Enterprise Architecture: Twenty Years of the GERAM Framework
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Enterprise Architecture: Twenty Years of the GERAM Framework Author Bernus, Peter, Noran, Ovidiu, Molina, Arturo Published 2014 Journal Title IFAC-PapersOnLine DOI https://doi.org/10.3182/20140824-6-ZA-1003.01401 Copyright Statement © 2014 IFAC-PapersOnLine. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the conference's website for access to the definitive, published version. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/65372 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Preprints of the 19th World Congress The International Federation of Automatic Control Cape Town, South Africa. August 24-29, 2014 Enterprise Architecture: Twenty Years of the GERAM Framework Peter Bernus*, Ovidiu Noran*, Arturo Molina** * IIIS Centre for Enterprise Architecture Research and Management, Griffith University, Australia, [P.Bernus, O.Noran]@griffith.edu.au ** Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico, [email protected] Abstract: Apart from the 20-year anniversary in 2014 of the first publication of the GERAM (‘General- ised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology’) Enterprise Architecture Framework, the time- liness of this paper lies in the new interest in the use of systems theory in Enterprise Architecture (EA), and consequently, ‘light-weight’ architecture frameworks (AFs). Thus, this paper is about the use of sys- tems thinking and systems theory in EA and about how it is possible to reconcile and understand, based on a single overarching framework, the interplay of two major enterprise change endeavours: on the one hand enterprise engineering (i.e. deliberate change) and on the other hand evolutionary, organic change. The paper also attempts to show how such change processes can be illustrated by employing systems thinking to construct dynamic business models: the evolution of these concepts is exemplified with some past applications in networked enterprise building and more recent proposals in environmental, disaster and healthcare management. Finally, the paper attempts to plot the way GERAM will continue to con- tribute to society in the context of future challenges and emerging opportunities. Keywords: Enterprise Integration, Enterprise Modelling, Reference Architecture, Systems Engineering, Complex Systems. The TF included representatives from the industrial and re- 1. INTRODUCTION: THE HISTORY OF GERAM search communities, with researchers coming from industry 1.1 The Origins management and consultancy backgrounds. The TF was first chaired by Prof. Emeritus Ted Williams (Director, Purdue The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a great effort in the man- Laboratory for Applied Industrial Control) from 1992 to 1996 ufacturing industry to design and build highly automated, and later by Assoc. Prof. Peter Bernus (Griffith University) computer-controlled systems of unprecedented complexity. from 1996 until 2002 when it completed its mandate. After The scope spanned from numerically-controlled machine 2002, the TF’s legacy was inherited by IFIP WG5.12 (‘Archi- tools and computer-aided design of parts and process plan- tectures for Enterprise Integration’) and IFAC TC5.3 (‘Enter- ning, to complete factory automation featuring workshop and prise Integration and Networking’). The TF reviewed several factory level control, scheduling and planning (including approaches developed for designing CIM systems and classi- production planning and material requirements planning). As fied them into two categories as outlined below (Williams et a result, the computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM, or ‘en- al, 1994; Bernus et al, 1996). terprise integration’ (EI)) movement has steadily evolved, in- creasingly demanding methods and tools for integrating the 1.2 From Type I (snapshot) to Type II (life cycle) architec- information and material flow throughout the enterprise. tures and their generalisation In 1990, on recommendation from Jim Nevins (a former ar- A first approach was based on generic models, or designs, chitect of the Apollo Guidance Computer, and Deputy Direc- (called 'architectures') that could subsequently be implement- tor of MIT Charles Stark Draper Lab), the International Fed- ed as information systems (IS) products (or product families) eration for Information Processing (IFIP) and International incorporating most or all information-processing tasks in the Federation for Automation and Control (IFAC) established a enterprise (especially referring to its management). At the joint Task Force (TF) with the mandate to review existing ar- time, these were called ‘Reference Architectures of type I’. chitecting approaches to EI and to make recommendations to Such architectures appealed to vendors because the models the industrial and research community. At that time, the IFIP produced allowed the definition of a stable set of software constituent of the Task Force was operating under IFIP TC5 products. The resulting implementations were called Enter- (Technical Committee on Computer Applications in Tech- prise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. In addition, a num- nology), and the IFAC constituent under TC-MI (Technical ber of CIM system-specific Reference Models were devel- Coordinating Committee for Manufacturing and Instrumenta- oped, attempting to systematise the CIM systems’ functional tion’). building blocks’ (such as planning, scheduling and control Copyright © 2014 IFAC 3300 19th IFAC World Congress Cape Town, South Africa. August 24-29, 2014 system modules), thus giving rise to the set of products called of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology ‘Manufacturing Execution Systems’ (MES). Unfortunately, (NIST). The task standing before the TF was twofold: (1) the number of competing models was in the order of several complete the definition of GERAM, and (2) develop an ISO dozens, and neither of these achieved an industry-wide ac- standard specifying the requirements that an Enterprise Ref- ceptance, nor standard status. It is only recently that interna- erence Architecture must satisfy. The result was GERAM tional standards were developed for the interface between 1.6.3, released in 1999 and ISO15704, “Requirements for ERP and MES systems, such as the IEC 62264 set of stand- Generalised Enterprise Reference Architectures and Method- ards for enterprise-control system integration (IEC, 2013). ologies” (ISO15704, 2000; IFIP/IFAC Taskforce, 2003) de- veloped on this basis. The mandatory section of ISO15704 The second approach developed was based on the recognition lists requirements that any enterprise reference architecture that similarly to many engineering disciplines (chemical, must satisfy, while the GERAM document is a public appen- manufacturing, software, civil, and systems-), enterprise en- dix to the standard, exemplifying how to fulfil them. gineering should also be based on a so-called ‘life-cycle’ ap- proach. Accordingly, to design an integrated enterprise, the In subsequent years, the same committee extended ISO enterprise creation activities (and thus methodologies) should 15704 with additional views (decisional and economic), and extend over the entire life of the enterprise – i.e., from its in- also released ISO19439:2006, a ‘standard’ version of the ception to its decommissioning. Several such architectures GERA modelling framework (MF). were developed by groups with manufacturing systems and Information Systems (IS) background. 1.4 Other Relevant Developments in the field of EA Therefore, the TF recommendation was that methodologies During the same period, the IS, software engineering (SE), for designing and creating CIM systems should be based on and systems engineering (SE) communities saw a number of architectures with a life cycle approach. These architectures similar efforts. Thus, for example the IS community widely were called at the time ‘Reference Architectures of type II’. publicised the Zachman Framework (Zachman, 1987) that in- The TF identified three such architectures: CIMOSA (CIM itially targeted the enterprise IS, but was subsequently ex- Open Systems Architecture) (CIMOSA Association, 1996), tended to model the entire enterprise’s architecture. The GRAI-GIM (Graphs with Results and Activities Interrelated) evolved Zachman framework had a similar aim to the enter- (Doumeingts et al, 1998) and PERA (Purdue Enterprise Ref- prise reference architectures of type II – although the stake- erence Architecture) (Williams, 1994), and recognised that holder role-related ‘rows’ in the framework only correspond- these three had mutually complementary and useful charac- ed to life cycle activities because life cycle abstraction levels teristics. After deliberations, it was proposed that instead of were typically of concern to different stakeholders. Later trying to select and recommend a ‘single best’ reference ar- there were several adaptations, including the Federal Enter- chitecture, the TF would serve the EI community better if it prise Architecture Framework FEAF (1999). generalised its findings and codified these as requirements The Defence community saw the development of the DoDAF that any reference architecture should satisfy. Thus, authors (DoD, 2010) Framework, with three simple life cycle abstrac- of various proposed approaches could use these requirements tions, and a complex MF. DoDAF has several offshoots in constructively to evolve their own reference architectures. the defence community (MODaF, DONDAF, NATOAF, etc). Based on this idea, Bernus and Nemes (1994, 1996) devel- The IT industry also developed