2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

ThisisGoogle'scacheofhttp://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html.Itisa
snapshotofthepageasitappearedon15Feb201505:53:06GMT.Thecurrentpagecouldhavechanged
inthemeantime.Learnmore
Tip:Toquicklyfindyoursearchtermonthispage,pressCtrl+ForF(Mac)andusethefindbar.

Textonlyversion

Youarehere:TOGAF8.1.1Online >PartIV:ResourceBase >BusinessScenarios

<<<Previous

Home

Next>>>

BusinessScenarios
Introduction|BenefitsofBusinessScenarios |CreatingtheBusinessScenario|ContentsofaBusinessScenario
|ContributionstotheBusinessScenario|BusinessScenariosandtheTOGAFADM|GuidelinesonDeveloping
BusinessScenarios |GuidelinesonBusinessScenarioDocumentation|GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectives |
Summary
Thischapterdescribesamethodforderivingbusinessrequirementsforarchitectureandtheimplied
technicalrequirements.

Introduction
Akeyfactorinthesuccessofanenterprisearchitectureistheextenttowhichitislinkedtobusiness
requirements,anddemonstrablysupportingandenablingtheenterprisetoachieveitsbusiness
objectives.
Businessscenariosareanimportanttechniquethatmaybeusedatvariousstagesoftheenterprise
architecture,principallytheArchitectureVisionandtheBusinessArchitecture,butinother
architecturedomainsaswell,ifrequired,toderivethecharacteristicsofthearchitecturedirectlyfrom
thehighlevelrequirementsofthebusiness.Theyareusedtohelpidentifyandunderstandbusiness
needs,andtherebytoderivethebusinessrequirementsthatthearchitecturedevelopmenthasto
address.
Abusinessscenariodescribes:
Abusinessprocess,application,orsetofapplicationsthatcanbeenabledbythearchitecture
Thebusinessandtechnologyenvironment
Thepeopleandcomputingcomponents(called"actors")whoexecutethescenario
Thedesiredoutcomeofproperexecution
Agoodbusinessscenarioisrepresentativeofasignificantbusinessneedorproblem,andenables
vendorstounderstandthevaluetothecustomerorganizationofadevelopedsolution.
Agoodbusinessscenarioisalso"SMART":
Specific,bydefiningwhatneedstobedoneinthebusiness
Measurable,throughclearmetricsforsuccess
Actionable,by:
Clearlysegmentingtheproblem
Providingthebasisfordeterminingelementsandplansforthesolution
Realistic,inthattheproblemcanbesolvedwithintheboundsofphysicalreality,time,andcost
constraints
Timebound,inthatthereisaclearstatementofwhenthesolutionopportunityexpires
GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectivesprovidesdetailedexamplesonobjectivesthatcouldbe
considered.Whateverobjectivesyouuse,theideaistomakethoseobjectivesSMART.

BenefitsofBusinessScenarios
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

1/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Abusinessscenarioisessentiallyacompletedescriptionofabusinessproblem,bothinbusiness
andinarchitecturalterms,whichenablesindividualrequirementstobeviewedinrelationtoone
anotherinthecontextoftheoverallproblem.Withoutsuchacompletedescriptiontoserveas
context:
Thereisadangerofthearchitecturebeingbasedonanincompletesetofrequirementsthatdonotadd
uptoawholeproblemdescription,andthatcanthereforemisguidearchitecturework.
Thebusinessvalueofsolvingtheproblemisunclear.
Therelevanceofpotentialsolutionsisunclear.
Also,becausethetechniquerequirestheinvolvementofbusinesslinemanagementandother
stakeholdersatanearlystageinthearchitectureproject,italsoplaysanimportantroleingainingthe
buyinofthesekeypersonneltotheoverallprojectanditsendproducttheenterprisearchitecture.
Anadditionaladvantageofbusinessscenariosisincommunicationwithvendors.Mostarchitecture
nowadaysisimplementedbymakingmaximumuseofCommercialOffTheShelf(COTS)software
solutions,oftenfrommultiplevendors,procuredintheopenmarket.Theuseofbusinessscenariosby
anITcustomercanbeanimportantaidtoITvendorsindeliveringappropriatesolutions.Vendors
needtoensurethattheirsolutioncomponentsaddvaluetoanopensolutionandaremarketable.
Businessscenariosprovidealanguagewithwhichthevendorcommunitycanlinkcustomerproblems
andtechnicalsolutions.Besidesmakingobviouswhatisneeded,andwhy,theyallowvendorsto
solveproblemsoptimally,usingopenstandardsandleveragingeachother'sskills.

CreatingtheBusinessScenario
TheOverallProcess

Creatingabusinessscenarioinvolvesthefollowing,asillustratedinCreatingaBusinessScenario:
1.Identifying,documenting,andrankingtheproblemdrivingthescenario
2.Identifyingthebusinessandtechnicalenvironmentofthescenarioanddocumentingitinscenario
models
3.Identifyinganddocumentingdesiredobjectives(theresultsofhandlingtheproblemssuccessfully)get
"SMART"
4.Identifyingthehumanactors(participants)andtheirplaceinthebusinessmodel
5.Identifyingcomputeractors(computingelements)andtheirplaceinthetechnologymodel
6.Identifyinganddocumentingroles,responsibilities,andmeasuresofsuccessperactordocumenting
therequiredscriptsperactor,andtheresultsofhandlingthesituation
7.Checkingfor"fitnessforpurpose"andrefiningonlyifnecessary

Figure:CreatingaBusinessScenario
AbusinessscenarioisdevelopedoveranumberofiterativephasesofGathering,Analyzing,and
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

2/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Reviewingtheinformationinthebusinessscenario.
Ineachphase,eachoftheareasaboveissuccessivelyimproved.Therefinementstepinvolves
decidingwhethertoconsiderthescenariocompleteandgotothenextphase,orwhetherfurther
refinementisnecessary.Thisisaccomplishedbyaskingwhetherthecurrentstateofthebusiness
scenarioisfitforthepurposeofcarryingrequirementsdownstreaminthearchitectureprocess.
Thethreephasesofdevelopingabusinessscenarioaredescribedindetailbelow,anddepictedin
PhasesofDevelopingBusinessScenarios.

Figure:PhasesofDevelopingBusinessScenarios
Gathering

TheGatheringphaseiswhereinformationiscollectedoneachoftheareasinCreatingaBusiness
Scenario.Ifinformationgatheringproceduresandpracticesarealreadyinplaceinanorganization
forexample,togatherinformationforstrategicplanningtheyshouldbeusedasappropriate,either
duringbusinessscenarioworkshopsorinplaceofbusinessscenarioworkshops.
Multipletechniquesmaybeusedinthisphase,suchasinformationresearch,qualitativeanalysis,
quantitativeanalysis,surveys,requestsforinformation,etc.Asmuchinformationaspossibleshould
begatheredandpreprocessed"offline"priortoanyfacetofaceworkshops(describedbelow).For
example,arequestforinformationmayincludearequestforstrategicandoperationalplans.Such
documentstypicallyprovidegreatinsights,buttheinformationthattheycontainusuallyrequires
significantpreprocessing.Theinformationmaybeusedtogenerateaninitialdraftofthebusiness
scenariopriortotheworkshop,ifpossible.Thiswillincreasetheunderstandingandconfidenceofthe
architect,andthevalueoftheworkshoptoitsparticipants.
Averyusefulwaytogatherinformationistoholdbusinessscenarioworkshops,wherebyabusiness
scenarioconsultantleadsaselectandsmallgroupofbusinessrepresentativesthroughanumberof
questionstoelicittheinformationsurroundingtheproblembeingaddressedbythearchitectureeffort.
Theworkshopattendeesmustbecarefullyselectedfromhighlevelsinthebusinessandtechnical
sidesoftheorganization.Itisimportanttogetpeoplethatcanandwillprovideinformationopenlyand
honestly.Whereadraftofthebusinessscenarioalreadyexistsforexample,asaresultof
preprocessinginformationgatheredduringthisphase,asdescribedabovetheworkshopmayalsobe
usedtoreviewthestateofthebusinessscenariodraft.
Sometimesitisnecessarytohavemultipleworkshops:insomecases,toseparatethegatheringof
informationonthebusinesssidefromthegatheringofinformationonthetechnicalsideandinother
casessimplytogetmoreinformationfrommorepeople.
Whengatheringinformation,thearchitectcangreatlystrengthenthebusinessscenariobyobtaining
"realworldexamples"i.e.,casestudiestowhichthereadercaneasilyrelate.Whencitingrealworld
examples,itisimportanttomaintainalevelofanonymityofthepartiesinvolved,toavoidblame.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

3/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Analyzing

TheAnalyzingphaseiswhereagreatdealofrealBusinessArchitectureworkisactuallydone.Thisis
wheretheinformationthatisgatheredisprocessedanddocumented,andwherethemodelsare
createdtorepresentthatinformation,typicallyvisually.
TheAnalyzingphasetakesadvantageoftheknowledgeandexperienceofthebusinessscenario
consultantusingpastworkandexperiencetodevelopthemodelsnecessarytodepicttheinformation
captured.Notethatthemodelsanddocumentationproducedarenotnecessarilyreproducedverbatim
frominterviews,butratherfilteredandtranslatedaccordingtotherealunderlyingneeds.
IntheAnalyzingphaseitisimportanttomaintainlinkagesbetweenthekeyelementsofthebusiness
scenario.Onetechniquethatassistsinmaintainingsuchlinkagesisthecreationofmatricesthatare
usedtorelatebusinessprocessestoeachof:
Constituencies
HumanActors
ComputerActors
Issues
Objectives
Inthisway,thebusinessprocessbecomesthebindingfocalpoint,whichmakesagreatdealof
sense,sinceinmostcasesitisbusinessprocessimprovementthatisbeingsought.
Reviewing

TheReviewingphaseiswheretheresultsarefedbacktothesponsorsoftheprojecttoensurethat
thereisasharedunderstandingofthefullscopeoftheproblem,andthepotentialdepthofthe
technicalimpact.
Multiplebusinessscenarioworkshopsor"readout"meetingswiththesponsorsandinvolvedparties
arerecommended.Themeetingsshouldbesetuptobeopenandinteractive.Itisrecommendedto
haveexercisesbuiltintomeetingagendas,inordertotestattendees'understandingandinterest
levels,aswellastotestthearchitect'sownassumptionsandresults.
Thisphaseisextremelyimportant,astheabsenceofsharedexpectationsisinmanycasestheroot
causeofprojectfailures.

ContentsofaBusinessScenario
Thedocumentationofabusinessscenarioshouldcontainalltheimportantdetailsaboutthescenario.
Itshouldcapture,andsequence,thecriticalstepsandinteractionsbetweenactorsthataddressthe
situation.Itshouldalsodeclarealltherelevantinformationaboutallactors,specifically:thedifferent
responsibilitiesoftheactorsthekeypreconditionsthathavetobemetpriortopropersystem
functionalityandthetechnicalrequirementsfortheservicetobeofacceptablequality.
Therearetwomaintypesofcontent:graphics(models),anddescriptivetext.Bothhaveapartto
play.
BusinessScenarioModelscapturebusinessandtechnologyviewsinagraphicalform,toaid
comprehension.Specifically,theyrelateactorsandinteractions,andgiveastartingpointtoconfirm
specificrequirements.
BusinessScenarioDescriptionscapturedetailsinatextualform.Atypicalcontentslistfora
businessscenarioisgivenbelow.
TableofContents
PREFACE
EXECUTIVESUMMARY
DOCUMENTROADMAP
BUSINESSSCENARIO
BUSINESSSCENARIOOVERVIEW
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

4/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

BACKGROUNDOFSCENARIO
PURPOSEOFSCENARIO
DEFINITIONS/DESCRIPTIONSOFTERMSUSED
VIEWSOFENVIRONMENTSANDPROCESSES
BUSINESSENVIRONMENT
Constituencies
PROCESSDESCRIPTIONS
Process"a"
etc....
TECHNICALENVIRONMENT
Technicalenvironment"a"
etc....
ACTORSANDTHEIRROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIES
COMPUTERACTORSANDROLES
RELATIONSHIPOFCOMPONENTSANDPROCESSES
HUMANACTORSANDROLES
RELATIONSHIPOFHUMANSANDPROCESSES
INFORMATIONFLOWANALYSIS
PRINCIPLESANDCONSTRAINTS
ITPrinciples
Constraints
REQUIREMENTS
BUSINESSSCENARIOANALYSIS
PROBLEMSUMMARY
Issues
Objectives
SUMMARY
APPENDIXES
APPENDIXA:BUSINESSSCENARIOSADDITIONALINFORMATION
APPENDIXBn:BUSINESSSCENARIOWORKSHOPNOTES

ContributionstotheBusinessScenario
Itisimportanttorealizethatthecreationofabusinessscenarioisnotsolelytheprovinceofthe
architect.Asmentionedpreviously,businesslinemanagementandotherstakeholdersinthe
enterpriseareinvolved,toensurethatthebusinessgoalsareaccuratelycaptured.Inaddition,
dependingontherelationshipthatanorganizationhaswithitsITvendors,thelatteralsomaybe
involved,toensurethattherolesoftechnicalsolutionsarealsoaccuratelycaptured,andtoensure
communicationwiththevendors.
Typically,theinvolvementofthebusinessmanagementisgreatestintheearlystages,whilethe
businessproblemsarebeingexploredandcaptured,whiletheinvolvementofthearchitectisgreatest
inthelaterstages,andwhenarchitecturalsolutionsarebeingdescribed.Similarly,ifvendorsare
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

5/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

involvedinthebusinessscenarioprocess,theinvolvementofthecustomerside(business
managementplusenterprisearchitects)isgreatestintheearlystages,whilethatofthevendorsis
greatestinthelaterstages,whentheroleofspecifictechnicalsolutionsisbeingexploredand
captured.ThisconceptisillustratedinRelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario.

Figure:RelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario
VendorITarchitectsmightbeabletoassistenterpriseITarchitectswithintegrationofthevendors'
productsintotheenterprisearchitecture.Thisassistancemostprobablyfallsinthemiddleofthe
timelineinRelativeContributionstoaBusinessScenario.

BusinessScenariosandtheTOGAFADM
BusinessscenariosfiguremostprominentlyintheinitialphaseoftheArchitectureDevelopment
Method(ADM),ArchitectureVision,whentheyareusedtodefinerelevantbusinessrequirements,and
tobuildconsensuswithbusinessmanagementandotherstakeholders.
However,thebusinessrequirementsarereferredtothroughoutallphasesoftheADMlifecycle,as
illustratedinRelevanceofRequirementsThroughouttheADM.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

6/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Figure:RelevanceofRequirementsThroughouttheADM
BecausebusinessrequirementsareimportantthroughoutallphasesoftheADMlifecycle,the
businessscenariotechniquehasanimportantroletoplayintheTOGAFADM,byensuringthatthe
businessrequirementsthemselvesarecompleteandcorrect.

GuidelinesonDevelopingBusinessScenarios
GeneralGuidelines

Thestakeholders(e.g.,businessmanagers,endusers)willtellyouwhattheywant,butasan
architectyoumuststillgainanunderstandingofthebusiness,soyoumustknowthemostimportant
actorsinthesystem.Ifthestakeholdersdonotknowwhattheywant:
Taketime,observe,andrecordhowtheyareworkingtoday
Structureinformationinsuchawaythatitcanbeusedlater
Uncovercriticalbusinessrulesfromdomainexperts
Stayfocusedonwhatneedstobeaccomplished,andhowitistobeaccomplished
Thiseffortprovidestheanchorforachainofreasonfrombusinessrequirementsthroughtotechnical
solutions.Itwillpayofflatertobediligentandcriticalatthestart.
QuestionstoAskforEachArea

ThebusinessscenarioworkshopsmentionedaboveintheGatheringphasearereallystructured
interviews.Whilethereisnosinglesetofappropriatequestionstoaskinallsituations,thefollowing
providessomeguidancetohelpbusinessscenarioconsultantsinaskingquestions.

Identifying,Documenting,andRankingtheProblem
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

7/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Istheproblemdescribedasastatementofwhatneedstobeaccomplished,likestepsinaprocess,
andnothow(withtechnology"push")?
Iftheproblemistoospecificora"how":
Raisearedflag
Ask"Whydoyouneedtodoitthatway?"questions
Iftheproblemistoovagueorunactionable:
Raisearedflag
Ask"Whatisityouneedtodo,orwillbeabletodoifthisproblemissolved?"questions
Askquestionsthathelptoidentifywhereandwhentheproblemexists:
Whereareyouexperiencingthisparticularproblem?Inwhatbusinessprocess?
Whendoyouencountertheseissues?Duringthebeginningoftheprocess,themiddle,theend?
Askquestionsthathelptoidentifythecostsoftheproblem:
Doyouaccountforthecostsassociatedwiththisproblem?Ifso,whatarethey?
Aretherehiddencosts?Ifso,whatarethey?
Isthecostofthisproblemcoveredinthecostofsomethingelse?Ifso,whatandhowmuch?
Istheproblemmanifestedintermsofpoorqualityoraperceptionofanineffectiveorganization?

IdentifyingtheBusiness&TechnicalEnvironment,andDocumentinginModels
Questionstoaskaboutthebusinessenvironment:
Whatkeyprocesssuffersfromtheissues?Whatarethemajorstepsthatneedtobeprocessed?
Location/scaleofinternalbusinessdepartments?
Location/scaleofexternalbusinesspartners?
Anyspecificbusinessrulesandregulationsrelatedtothesituation?
Questionstoaskaboutthecurrenttechnologyenvironment:
Whattechnologycomponentsarealreadypresupposedtoberelatedtothisproblem?
Arethereanytechnologyconstraints?
Arethereanytechnologyprinciplesthatapply?

IdentifyingandDocumentingObjectives
Isthe"what"sufficientlybackedupwiththerationalefor"why"?Ifnot,askformeasurablerationalein
thefollowingareas:
Returnoninvestment
Scalability
Performanceneeds
Compliancetostandards
Easeofusemeasures

IdentifyingHumanActorsandtheirPlaceintheBusinessModel
Anactorrepresentsanythingthatinteractswithorwithinthesystem.Thiscanbeahuman,ora
machine,oracomputerprogram.Actorsinitiateactivitywiththesystem,forexample:
Computeruserwiththecomputer
Phoneuserwiththetelephone
Payrollclerkwiththepayrollsystem
Internetsubscriberwiththewebbrowser
Anactorrepresentsarolethatauserplaysi.e.,auserissomeoneplayingarolewhileusingthe
system(e.g.,John(user)isadispatcher(actor)).Eachactorusesthesystemindifferentways
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

8/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

(otherwisetheyshouldbethesameactor).Askaboutthehumansthatwillbeinvolved,fromdifferent
viewpoints,suchas:
Developer
Maintainer
Operator
Administrator
User

IdentifyingComputerActorsandtheirPlaceintheTechnologyModel
Askaboutthecomputercomponentslikelytobeinvolved,againfromdifferentpointsofview.What
musttheydo?

DocumentingRoles,Responsibilities,MeasuresofSuccess,RequiredScripts
Whendefiningroles,askquestionslike:
Whatarethemaintasksoftheactor?
Willtheactorhavetoread/write/changeanyinformation?
Willtheactorhavetoinformthesystemaboutoutsidechanges?
Doestheactorwishtobeinformedaboutunexpectedchanges?

CheckingforFitnessforPurpose,andrefiningifnecessary
Isthereenoughinformationtoidentifywho/whatcouldfulfilltherequirement?Ifnot,probemore
deeply.
Isthereadescriptionofwhen,andhowoften,therequirementneedstobeaddressed?Ifnot,ask
abouttiming.

GuidelinesonBusinessScenarioDocumentation
TextualDocumentation

Effectivebusinessscenariodocumentationrequiresabalancebetweenensuringthatthedetailis
accessible,andpreventingitfromovershadowingtheresultsandoverwhelmingthereader.Tothis
end,thebusinessscenariodocumentshouldhavethemainfindingsinthebodyofthedocumentand
thedetailsinappendices.
Intheappendices:
Capturealltheimportantdetailsaboutabusinessscenario:
Situationdescriptionandrationale
Allmeasurements
Allactorrolesandsubmeasurements
Allservicesrequired
Capturethecriticalstepsbetweenactorsthataddressthesituation,andsequencetheinteractions
Declarerelevantinformationaboutallactors:
Partitiontheresponsibilityoftheactors
Listpreconditionsthathavetobemetpriortopropersystemfunctionality
Providetechnicalrequirementsfortheservicetobeofacceptablequality
Inthemainbodyofthebusinessscenario:
Generalizealltherelevantdatafromthedetailintheappendices
BusinessScenarioModels

Rememberthepurposeofusingmodels:
Capturebusinessandtechnologyviewsinagraphicalform
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl

9/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Helpcomprehension
Giveastartingpointtoconfirmrequirements
Relateactorsandinteractions
Keepdrawingsclearandneat:
Donotputtoomuchintoonediagram
Simplerdiagramsareeasiertounderstand
Numberdiagramsforeasyreference:
Maintainacatalogofthenumberstoavoidduplicates

GuidelinesonGoalsandObjectives
TheImportanceofGoals

Oneofthefirststepsinthedevelopmentofanarchitectureistodefinetheoverallgoalsand
objectivesforthedevelopment.Theobjectivesshouldbederivedfromthebusinessgoalsofthe
organization,andthewayinwhichITisseentocontributetomeetingthosegoals.
Everyorganizationbehavesdifferentlyinthisrespect,someseeingITasthedrivingforceforthe
enterpriseandothersseeingITinasupportingrole,simplyautomatingthebusinessprocesseswhich
alreadyexist.Theessentialthingisthatthearchitecturalobjectivesshouldbeverycloselyaligned
withthebusinessgoalsandobjectivesoftheorganization.
TheImportanceofSMARTObjectives

Notonlymustgoalsbestatedingeneralterms,butalsospecificmeasuresneedtobeattachedto
themtomakethemSMART,asdescribedabove.
Theamountofeffortspentindoingthiswillleadtogreaterclarityforthesponsorsofthearchitecture
evolutioncycle.Itwillpaybackbydrivingproposedsolutionsmuchmorecloselytowardthegoalsat
eachstepofthecycle.Itisextremelyhelpfulforthedifferentstakeholdersinsidetheorganization,as
wellasforsuppliersandconsultants,tohaveaclearyardstickformeasuringfitnessforpurpose.If
donewell,theADMcanbeusedtotracespecificdecisionsbacktocriteria,andthusyieldtheir
justification.
ThegoalsbelowhavebeenadaptedfromthosegiveninpreviousversionsofTOGAF.Theseare
categoriesofgoals,eachwithalistofpossibleobjectives.Eachoftheseobjectivesshouldbemade
SMARTwithspecificmeasuresandmetricsforthetask.However,sincetheactualworktobedone
willbespecifictothearchitectureprojectconcerned,itisnotpossibletoprovidealistofgeneric
SMARTobjectivesthatwillrelatetoanyproject.
Instead,weprovideheresomeexampleSMARTobjectives.

ExampleofMakingObjectivesSMART
Underthegeneralgoalheading"ImproveUserProductivity"below,thereisanobjectivetoprovidea
"ConsistentUserInterface"anditisdescribedasfollows:
"Aconsistentuserinterfacewillensurethatalluseraccessiblefunctionsandservices
willappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite.
Thiswillleadtobetterefficiencyandfewerusererrors,whichinturnmayresultinlower
recoverycosts."
TomakethisobjectiveSMART,weaskwhethertheobjectiveisspecific,measurable,actionable,
realistic,andtimebound,andthenaugmenttheobjectiveappropriately.
Thefollowingcapturesananalysisofthesecriteriaforthestatedobjective:
Specific:Theobjectiveofproviding"aconsistentuserinterfacethatwillensurealluseraccessible
functionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationor
site".isprettyspecific.However,themeasureslistedinthesecondsentencecouldbemorespecific...
Measurable:Asstatedabove,theobjectiveismeasurable,butcouldbemorespecific.Thesecond
sentencecouldbeamendedtoread(forexample):"Thiswillleadto10%greateruserefficiencyand20%
fewerorderentryusererrors,whichinturnmayresultin5%lowerorderentrycosts".
Actionable:Theobjectivedoesappeartobeactionable.Itseemsclearthatconsistencyoftheuser
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=c

10/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

interfacemustbeprovided,andthatcouldbehandledbywhoeverisresponsibleforprovidingtheuser
interfacetotheuserdevice.
Realistic:Theobjectiveofproviding"aconsistentuserinterfacethatwillensurealluseraccessible
functionsandserviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationor
site"mightnotberealistic.ConsideringtheusetodayofPDAsattheuserendmightleadustoaugment
thisobjectivetoassurethatthedownstreamdevelopersdon'tundulycreatedesignsthathindertheuseof
newtechnologies.Theobjectivecouldberestatedas"aconsistentuserinterface,acrossuserinterface
devicesthatprovidesimilarfunctionality,thatwillensure..."etc.
Timebound:Theobjectiveasstatedisnottimebound.Tobetimeboundtheobjectivecouldbere
statedas"BytheendofQ3,provideaconsistent...".
TheaboveresultsinaSMARTobjectivethatlooksmorelikethis(againrememberthisisan
example):
"BytheendofQ3,provideaconsistentuserinterfaceacrossuserinterfacedevices
thatprovidesimilarfunctionalitytoensurealluseraccessiblefunctionsandservices
appearandbehaveinasimilarwaywhenusingthosedevicesinapredictablefashion
regardlessofapplicationorsite.Thiswillleadto10%greateruserefficiencyand20%
fewerorderentryusererrors,whichinturnmayresultin5%lowerorderentrycosts."
CategoriesofGoalsandObjectives

Althougheveryorganizationwillhaveitsownsetofgoals,someexamplesmayhelpinthe
developmentofanorganizationspecificlist.Thegoalsgivenbelowarecategoriesofgoals,eachwith
alistofpossibleobjectives,whichhavebeenadaptedfromthegoalsgiveninpreviousversionsof
TOGAF.
EachoftheobjectivesgivenbelowshouldbemadeSMARTwithspecificmeasuresandmetricsfor
thetaskinvolved,asillustratedintheexampleabove.However,theactualworktobedonewillbe
specifictothearchitectureprojectconcerned,anditisnotpossibletoprovidealistofgeneric
SMARTobjectivesthatwillrelatetoanyproject.

Goal:ImproveBusinessProcessPerformance
Businessprocessimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Increasedprocessthroughput
Consistentoutputquality
Predictableprocesscosts
Increasedreuseofexistingprocesses
Reducedtimeofsendingbusinessinformationfromoneprocesstoanotherprocess

Goal:DecreaseCosts
Costimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Lowerlevelsofredundancyandduplicationinassetsthroughouttheenterprise
DecreasedrelianceonexternalITserviceprovidersforintegrationandcustomization
Lowercostsofmaintenance

Goal:ImproveBusinessOperations
Businessoperationsimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Increasedbudgetavailabletonewbusinessfeatures
Decreasedcostsofrunningthebusiness
Decreasedtimetomarketforproductsorservices
Increasedqualityofservicestocustomers
Improvedqualityofbusinessinformation

Goal:ImproveManagementEfficacy
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=c

11/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Managementefficacyimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Increasedflexibilityofbusiness
Shortertimetomakedecisions
Higherqualitydecisions

Goal:ReduceRisk
Riskimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Easeofimplementingnewprocesses
Decreasederrorsintroducedintobusinessprocessesthroughcomplexandfaultysystems
Decreasedrealworldsafetyhazards(includinghazardsthatcauselossoflife)

Goal:ImproveEffectivenessofITOrganization
ITorganizationeffectivenesscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Increasedrolloutofnewprojects
Decreasedtimetorolloutnewprojects
Lowercostinrollingoutnewprojects
Decreasedlossofservicecontinuitywhenrollingoutnewprojects
Commondevelopment:applicationsthatarecommontomultiplebusinessareaswillbedevelopedor
acquiredonceandreusedratherthanseparatelydevelopedbyeachbusinessarea.
Opensystemsenvironment:astandardsbasedcommonoperatingenvironment,whichaccommodates
theinjectionofnewstandards,technologies,andapplicationsonanorganizationwidebasis,willbe
established.Thisstandardsbasedenvironmentwillprovidethebasisfordevelopmentofcommon
applicationsandfacilitatesoftwarereuse.
Useofproducts:asfaraspossible,hardwareindependent,offtheshelfitemsshouldbeusedtosatisfy
requirementsinordertoreducedependenceoncustomdevelopmentsandtoreducedevelopmentand
maintenancecosts.
Softwarereuse:forthoseapplicationsthatmustbecustomdeveloped,developmentofportable
applicationswillreducetheamountofsoftwaredevelopedandaddtotheinventoryofsoftwaresuitablefor
reusebyothersystems.
Resourcesharing:dataprocessingresources(hardware,software,anddata)willbesharedbyallusers
requiringtheservicesofthoseresources.Resourcesharingwillbeaccomplishedinthecontextofsecurity
andoperationalconsiderations.

Goal:ImproveUserProductivity
Userproductivityimprovementscanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Consistentuserinterface:aconsistentuserinterfacewillensurethatalluseraccessiblefunctionsand
serviceswillappearandbehaveinasimilar,predictablefashionregardlessofapplicationorsite.Thiswill
leadtobetterefficiencyandfewerusererrors,whichinturnmayresultinlowerrecoverycosts.
Integratedapplications:applicationsavailabletotheuserwillbehaveinalogicallyconsistentmanner
acrossuserenvironments,whichwillleadtothesamebenefitsasaconsistentuserinterface.
Datasharing:databaseswillbesharedacrosstheorganizationinthecontextofsecurityand
operationalconsiderations,leadingtoincreasedeaseofaccesstorequireddata.

Goal:ImprovePortabilityandScalability
Theportabilityandscalabilityofapplicationswillbethroughthefollowingobjectives:
Portability:applicationsthatadheretoopensystemsstandardswillbeportable,leadingtoincreased
easeofmovementacrossheterogeneouscomputingplatforms.Portableapplicationscanallowsitesto
upgradetheirplatformsastechnologicalimprovementsoccur,withminimalimpactonoperations.
Scalability:applicationsthatconformtothemodelwillbeconfigurable,allowingoperationonthefull
spectrumofplatformsrequired.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=c

12/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

Goal:ImproveInteroperability
Interoperabilityimprovementsacrossapplicationsandbusinessareascanberealizedthroughthe
followingobjectives:
Commoninfrastructure:thearchitectureshouldpromoteacommunicationsandcomputing
infrastructurebasedonopensystemsandsystemstransparencyincluding,butnotlimitedto,operating
systems,databasemanagement,datainterchange,networkservices,networkmanagement,anduser
interfaces.
Standardization:byimplementingstandardsbasedplatforms,applicationswillbeprovidedwithandwill
beabletouseacommonsetofservicesthatimprovetheopportunitiesforinteroperability.

Goal:IncreaseVendorIndependence
Vendorindependencewillbeincreasedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Interchangeablecomponents:onlyhardwareandsoftwarethathavestandardsbasedinterfaceswillbe
selected,sothatupgradesortheinsertionofnewproductswillresultinminimaldisruptiontotheuser's
environment.
Nonproprietaryspecifications:capabilitieswillbedefinedintermsofnonproprietaryspecificationsthat
supportfullandopencompetitionandareavailabletoanyvendorforuseindevelopingcommercial
products.

Goal:ReduceLifecycleCosts
Lifecyclecostscanbereducedthroughmostoftheobjectivesdiscussedabove.Inaddition,the
followingobjectivesdirectlyaddressreductionoflifecyclecosts:
Reducedduplication:replacementofisolatedsystemsandislandsofautomationwithinterconnected
opensystemswillleadtoreductionsinoverlappingfunctionality,dataduplication,andunneeded
redundancybecauseopensystemscansharedataandotherresources.
Reducedsoftwaremaintenancecosts:reductionsinthequantityandvarietyofsoftwareusedinthe
organizationwillleadtoreductionsintheamountandcostofsoftwaremaintenance.Useofstandardoff
theshelfsoftwarewillleadtofurtherreductionsincostssincevendorsofsuchsoftwaredistributetheir
productmaintenancecostsacrossamuchlargeruserbase.
Incrementalreplacement:commoninterfacestosharedinfrastructurecomponentsallowforphased
replacementorupgradewithminimaloperationaldisturbance.
Reducedtrainingcosts:commonsystemsandconsistentHumanComputerInterfaces(HCIs)willlead
toreducedtrainingcosts.

Goal:ImproveSecurity
Securitycanbeimprovedintheorganization'sinformationthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Consistentsecurityinterfacesforapplications:consistentsecurityinterfacesandprocedureswilllead
tofewererrorswhendevelopingapplicationsandincreasedapplicationportability.Notallapplicationswill
needthesamesuiteofsecurityfeatures,butanyfeaturesusedwillbeconsistentacrossapplications.
Consistentsecurityinterfacesforusers:acommonuserinterfacetosecurityfeatureswillleadto
reducedlearningtimewhenmovingfromsystemtosystem.
Securityindependence:applicationdeploymentcanusethesecuritypolicyandmechanisms
appropriatetotheparticularenvironmentifthereisgoodlayeringinthearchitecture.
A25%reductionincallstothehelpdeskrelatingtosecurityissues.
A20%reductionin"falsepositives"detectedinthenetwork(afalsepositiveisaneventthatappears
tobeanactionablesecurityevent,butinfactisafalsealarm).

Goal:ImproveManageability
Managementimprovementcanberealizedthroughthefollowingobjectives:
Consistentmanagementinterface:consistentmanagementpracticesandprocedureswillfacilitate
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=c

13/14

2/17/2015

BusinessScenarios

managementacrossallapplicationsandtheirunderlyingsupportstructures.Aconsistentinterfacecan
simplifythemanagementburden,leadingtoincreaseduserefficiency.
Reducedoperation,administration,andmaintenancecosts:operation,administration,andmaintenance
costsmaybereducedthroughtheavailabilityofimprovedmanagementproductsandincreased
standardizationoftheobjectsbeingmanaged.

Summary
BusinessscenarioshelpaddressoneofthemostcommonissuesfacingITexecutives:aligningIT
withthebusiness.
ThesuccessofanymajorITprojectismeasuredbytheextenttowhichitislinkedtobusiness
requirements,anddemonstrablysupportsandenablestheenterprisetoachieveitsbusiness
objectives.Businessscenariosareanimportanttechniquethatmaybeusedatvariousstagesof
definingenterprisearchitecture,oranyothermajorITproject,toderivethecharacteristicsofthe
architecturedirectlyfromthehighlevelrequirementsofthebusiness.Businessscenariosareusedto
helpidentifyandunderstandbusinessneeds,andtherebytoderivethebusinessrequirementsthat
thearchitecturedevelopment,andultimatelytheIT,hastoaddress.
However,itisimportanttorememberthatbusinessscenariosarejustatool,nottheobjective.They
areapartof,andenable,thelargerprocessofarchitecturedevelopment.Thearchitectshoulduse
them,butnotgetlostinthem.Thekeyistostayfocusedwatchoutfor"featurecreep",andaddress
themostimportantissuesthattendtoreturnthegreatestvalue.
returntotopofpage

Navigation

TheTOGAFdocumentsetisdesignedforusewithframes.Tonavigatearoundthedocument:
InthemainContentsframeatthetopofthepage,clicktherelevanthyperlink(PartI,PartII,etc.)to
loadtheContentsListforthatPartoftheTOGAFdocumentintotheSecondaryIndexframeintheleft
margin.
ThenclickinthatContentsListtoloadapageintothismainframe.

returntotopofpage

Downloads

DownloadsoftheTOGAFdocumentation,areavailableunderlicensefromtheTOGAFinformation
website.ThelicenseisfreetoanyorganizationwishingtouseTOGAFentirelyforinternalpurposes
(forexample,todevelopaninformationsystemarchitectureforusewithinthatorganization).A
hardcopybookisalsoavailablefromTheOpenGroupBookstoreasdocumentG063.
Copyright19992006TheOpenGroup,AllRightsReserved
TOGAFisatrademarkofTheOpenGroup

<<<Previous

Home

Next>>>

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tcjfr64f6QJ:pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8doc/arch/chap34.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=c

14/14