ensure the same terms are used across different applications
• Import to Essential and publish for review

Data Capture

Launchpad

The Essential Launchpad can be used to populate the Applications. Use the following sheets:

• Applications
• Organisation
• Data Subject
• Data Object

Capture Requirements

• Principles can be captured across all layers, capture those that are important to you
• Capture a rationale and the impacts of the principles on the various layers

Key Stakeholders

• Enterprise Architect
• CIO
• Architects and Analysts
• Projects/Change
• PMO

Information Sources

• Business Strategy
• IT Strategy
• EA or CIO business/IT knowledge
• Any existing principles documentation

Views this Data Enables

• Principles Catalogue

Purpose

Principles are a key part of any enterprise architecture and are used to direct the way the organisation behaves when designing capabilities, processes and/or selecting architecture artefacts (applications, technology, data, etc.) to guide alignment to strategy.  They act as a mechanism for governance, allowing you to understand where projects and change are working against principles and to help them plan how to move back on track if required.

Note: Principles are not rules so they can be broken, e.g. tactical needs can sometimes outweigh strategic ones, but if they are broken, know why and make sure you understand the road back to adherence.

Method

• Utilise any existing principles that are in use across the organisation
• Utilise the CIO and Enterprise Architects knowledge of the business to either create or test the principles against the business strategy and objectives to ensure they are fit for purpose
• Agree which areas are key to test against the principles; this could be business processes, applications, data or technology depending on your focus
• Complete the testing/scoring of the elements against the principles
• Communicate the principles to project and change teams and ensure they consider them as part of their process

Data Capture

Launchpad

Not currently, these are simple to map in the tool.  In cloud we suggest you use an Editor

Capture Requirements

• Programmes
• Projects
• Strategic plans, i.e. architecture plans

Key Stakeholders

• Enterprise Architects
• CIO

Information Sources

• EA or CIO business/IT knowledge
• Business
• PMO
• Projects

Views this Data Enables

• Programme Plan Timeline
• Project Summaries
• Roadmaps

Purpose

Understanding the project portfolio and the impact on the artifacts in the architecture.  It is used to assess the impact of projects on the organisation, of delay on other initiatives and on the strategic plans.

Method

• Gather the project list; integrate it from the PMO tool if one exists, or, if not load via spreadsheet or directly in Essential
• Associate the projects with the programmes they support
• Associate the projects with strategic plans they are implementing

Data Capture

Use the Launchpad Loaders, Strategic Plans Loader

Capture Requirements

• Strategic Plans
• Impacted Elements
• Projects and/or Change

Key Stakeholders

• CIO
• Business
• PMO

Information Sources

• Business Strategy
• IT Strategy
• Programmes
• Projects

Data Capture

Use the Launchpad Loaders, Strategic Plans Loader

Capture Requirements

• Identify standards
• Capture technology products and the roles they play
• The same can be done for applications and services but these views aren’t available yet
• Create Reference Architectures (Not strictly necessary, depends on maturity)

Key Stakeholders

• CIO
• Architects and Analysts
• Projects

Information Sources

• Business Strategy
• IT Strategy
• EA knowledge
• Technology Product Suppliers

Views this Data Enables

• Strategic Technology Product Selector
• Application Service Summary

Purpose

The standards act as a way of ensuring strategic alignment in the enterprise architecture. They are there to:
• Ensure that projects have a reference to enable them to utilise the correct standards in design and selection
• Minimise ongoing costs and speed selection so projects can deliver quicker

Method

• Define standards for each of the technology products.  Products are assumed to be mapped to capabilities already, if not do that in Launchpad
• If you have reference architectures, capture those into Launchpad
• Capture the applications that are standards for specified services
• Ensure you have your governance process in place see S1.2
• Communicate to the projects the product selector tool and brief teams in how to use it

Data Capture

 Launchpad

Populate these sheets to get the technology standards working

• Technology Products
• Technology Components
• Tech Reference Archs
• Tech Ref Arch Svc Quals
• Tech Reference Models
• Technology Service Qualities
• Tech Service Qual Vals

Capture Requirements

• Costs
• Any Element

Key Stakeholders

• CIO
• Business
• Finance

Information Sources

• Finance

Views this Data Enables

• Application Summary
• Application Cost Analysis
• Application Cost Summary

Purpose

Understand the cost breakdown of an architecture element. Look across common elements at costs and determine where cost efficiencies exist. Roll-up costs if required

Method

• Identify the costs you wish to capture
• Add the costs to the element
• Use the summaries to see cost

Data Capture

In Essential Cloud, use the costs Application Editor to add the costs for the application. Note you will need to set up your costs categories.
See meta model managing costs here

In Cloud, there is a costs tab in the applications editor, or create your own.

Launchpad

Not currently, but contact us if you need one.

Capture Requirements

• Capture standards – see S1.4
• Capture principles – see S1.1

Key Stakeholders

• CIO
• EA
• Architects and Analysts
• Projects/Change
• PMO

Information Sources

• Business Strategy
• IT Strategy
• See S1.4 and S1.1

Views this Data Enables

• This play is more focused on implementing a Governance process

Purpose

Governance brings together principles and standards to ensure that projects and change are aligning with the strategy. Governance ensure that spend is focused in the right places, that technology is not being chosen which increases risk, increases support or blocks other initiatives. It also ensures that existing artefacts are reused and maximum benefit gained from the existing estate

Method

• Collate your principles and standards
• Determine what your off-strategy application services are
• Define a criteria for understanding which projects really matter and so need close monitoring, e.g. significant business impact, high risk or cost, etc.
• Get the PMO to help define in scope projects
• Implement a governance process (very light to full depending on your maturity) including a governance meeting where appropriate
• Utilise the Strategic Technology Selector and Design Authority views to get projects that are not in your ‘close monitoring’ list to self govern
•  Communicate the rationale, the tools and process
• Initiate the process and communicate the successes

Data Capture

Not applicable