Agile Information Development Solution Offering

From MIKE2.0 Methodology

This Solution Offering currently receives Major Coverage in the MIKE2.0 Methodology. Most required activities are provided through the Overall Implementation Guide and SAFE Architecture, but some Activities are still missing and there are only a few Supporting Assets. In summary, aspects of the Solution Offering can be used but it cannot be used as a whole.

A Creation Guide exists that can be used to help complete this article. Contributors should reference this guide to help complete the article.

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Executive Summary 1.2 Solution Offering Purpose 1.3 Solution Offering Relationship Overview 2 Solution Offering Definition 3 Relationship to Solution Capabilities 3.1 Relationship to Enterprise Views 3.2 Mapping to the Information Governance Framework 3.3 Mapping to the SAFE Architecture Framework 3.4 Mapping to the Overall Implementation Guide 3.4.1 Phase 1 - Business Assessment and Strategy Definition Blueprint 3.4.1.1 Enterprise Information Management Awareness 3.4.1.2 Overall Business Strategy for Information Development 3.4.1.3 Future State Vision for Information Management 3.4.2 Phase 2 - Technology Assessment and Selection Blueprint 3.4.2.1 Strategic Requirements for Technology Backplane Development 3.4.2.2 Future-State Physical Architecture and Vendor Selection 3.4.3 Phase 3 - Information Management Roadmap and Foundation Activities 3.4.3.1 Data Modelling 3.4.3.2 Data Profiling 3.4.3.3 Prototype the Solution Architecture 3.4.4 Phase 4 - Design Increment 3.4.4.1 Data Integration Logical Design 3.4.4.2 Data Integration Physical Design 3.4.5 Phase 5 - Develop, Test & Deploy Increment 3.4.5.1 Testing Activities 3.4.5.2 Production Deployment 3.4.5.3 Continuous Improvement – Compliance Auditing 3.4.5.4 Continuous Improvement – Standards, Policies and Procedures 3.4.5.5 Continuous Improvement - Data Quality 3.4.5.6 Continuous Improvement - Infrastructure 3.4.5.7 Continuous Improvement – Information Development Organisation 3.5 Mapping to Supporting Assets 3.5.1 Logical Architecture, Design and Development Best Practices 3.5.2 Product-Specific Implementation Techniques 3.5.3 Product Selection Criteria 4 Relationships to other Solution Offerings 5 Extending the Open Methodology through Solution Offerings

Introduction

Agile Information Development provides an approach to most quickly deliver Information Management engagements using the MIKE2.0 Methodology. Agile development processes can be difficult for information management engagements due to the complexity of historical issues. Agile Information Development makes use of the techniques in XBR, Continuous Implementation and Continuous Improvement and accelerates them further. These techniques are from strategy through to implementation.

Executive Summary

The MIKE2.0 Methodology provides an approach for organisations to systematically define an overall Information Management Strategy, implement solutions in a continuous fashion and continuously improve the solutions that have been delivered. This approach balances the need for the strategic approach required for the transformation to an Information Development Organisation with the pragmatic need to deliver incremental solutions.

Although continuous implementation and improvement provide a very efficient mechanism to deliver solution, it is possible to accelerate implementation of the MIKE2.0 approach even further. Through open standards, open source technologies and agile development techniques it is possible more quickly become a sophisticated Information Development Organisation. This Solution Offering makes a number of recommendations on how this approach can be applied.

Solution Offering Purpose

This is a Core Solution Offering. Core Solution Offerings bring together all assets in MIKE2.0 relevant to solving a specific business and technology problem. Many of these assets may already exist and as the suite is built out over time, assets can be progressively added to an Offering.

A Core Solution Offering contains all the elements required to define and deliver a go-to-market offering. It can use a combination of open, shared and private assets.

Solution Offering Relationship Overview

The MIKE2.0 Solution Offering for Agile Information Development describes how the Activities and Supporting Assets of the MIKE2.0 Methodology can be applied to quickly move to a model of Information Development. This comprehensive solution brings together many aspects of the overall MIKE2.0 Methodology and also makes recommendations on the use of external assets.

MIKE2.0 Solutions provide a detailed and holistic way of addressing specific problems. MIKE2.0 Solutions can be mapped directly to the Phase and Activities of the MIKE2.0 Overall Implementation Guide, providing additional content to help understand the overall approach.

The MIKE2.0 Overall Implementation Guide explains the relationships between the Phases, Activities and Tasks of the overall methodology as well as how the Supporting Assets tie to the overall Methodology and MIKE2.0 Solutions.

Users of the MIKE2.0 Methodology should always start with the Overall Implementation Guide and the MIKE2.0 Usage Model as a starting point for projects.

Solution Offering Definition

This Solution Offering provides a strategy and set of implementation techniques for implementing Agile Information Development. As a Composite Solution Offering, it brings together multiple Core Solution Offerings from the MIKE2.0 Methodology. It is specifically focused on techniques that can accelerate development and response to change. This includes:

• Getting the Technology Backplane “in front” of application development capabilities

• Making better use of open source technologies, so that delivery cycles are not constrained by lengthy procurement or negotiation processes.

• Making use of open and common standards so that new technology can be implemented more quickly and more progressively over time

• By providing recommendations to break though typical efficiency roadblocks to Information Management engagements

• Makes recommendations for accelerating the testing process by focusing on high risk areas

• Making better use of proven technologies and best practices

This Solution Offering makes recommendations for accelerating the delivery of a number of activities from the Overall Implementation Guide. It also highlights those activities in MIKE2.0 that can be performed most effectively in parallel.

Relationship to Solution Capabilities

The MIKE2.0 Agile Information Solution Offering provides techniques for an accelerated approach to Information Development and makes use of collaborative technologies from the SAFE Architecture. It refers to activities from the Overall Implementation Guide to see a project through from strategy to implementation.

Relationship to Enterprise Views

This solution is about enabling Information Development. Besides the techniques and technologies, it also provides a recommendations on organisational structure, how people inter-relate with one another and process.

Mapping to the Information Governance Framework

The Information Governance Solution Offering is required across all Solution Offerings. For this offering it is particularly important to make use of existing standards, policies and procedures as part of MIKE2.0

Mapping to the SAFE Architecture Framework

The existing aspects of the SAFE Architecture also provide a mechanism to accelerate the Information Development process.

Mapping to the Overall Implementation Guide

Shown below are the key activities that can be accelerated to provide an agile approach to Information Development. Also highlighted are those activities that are particularly important to make use of when moving to a more agile model. The Usage Model for Composite Core Solution Offerings provides a list of all the required activities for this offering.

Phase 1 - Business Assessment and Strategy Definition Blueprint

Enterprise Information Management Awareness

The Enterprise Information Management Awareness activity is important to introduce concepts related to Information Management, by using existing Executive Overview presentations from MIKE2.0 this process can be conducted in the quickest fashion possible.

Overall Business Strategy for Information Development

For the Overall Business Strategy for Information Development activity, the strategic business initiatives are defined in the context of information requirements. One way to accelerate this process is to use off-the-shelf business information models that represent best practice in their respective industry.

Future State Vision for Information Management

The Future State Vision for Information Management defines the conceptual architecture for the future state. To accelerate this activity, component definitions and high level solution architecture options that are already defined with the SAFE Architecture can be used.

Phase 2 - Technology Assessment and Selection Blueprint

Strategic Requirements for Technology Backplane Development

Strategic Requirements for Technology Backplane Development can be more quickly developed if there is an emphasis on the use of open and common standards. Through this approach, strategic requirements do not need to be defined for a multi-year programme as new technologies can be more easily “plugged in” during future release cycles, minimising the need for a comprehensive strategy being performed up front.

Future-State Physical Architecture and Vendor Selection

By using open source technologies, organisations can often accelerate the time required for technology selection. This is because the often lengthy procurement process can be avoided. This is not necessarily a permanent decision, but may be used as a temporary measure to make sure the project can get started quickly. For projects where custom development will take place, open source can also act as an accelerator by providing a code baseline.

Phase 3 - Information Management Roadmap and Foundation Activities

Within Phase 3, the scope of the solution for a specific increment is defined and the solution begins to be developed.

Data Modelling

A common way to accelerate the Data Modelling process is to use an off-the-shelf data model. Using the model as a starting point, organisations can apply a map-and-gap process as opposed to conducting a full set of top-down requirements.

Data Profiling

Data Profiling is always an important process to follow as it minimizes risk on the back end of projects, where the impacts of changes are higher. Data Re-Engineering follows Data Profiling and should also be conducted as Foundation Activities to bring the Technology Backplane “out in front” of other capabilities. As part of the acceleration process, sometimes data sets for future releases will be investigated before detailed scoping of requirements.

Prototype the Solution Architecture

The activity to Prototype the Solution Architecture helps to rapidly develop the solution. The prototype progressively builds out the overall functionality of the solution. If the prototype is done effectively some of the formalisation of the design activities in Phase 4 may be unnecessary.

Phase 4 - Design Increment

For Enterprise 2.0 a number of design activities are required which are described below.

Data Integration Logical Design

Increasingly, integration design activities are moving toward a model-driven approach. Data Integration Logical Design is an activity that could potentially be accelerated as users work directly in the tool and build off the conceptual design and solution prototype.

Data Integration Physical Design

Increasingly, integration design activities are moving toward a model-driven approach. Data Integration Physical Design is an activity that could potentially be accelerated as users work directly in the tool and build off the conceptual design and solution prototype.

Phase 5 - Develop, Test & Deploy Increment

Through development, testing and deployment activities the collaborative solution prototyped is hardened and implemented into production. With the focus on agility, Continuous Improvement are particularly important. The goal should be to implement the solution early, but specifically plan for ongoing continuous improvement.

Testing Activities

Testing can represent the largest elapsed time on an engagement and it is common for inefficiencies to arise during testing. Techniques to accelerate the testing process include:

• Automating the testing process as much as possible and making use of testing tools
• Making use of proven software components to minimise the degree of testing required
• Taking calculated risks on the need to follow comprehensive testing in some areas, based on the impacts of testing issues

Removing these inefficiencies can have a major benefit to delivery speed and software quality.

Production Deployment

Deployment into different environments, including Production provide an opportunity to increase efficiency and agility. New technologies such as virtualisation and high-performance hardware make this approach easier to achieve.

Continuous Improvement – Compliance Auditing

Taking a Continuous Improvement approach to Compliance Auditing means that there are planned audits from an external party. Important to the agile approach is that the audits be done efficiently so as to not disrupt the effectiveness of the delivery team.

Continuous Improvement – Standards, Policies and Procedures

Continuous Improvement of Standards, Policies and Procedures means that the standards developed earlier are re-visited. It is crucial to have open and common standards in place for agile Information Development. By re-visiting them during Continuous Improvement the early development of these standards are less likely to become a bottleneck.

Continuous Improvement - Data Quality

Taking a Continuous Improvement approach to Data Quality helps get the Technology Backplane out in front of new delivery capabilities as Data Quality issues are typically one of the major impediments for each new project increment.

Continuous Improvement - Infrastructure

Continuous Improvement of Infrastructure is used to improve efficiency of interfaces, search results and system performance. Software re-factoring is explicitly re-visited at this stage.

Continuous Improvement – Information Development Organisation

Information Development Organisation is built out in an agile fashion by using best practice models and progressively moving up the maturity chain.

Mapping to Supporting Assets

Logical Architecture, Design and Development Best Practices

Product-Specific Implementation Techniques

Product Selection Criteria

Relationships to other Solution Offerings

This Solution Offering relates closely to the following Offerings:

• The Enterprise Content Management Strategy Solution Offering can be used to define the overall strategy for implementing content management across the enterprise. If this strategy work has been done it serves as input to this offering and some activities in phases 1 and 2 can often be skipped.

• The Enterprise Search Solution Offering shares common tasks due to the importance of search for Enterprise 2.0.

• The Collaboration, Knowledge Capture and Communities of Interest Solution Offering shares a number of activities for designing and building collaborative systems

• The Agile Business Transformation Solution offers opportunities to accelerate Agile Information Development with a business transformation into Agile.

Extending the Open Methodology through Solution Offerings