E-Business and IS Solutions: An Architectural Approach to Business Problems and Opportunities [Paperback]

William J. Buffam (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201708477 | ISBN-13: 978-0201708479 | Publication Date: September 22, 2000 | Edition: 1st

As all business becomes e-Business, managers and IT professionals must implement IT architectures that are effective, flexible, resilient enough to handle relentless change, growth, and acceleration -- or risk becoming uncompetitive virtually overnight. Written for both managers and technical professionals, E-Business and IS Solutions: An Architectural Approach to Business Problems and Opportunities offers complete, high-level guidance for defining and implementing IT architectures that enable e-Business instead of standing in its way. The book demonstrates the benefits of an architecture-based approach to e-business, and shows managers how to design effective e-Business architectures and infrastructure for their organizations. William J. Buffam reviews the core principles and practices associated with applying e-Business technology for competitive advantage, walks through each key activity needed to define an effective e-Business architecture, and presents powerful solutions for unique challenges of designing IT infrastructure for e-Business applications. For all managers and IT professionals involved with e-Business strategy, implementation, or IT architecture, including architects, analysts, strategists, project managers, developers, and many others.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Objectives This book is about building information systems (IS) solutions. It emphasizes e-business solutions. It's not detailed enough--or thick enough--to be a hands-on how-to guide. Rather, it gives you the essential principles and practices that lead to success.

The principles presented, while mostly not new, have been inconsistently applied in real-world IS developments. And perhaps not coincidentally, real-world IS developments have suffered embarrassingly high failure rates, in excess of 50 percent by most assessments. With the arrival of the e-business era, and its forcing of the pace of business innovation, we now have less discretion than ever before to be ineffective or inefficient in our deployment of empowering information systems. In today's world, we have to apply information technology (IT) to our businesses, we have to do it quickly, and we have to do it right.

"Doing things right" has traditionally been addressed by applying "architecture" to information systems building. Perhaps the most overworked word in the IT buzzword glossary, the word "architecture" is invoked in support of a wide range of causes, with the only common thread being that anything touched by "architecture" is implicitly regarded as Good, while any endeavor pursued without it is automatically regarded as Bad.

Rather than discard such an admired--albeit imprecise--buzzword, I have embraced it, as you can see from the title of this book. Indeed, to discard the term would have implied, with supreme irony, a violation of the architectural principle of reuse. Rather, this book refines the more helpful senses of "architecture" into a set of finer-grain principles, which form the core of "the architectural way."

Therefore, the supporting objectives of this book are to define what constitutes "architecture" in the context of information systems. provide a high-level introduction to, and understanding of, the architectural approach to building IT solutions. explain the benefits of the architectural approach.

E-business presents some particular challenges of its own. This book explores these challenges and discusses how building e-business solutions differs from traditional IS solution building. Nonobjectives This book is explicitly not a detailed how-to guide, a claim supported by its modest size. Although the architectural solution-building process is presented as a series of interrelated stages, much skill is required in the execution of any of the stages, and substantial detail needs to be added in order to guide and support a live solution-building effort. This high-level overview of the solution-building process provides an overall appreciation of the activities involved and how they fit together, serves as a foundation for further study, and provides a framework for development of detailed methodologies. Intended audience This book is intended for the following audience. (1) Business managers involved in the e-business and IS solution-building process, or whose business areas are involved in changes resulting from the introduction of IT initiatives. For this audience, the book will help them interact more knowledgeably and effectively with IS professionals. provide decision makers with the information necessary to evaluate the scope of effort and resources required to conduct an architectural solution-building process.

(2) IS professionals with limited experience, who are undergoing education and mentoring in the solution-building process. For this audience, the book will provide a foundation and a reference framework on which to base further study. provide references to additional resources for further study and research.

(3) Experienced IS professionals, for which the book will serve as a reference set of high-level principles and guidelines--which are already familiar to some degree--to help in building IS solutions, independent of the details of the particular methodology they apply. provide a foundation that will be helpful as a framework for constructing or adapting detailed methodologies.

A note on terminology Terminology is a problematic area. Some terms are used in different contexts and have different connotations in each. Particularly troublesome is the choice of words to distinguish "what it does" from "how it works." When describing businesses, the term process has come to mean "what it does." "How it works" is the stuff of activities, which are performed by business functions. This terminology clashes with that used in describing information systems, where the functional definition describes "what it does," and the implementation describes "how it works." For consistency with most of the books I cite in the Bibliography and References, I have tried to use the same terms in the same ways. The glossary that follows summarizes these points of usage.

enterprise
An enterprise in the abstract refers to a commercial corporation, government agency, educational establishment, or any other unit that regards itself as self-contained with respect to its business interactions with the world at large. In the specific context of IS solution building, we may focus on a part of the enterprise rather than on its entirety. We therefore have to draw artificial boundaries to delineate our areas of focus. In describing the solution-building process, we may for convenience refer to the focus area as the enterprise.

IS
IS stands literally for "information systems." It may denote information systems in general, in a broad sense, but ordinarily IS carries connotations of application-level functionality.

IT
IT stands literally for "information technology." IT may describe the full spectrum of information technology, but it usually carries connotations of lower-level supporting infrastructure rather than application-level functionality.

process
I use the term process in the sense that has emerged in the business process reengineering literature. A business process is "what the enterprise does," in terms of the behavior visible to a customer or other external actor.

activity
An activity is something the enterprise does in performing a process. The sum of an enterprise's activities amounts to "how the enterprise works." An activity can be thought of as a process step--which is a term used by some authors. I have tried to avoid using this term in favor of activity.

function
The function of an information system is "what it does," in terms of its behavior visible to a user. A business function is an organizational unit--such as financial analysis, engineering, or manufacturing--that performs a related set of tasks within a business. I have tried to avoid using the term function in this latter sense. Outline Part I: Setting the Scene for Architectural Solution Building

In Part I, we look at what "architecture" is all about and how object-oriented techniques support architectural discipline. We look at the traits that distinguish e-business from information systems of the past, and we consider the effect of varying project scope on the solution-building process.

Chapter 1. Characteristics of E-Business. E-business differs from the information systems of the past by virtue of its interenterprise nature and because of the pressing need to "do it now and do it fast." In Chapter 1, we place e-business in its evolutionary context and look at some of the environmental drivers behind it.

Chapter 2. The Essence of "Architecture". Chapter 2 traces the historical evolution of information systems, and proposes a set of requirements for an IS solution-building discipline in today's world. We analyze the various senses of the term "architecture" in the context of IS solution building, and we derive a set of architectural principles. We then relate our original requirements for a solution-building discipline back to our derived architectural principles and verify that the requirements are satisfied.

Chapter 3. Object-Oriented Methods and Architectural Solution Building. The purpose of Chapter 3 is to explain how object-oriented modeling supports the architectural solution-building process and how an object-oriented approach implicitly embraces so many tenets of "the essence of architecture."

Chapter 4. Project Scope Considerations. In Chapter 4, we discuss considerations of project scope, particularly the extraordinary logistical and management difficulties of tackling projects of very wide organizational scope. We look at some approaches to narrowing the focus of the IS solution so as to raise confidence in its political and logistical feasibility. Part II: The Seven-Stage Solution-Building Process Part II describes a seven-stage process for building an IS solution, beginning with business modeling and ending with a complete review of a deployed solution. This is a high-level and conceptual treatment, above the level of detail needed to serve as a how-to guide. Each stage identifies roles of participants needed to staff the project team. The individual chapters of Part II correspond to the stages of the solution-building process.

Chapter 5. Introduction. Chapter 5 reintroduces the seven stages of

From the Back Cover

With the emergence of e-business and other fast-moving business technologies, the efficient and successful development of information systems that support e-business has become increasingly critical. An architectural approach to building these systems can greatly increase the chances of success.

E-Business and IS Solutions provides a high-level introduction and understanding of an architectural approach to building IT solutions, in particular those that support e-business. Written for IS professionals with a wide range of experience, as well as technical managers, the book delineates a seven-stage building process and offers experience-based guidance on issues critical to the success of e-business systems in the real world.

Featured is an overview of the essentials of e-business, IT architecture, and the relationship between architectural solution building and object-oriented design methods. Buffam explores the trade-offs and considerations of project scope for both large-scale and smaller projects. After reviewing fundamental architectural principles, the author details the seven-stage process: business modeling, IS modeling, current IS analysis, IS architecture planning, implementation planning, deployment, and review. He provides vital information on team roles and dynamics, incorporating legacy systems, cost-benefit and risk analyses, transition strategy, and project management.

Specific topics covered include:

• The effects of e-business on architectural IS solution building
• Object-oriented methods and architectural solution building
• Critical success factors for large-scale and narrow-scope projects
• Aligning the IS solution with business objectives
• The importance of simplicity and elegance, conceptual integrity, and intellectual manageability in solution building
• Guidelines for business-driven and technology-driven IS strategies
• Defining architecture models and supporting IT infrastructure

You will also find an entire chapter devoted to practical issues you are likely to encounter. This chapter addresses such issues as dealing with consultants, putting a methodology into practice, allocating resources, integrating multiple projects, and working with software reuse. You will come away from this book with an enhanced understanding of the challenges facing you and a clearer idea of the direction to take.

0201708477B04062001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1st edition (September 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201708477
• ISBN-13: 978-0201708479
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,811,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Advice you can understand and use, October 30, 2000

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: E-Business and IS Solutions: An Architectural Approach to Business Problems and Opportunities (Paperback)

A web presence is now as mandatory in a business as a tax ID. Although tax laws are complex and subject to change, at least they only change once a year at a predictable time and there are experts embodied in software and in carbon that can help you sort them out. The solutions to the problems of e-business change several times a year, are subject to the whims of employee defections and customers that can be extremely fickle; often have no precise solution and you are racing against competitors just as determined as you are. Fortunately, there are also alternatives in the area of e-business as well.
Many of those alternatives are embodied in this book, which was written at the level of managers rather than those who construct the IS solutions. Some of the solutions, such as always make sure you hire and retain good people are slightly above the level of "duh", and yet in many cases the simple is the most overlooked.
The emphasis throughout is on architecture and strategy. With the rapid pace of e-business development, where you can flame up and flame out in weeks, you must build your systems so that they are as open ended on the high side as possible. The advice put forward here is a prescription for sound management of what is now the most complex of all the mandatory facets of a business. Furthermore, there are also several places where the author puts forward danger signals to help identify whether analysis paralysis is setting in.
There is one excellent example concerning how to create solutions. When presented with a problem about shortening a winding road, there is the simple solution of connecting the endpoints. However, if it is necessary to visit the intermediate points on the old road, this solution is hardly optimal. Sometimes incremental, seemingly partial solutions are the most effective.
If you are a manager looking for guidance in how to start, build, maintain or expand an e-business structure, then this book will help a great deal. No magic formulas or absurd hype, just sound fundamental principles that will improve your chances for success.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Principles & models cut through complexity, September 19, 2001

By 

Linda Zarate "IT Ops Consultant" (Azusa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: E-Business and IS Solutions: An Architectural Approach to Business Problems and Opportunities (Paperback)

This book is a light, high-level view of architecture. It doesn't pretend to be a comprehensive "how-to" or highly technical tome. Instead, it breaks down the complexities of developing an architecture into a set of guiding principles and seven discrete steps. Products are not mentioned and technology is subordinated to broad discussions instead of specifics.

It starts with an extremely brief, but informational, description of the characteristics of e-business and some of the challenges and opportunities that set it apart from an architectural requirements standpoint. This is followed with an in-depth discussion of the "essence of architecture" that sets the tone and pace for the rest of the book. I like this because there is a vast difference between a definition, which can be succinctly described, and an essence, which is more a philosophy. The philosophy given by the author is sensible and lays the foundation for the principles and seven steps of defining the architecture that follow in later chapters. Especially valuable is way architecture is broken down into views: component, design, blueprint and framework. Also included in the essence section are two chapters, one addressing object-oriented methods and the other on project scope. Each contained a wealth of information and some sound points of view and advice. Regardless of your knowledge or experience I recommend reading through these two chapters because of the fresh ideas that pop up throughout them. It forced me to see things in ways that I do not normally observe.

The seven-step solution building process encompasses the eight chapters of Part II. The first chapter, introduction, gives guiding principles and these are worth printing on a large poster and memorizing. The process itself is (1) business modeling, (2) IS modeling, (3) Current IS analysis, (4) IS architectural planning, (5) implementation planning, (6) deployment and (7) review. In one respect there is nothing new or unique about this process, but the value in reading through each of the chapters is how clearly the approach is described and how the supporting information is developed. The writing here (and illustrations) exemplify clarity. I gained a lot, too, from the many lists and tables.

Part III is titled "Let's Get Practical" and is where the author ties together loose ends by addressing the use of consultants, methodologies (good and bad) and reuse. There is a lot of wisdom and advice here as in the rest of the book - much of it delivered with humor and always with good sense.

Overall, this is an excellent book. It's well written, filled with information and puts you in the right frame of mind to tackle architecture in a methodical manner. What it does not do is provide technical details or espouse any particular product or technology - there are other books for that.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sound principles, successful approach and common sense, September 18, 2001

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: E-Business and IS Solutions: An Architectural Approach to Business Problems and Opportunities (Paperback)

This slim, 288-page book addresses architecture as a set of principles and a seven-step approach. It's filled with common sense, and will provide you with the big picture and high-level steps that will place architecture into a coherent context.

First, the principles and approach really are aligned to e-business although they can also be applied to any system or enterprise application. Second, the book may appear to be basic, but the author manages to get you think out of the box every step of the way. An example is the scope-trade off discussion in chapter 4 where you are shown an illustration of a road improvement project that depicts an ideal (and not so feasible) solution and some alternatives. In a single, simple illustration and a few paragraphs the whole concept of scope trade-off crystallizes and comes into sharp focus. Another example is a text box on page 37 that describes how the author and his wife, both IS professionals, attempted to devise a check book system for personal use. The story drives home the fact that even professionals and prime stakeholders can get requirements wrong.

Among the things I like most are: the seven-stage process itself and associated principles, which make you step back and look at architecture as its most basic level; the discussion of architecture and its relationship to object-orientation is one of the best compare and contrast pieces on the topic I've read; and the discussion on component-based software engineering is concise and completely aligned to that approach to both e-business in general and architecture in particular.

This book reminds me of those written by Gerald Weinberg on that it focuses on deeper aspects of a subject than mere technology. True, the technical aspects of this book are lightweight, but the underlying principles and approach are anything but. If you're seeking low-level technical information on architecture pass this by. If you want to read a book that will inspire you to think out of the box, organize the important elements of architecture and infuse massive doses of common sense, this book is a treasure and has my highest recommendation.