Enterprise Architecture
Interweaving Business and IT together
What is Enterprise Architecture?
Enterprise architecture is the process that interweaves business and IT together. (Gartner)
It supports IT solution decision making within both IT Services and also across the University.
It creates a common understanding of the organisation, its enabling business capabilities, and dependency on IT solutions.
This allows the business and IT to understand the challenges, risks, and gaps, enabling better decisions faster.
How are we doing this?
UCD is a large, diverse organisation, supported by a complex IT environment comprising university-wide IT solutions that are supported centrally by IT Services as well as a range of locally-supported IT solutions.
Work is underway to map out UCD's Enterprise Architecture. At a high level this will involve:
- Mapping applications to business capabilities (using the CAUDIT Higher Education Business Capability Model) to identify gaps & duplications
- Identifying Business Owners and IT Owners to clarify the governance and support structures
- Using Application Portfolio Management to determine where investment in existing solutions is needed and to derive roadmaps for the future
- Using Enterprise Architecture Principles and Standards to inform, guide and govern the design and deployment of IT solutions across the University
Business Capability Model
Capabilities define what your business does or can do (not how it does it or who is doing it).
The Business Capability Model describes the complete set of Capabilities an organisation may require to execute its business model or fulfill its mission.
It is used to illustrate how business capabilities are supported/enable by applications and technologies, so that dependencies are understood.
UCD has adopted the Higher Education Reference Model (previously known as the CAUDIT Model).
Higher Education Reference Model (HERM) (Authentication Required)
HERM Catalogue (Authentication Required)
UCD Enterprise Architecture Principles and Standards
A set of UCD Enterprise Architecture Principles have been approved by the UMT Services Group to inform, guide and govern the design and deployment of applications and technologies across the University.
They act as guardrails to streamline and reduce the complexity of investment decisions and help to inform procurement and solution delivery decisions, to increase the consistency and quality of technology decision-making.
Alignment with these principles is a requirement for all initiatives, from local solutions in individual schools and units, to centrally-managed enterprise platforms deployments.
A library of Standards is being built to help ensure that applications and technologies being purchased or developed adhere to the principles.
- Enterprise Architecture Principles (Full Version) Describes in detail the purpose, use and goals of the overall set of Enterprise Archtecture Principles, as well as the rationale and implications each Principle. (Authentication Required)
- Enterprise Architecture Principles (Abridged Version) The abridged version of the Enterprise Archtecture Principles should be included in all procurement requests for IT solutions.
- Non-Functional Requirements (Authentication Required) These should be should be adapted and included in all procurement requests for IT soutions. (Authentication Required)
Application Portfolio Management
An Application Portfolio is being built with information about the IT solutions (applications and technologies) in use throughout the University.
This information is being captured through engagements with units, institutes, and schools and colleges, and is ongoing work in progress.
This allows us to provide quantifiable evidence to inform decisions.
Architecture Models & Roadmaps
Enterprise Architecture, builds on the Business Capabilities model, capturing the IT that enables seach Business Capability.
The Architecture is modelled in two states. The As-Is represents the current state, the To-Be represents the vision of where we want to be
A Roadmap is the plan to get from As-Is to the To-Be, on an iterative basis and driven by the benefits to the University.
UCD IT Services
Computer Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.Contact us via the UCD IT Support Hub: www.ucd.ie/ithelp