Applied IT Architecture

•Introduction•Reference IT architecture & Standards•Applied Reference Architecture•Governance model•Governance process•Problems and opportunities•Q & A

SAS Airline IT

                                                       

                                                                                                                                                       

Airline IT

Personnel• Project managers• System managers• Business analyst• IT Architects/ Information architects

120 employees83% of total budget to vendors

IT Architecture

Implementing a Domain driven Target IT Architecture has to do with

– Endurance– Communication– Validation– Control– Mandate

Reference architecture

SAS Group IT architecture description• Target IT Architecture• Reference IT Architecture• Information Modeling Hand Book• IT Security Manual• Applied IT architectural concepts• SAS Group Information model

Business Process

Information & Functional requirements

Implementation Perspective

Projects & Changes

Domain driven IT Architectural Policy´s & Guidelines

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Reference architecture

SAS Target IT Architecture includes– Problem definition– Business driven Vision & Objectives– Underlying principles

Reference IT Architecture provides the principles concerning

– Data– IT architecture– Integration architecture– Security– Standards

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Reference architecture

Information Modeling Hand Book– Methods, tools and objectives

IT Security Manual– SAS Groups principles concerning IT Security

and governance modelApplied IT Architecture concepts/patterns

– Describes implemented best practicesSAS Group Information model

– Logical data model with metadata descriptions and

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Provided by and to the projects

Creation, Maintaining & development of the reference Architecture

Owner• EA at Airline IT

Key stakeholders• Dev. Departments• System managers• Business areas/process owners

Applied Reference IT Architecture – Airline IT1. A Domain oriented Target IT Architecture is defined

together with system management with business process input

2. The Domain Target IT Architecture is derived from Business Process Requirements and Reference IT Architecture

3. A road map is created/revisited together with the development organization once a year

4. Budgeting is done5. The development projects execute both commercial and

IT architecture objectives6. Solutions are fed into the Reference IT Architecture model

5-10% of development budget is allocated to IT Architecture

Domain Applied IT Architectural concepts – Best practices

Reference IT architecture only gives principles and guidelines

– Does not give IT Architects appropriate support– Does not decrease TTM– Solutions must be reinvented

All project that are of IT Architecture significance must complete a System Architect Document (SAD). The solution is generalized and provided to future projects with a need of a similar solution. Examples:

– Integration with Tibco, Biztalk– Web Services, SOA– Interoperability Websphere/.net, .net/com– Legacy application wrapping– Etc

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Governance model – Airline ITObjective

– Proven ability to decrease TTM for development and decrease cost for system management

Prerequisites– A common development process– EA must report to CIO– EA must have budget– EA must have mandate to influence & review all

solutions– All project must have an IT Architect that is

responsible for the design and the solution – A common agenda with business and system

management

Organization (JAG) – Airline IT

Joint Architecture Group for Target Architecture definitionObjective– Define and maintain Target IT architecture– Promote usage– Close loop to Corporate levelMembers– System management– Development management– Airline IT Architects (EA)

4 JAG´s for defining Target IT Architecture within Airline ITSets target once a year

Governance process - Airline IT

JAG for development governanceObjective

– Secure that development is done according to defined target architecture

Members– System management– Development management– Airline IT Architects (EA)– No vendor representation

One group for airline ITFollow up meetings every other weekReports to the CIO

Governance process - Airline IT

All intended projects are reviewed before they start and categorized:

– Not significant (EA does nothing)– Significant (EA reviews the project/dev)– Very significant (EA is involved in the project/dev)

Review– PM and project IT architect– NFR, SAD, Code, data model, SW and code

Findings are discussed during JAG for development governance

Reports to the CIO

The project dimension

Why?• Are you considered as support?• Do you have the mandate?• Are you supporting TTM or the

business case and is this clear?• Do you work together with the

business?• Does the business recognize you

competence as an asset?• Can you describe the business value in

a well defined architecture?

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Q & A

Problems and opportunitiesProblems

– Vendors financial objectives– No eagerness for change the current and outdated

architecture– Risk for time consuming (expensive) procedures– Management instead of competence

Opportunities– The financial model encourages consolidation of HW, SW– Gives us flexibility– Does support implementing the Target Architecture– Gives opportunity to monitor and control development– SAS EA can focus on critical issues, vendor caters for non

critical issues

Reference architecture

Applied IT architectural conceptsReference IT Architecture provides the principles

concerning– Data– IT Architecture– Integration architecture– Security– Standards

Information Modeling Hand Book– Methods, tools and objectives

IT Security Manual– SAS Groups principles concerning IT Security and

governance model

Governance model – SAS GroupJoint Architecture Group for Reference Architecture

definitionObjective– Define and maintain Reference Architecture – Promote usage– Close loop to BU levelMembers– Corp. EA– Airline IT Architects (EA)– CSC Chief Architect

Sets Reference Architecture every other yearInvestment reviews are doneReports to CSC/SAS steering committee