EA Business Principles

Enterprise Architecture Business Principles

Principle Rationale Implication Agency maintains a single Enterprise Agency is mandated by the Clinger- Data, business processes, applications Architecture. Strategic planning, Cohen Act and by OMB Circular A-130 and infrastructure are assets and resource allocation and IT investments to develop and enforce a single resources of the entire enterprise and are will be optimized at the Agency-wide enterprise architecture. managed corporately. level. Agency’s Enterprise Architecture will The interim and target architectures only Agency’s Strategic Plan, goals and reflect Departmental strategic plans, have value when they reflect Agency’s objectives will be utilized in developing goals and objectives. strategic plans and executive level key components of the EA business direction. vision and architecture components. Agency’s Enterprise Architecture will An enterprise architecture coupled with The identification, selection and delivery drive the IT Investment Management a structured investment management of information services become one process to evaluate and improve process will ensure that Agency’s interlocking sub-processes and investments in information systems. investments support the Department’s supporting systems. business objectives and provide reasonable returns on investments. Agency’s Enterprise Architecture is Core business operations are relatively Enterprise Architecture is business designed around its core business stable. Policies, processes and driven. Senior program officials identify operations. organizational structures change as priorities for the Enterprise Architecture necessary. Team.

New systems will be designed to be flexible enough to evolve with changing business, functional and technological requirements. Agency’s Enterprise Architecture An open-systems, standards-based The EA Practice will facilitate the

1 Principle Rationale Implication encourages the development of environment facilitates the development and maintenance of enterprise or cross-cutting solutions to implementation of common applications, standards by technical domains. support common business functions. supports interoperability and encourages resource sharing. Standard products, EA governance, endorsed and supported components and interfaces reduce the by Agency executive management, will complexity, cost and time-to-market of be used to approve and enforce the IT solutions. standards.

Agency’s IT service standards in architectural components must follow industry standards available in vendor products. (Not sure what you mean here.)

Center IT initiatives will first look at existing solutions and attempt to use directly or modify same before launching new systems. New or replacement information systems The Clinger-Cohen Act requires that To the extent possible, work processes will be implemented only after work work processes be streamlined or will be normalized across center and processes have been examined for otherwise redesigned prior to investing agency activities. possible simplification or reinvention in information technology to support those processes. The mandate is on Work processes will be streamlined and process improvement, not just applying cost effective. new technology to old processes. Systems will no longer be developed It is a best practice to examine existing using antiquated work processes.

2 Principle Rationale Implication business process for improvement opportunities through the insertion of Business and work processes will be well technology. documented and understood. Increased time and resources will be invested up front to assure correct requirements analyses.

Change management, resulting in new projects with a well defined discrete purpose, will be required as jobs, organizations change.

Short-term realization of benefits is deferred in favor of greater longer-term benefits.

Disciplined methodologies will be required to assure business process re- engineering is successful. Agency’s Enterprise Architecture seeks to The EA seeks to standardize A reduced number of vendors, products, reduce complexity. functionality and improve performance and configurations in the environment. reducing the number of systems and the complexity of the architecture. A more disciplined structured approach Standardization and the resulting to IT systems must be exercised. reduction in products minimize costs and simplify training of workforce skills to meet current and future business

3 Principle Rationale Implication requirements. Security must be designed into all Agency must safeguard confidential Security management cannot exist architectural layers providing information to enhance public trust. separate from the overall system confidentiality, integrity and availability. Several Federal laws establish security management. requirements such as the Privacy of 1974, FISMA, and OMB A-11 (App. III) with Risks must be identified up front and which Agency must comply. Considering steps to mitigate or eliminate those risks security implications up front improves must be part of the initial specified cost management. requirements.

AGENCY program managers will be Clinger-Cohen Act requires A proven structured process needs to be responsible for the benefits and costs of accountability for systems performance. followed to identify levels of developing, acquiring and utilizing their responsibility, including identifying information systems. GAO, under its best information managers at each level who will be management practices, recommends that responsible for the cost/benefits of their IT project managers be held accountable IT systems. for the success of IT initiatives. Project managers will need to be involved with IT decisions, and must monitor /assess the performance of their IT systems.

Responsibility for the success of the initiative needs to be incorporated into performance plans.