Showing papers on "Enterprise systems engineering published in 2017"

Model-based approaches for interoperability of next generation enterprise information systems: state of the art and future challenges

Abstract: Enterprise businesses are more than ever challenged by competitors that frequently refine and tailor their offers to clients. In this context, enterprise information systems (EIS) are especially important because: (1) they remain one of the last levers to increase the performance and competitiveness of the enterprise, (2) we operate in a business world where the product itself has reached a limit of performance and quality due to uniform capacity of industrial tools in a globalized economy and (3) the EIS can increase the product value thanks to additional digital services (built on data associated to the product) in order to meet and fit better client's needs. However, the use of EISs reaches a limit in collaborative environments because enterprises management methods diverge and EISs are mainly inflexible resource packages that are not built with an interoperability objective. Consequently, we need to make EISs interoperable in order to achieve the needed gains competitiveness and performance. This paper contribution can be summarized as follows: (1) it relates existing work and it examines barriers that, at the moment, are preventing further improvements due to current methodological and technological limits, and (2) it proposes a conceptual framework and five challenges that model based approaches must overcome to achieve interoperability between EIS in the near and long term.

Model-enabled design and engineering of organisations and their enterprises

Abstract: This editorial is concerned with the need for an integrated approach to the design and engineering of organisations and their enterprises. Organisational Design originates from the organisational sciences, while the notion of Enterprise Engineering results from the engineering sciences (most notably information systems engineering, business (process) engineering, business process optimisation, and enterprise architecture). The Organisational Design and Enterprise Engineering journal (OD&EE) is built on the premise that there should not be an “either–or” relation between Organisational Design and Enterprise Engineering, but rather an integrated approach that brings out the best of the two. A driver for the creation of the journal was the observation that the “either–or” mindset was (and still is) a major obstacle to the development of organisational thinking, and that this artificial divide must be abolished. In achieving more integration between Organisational Design and Enterprise Engineering, we suggest to take a model-enabled approach, where models should act as boundary objects between the social processes involved in organisational design processes, and the more analytical and rational side of enterprise engineering.

Representation and analysis of enterprise models with semantic techniques: an application to ArchiMate, e3value and business model canvas

Abstract: Enterprise models assist the governance and transformation of organizations through the specification, communication and analysis of strategy, goals, processes, information, along with the underlying application and technological infrastructure. Such models cross-cut different concerns and are often conceptualized using domain-specific modelling languages. This paper explores the application of graph-based semantic techniques to specify, integrate and analyse multiple, heterogeneous enterprise models. In particular, the proposal described in this paper (1) specifies enterprise models as ontological schemas, (2) uses transformation mapping functions to integrate the ontological schemas and (3) analyses the integrated schemas with graph querying and logical inference. The proposal is evaluated through a scenario that integrates three distinct enterprise modelling languages: the business model canvas, e3value, and the business layer of the ArchiMate language. The results show, on the one hand, that the graph-based approach is able to handle the specification, integration and analysis of enterprise models represented with different modelling languages and, on the other, that the integration challenge resides in defining appropriate mapping functions between the schemas.

Enterprise Knowledge Graphs: A Semantic Approach for Knowledge Management in the Next Generation of Enterprise Information Systems.

Abstract: In enterprises, Semantic Web technologies have recently received increasing attention from both the research and industrial side. The concept of Linked Enterprise Data (LED) describes a framework to incorporate benefits of Semantic Web technologies into enterprise IT environments. However, LED still remains an abstract idea lacking a point of origin, i.e., station zero from which it comes to existence. We devise Enterprise Knowledge Graphs (EKGs) as a formal model to represent and manage corporate information at a semantic level. EKGs are presented and formally defined, as well as positioned in Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) architectures. Furthermore, according to the main features of EKGs, existing EISs are analyzed and compared using a new unified assessment framework. We conduct an evaluation study, where cluster analysis allows for identifying and visualizing groups of EISs that share the same EKG features. More importantly, we put our observed results in perspective and provide evidences that existing approaches do not implement all the EKG features, being therefore, a challenge the development of these features in the next generation of EISs.

A fractal enterprise model and its application for business development

Abstract: This paper suggests a new type of enterprise models called fractal enterprise models (FEM), with accompanying methodological support for their design. FEM shows interconnections between the business processes in an enterprise by connecting them to the assets they use and manage. Assets considered in the model could be tangible (buildings, heavy machinery, etc.) and intangible (employees, business process definitions, etc.). A FEM model is built by using two types of patterns called archetypes: a process-assets archetype that connects a process with assets used in it, and an asset-processes archetype that connects an asset with processes aimed to manage this asset (e.g., hiring people, or servicing machinery). Alternating these patterns creates a fractal structure that makes relationships between various parts of the enterprise explicit. FEM can be used for different purposes, including finding a majority of the processes in an enterprise and planning business change or radical transformation. Besides discussing FEM and areas of its usage, the paper presents results from a completed project in order to test the practical usefulness of FEM and its related methodological support.

Social Collaboration Analytics for Enterprise Collaboration Systems: Providing Business Intelligence on Collaboration Activities

Abstract: The success of public Social Media has led to the emergence of Enterprise Social Software (ESS), a new type of collaboration software for organizations that incorporates “social features”. Surveys show that many companies are trying to implement ESS but that adoption is slower than expected. We believe that in order to understand the issues with its implementation we need to first examine and understand the “social” interactions that are taking place in this new kind of collaboration software. We propose Social Collaboration Analytics (SCA), a specialized form of examination of log files and content data, to gain a better understanding of the actual usage of ESS. Our research was guided by the CRISP-DM approach. We first analyzed the data available in a leading ESS. Together with leading user companies of this ESS, we then developed a framework for Social Collaboration Analysis, which we present in this paper.

Understanding the Benefits and Success Factors of Enterprise Architecture

Abstract: Enterprise Architecture (EA) is considered as a solution to reduce IT implementation failure, improve profitability and enhance business-IT alignment within organizations. However, explanations and evidence of EA benefits and success factors in the existing literature are still limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore how EA creates value to organizations through a qualitative study employing interviews with EA experts. This study contributes to the current knowledge of EA by providing a validated list of EA benefits and success factors. The study identified 40 EA benefits that are grouped into five categories (operational, managerial, strategic, IT infrastructure and organizational) and thirty-seven EA success factors categorized into product quality, infrastructure quality, service delivery quality and organizational anchoring. This study offers a number of implications for research and practice.

Enterprise Pattern: integrating the business process into a unified enterprise model of modern service company

Abstract: Modern service company (MSC), the enterprise involving special domains, such as the financial industry, information service industry and technology development industry, depends heavily on information technology. Modelling of such enterprise has attracted much research attention because it promises to help enterprise managers to analyse basic business strategies (e.g. the pricing strategy) and even optimise the business process (BP) to gain benefits. While the existing models proposed by economists cover the economic elements, they fail to address the basic BP and its relationship with the economic characteristics. Those proposed in computer science regardless of achieving great success in BP modelling perform poorly in supporting the economic analysis. Therefore, the existing approaches fail to satisfy the requirement of enterprise modelling for MSC, which demands simultaneous consideration of both economic analysing and business processing. In this article, we provide a unified enterprise modelling appr...

A viewpoint-based case-based reasoning approach utilising an enterprise architecture ontology for experience management

Abstract: The accessibility of project knowledge obtained from experiences is an important and crucial issue in enterprises. This information need about project knowledge can be different from one person to another depending on the different roles he or she has. Therefore, a new ontology-based case-based reasoning OBCBR approach that utilises an enterprise ontology is introduced in this article to improve the accessibility of this project knowledge. Utilising an enterprise ontology improves the case-based reasoning CBR system through the systematic inclusion of enterprise-specific knowledge. This enterprise-specific knowledge is captured using the overall structure given by the enterprise ontology named ArchiMEO, which is a partial ontological realisation of the enterprise architecture framework EAF ArchiMate. This ontological representation, containing historical cases and specific enterprise domain knowledge, is applied in a new OBCBR approach. To support the different information needs of different stakeholders, this OBCBR approach has been built in such a way that different views, viewpoints, concerns and stakeholders can be considered. This is realised using a case viewpoint model derived from the ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010 standard. The introduced approach was implemented as a demonstrator and evaluated using an application case that has been elicited from a business partner in the Swiss research project.

Green information technology system practice for sustainable collaborative enterprise: a structural literature review

Abstract: Green information technology and information system (ITIS) refer to sustainable practices that seek to prevent environmental pollution and attain sustainable development in collaborative enterprise (CE). By implementing green ITIS practices, collaborative enterprise can reduce the amount of energy used; decrease high cost incurred in their business process and also care for the long time sustainability of the environment and humanity. Therefore, the purpose of this research paper is to a carryout a structural literature review approach to review existing techniques applied to achieve sustainability and standards deployed to assist practitioners in implementing and diffusing green practices in CE. Finding from this review indicates that previously applied techniques and standards lacks the capability to support IT practitioners in making green decisions on how to implement and adopt sustainable practice in collaborative enterprise.

An ontology-based multi-agent virtual enterprise system OMAVE: part 1: domain modelling and rule management

Abstract: New advancements in computers and information technologies have yielded novel ideas to create more effective virtual collaboration platforms for multiple enterprises. Virtual enterprise VE is a collaboration model between multiple independent business partners in a value chain and is particularly suited to small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs. The most challenging problem in implementing VE systems is ineffcient and inflexible data storage and management techniques for VE systems. In this research, an ontology-based multi-agent virtual enterprise OMAVE system is proposed to help SMEs shift from the classical trend of manufacturing part pieces to producing high-value-added, high-tech, innovative products. OMAVE targets improvement in the flexibility of VE business processes in order to enhance integration with available enterprise resource planning ERP systems. The architecture of OMAVE supports the requisite flexibility and enhances the reusability of the data and knowledge created in a VE system. In this article, a detailed description of system features along with the rule-based reasoning and decision support capabilities of OMAVE system are presented. To test and verify the functionality and operation of this system, a sample product was manufactured using OMAVE applications and tools with the contribution of three SMEs.

Enterprise Cognitive Computing Applications: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract: Enterprise cognitive computing (ECC) applications are generating a great deal of excitement for organizations. However, they have yet to demonstrate a business impact on a large scale. An important reason for this is a failure to understand how such applications can contribute to a company’s business objectives and the challenges associated with implementing them. In this article, the authors provide an overview of cognitive computing applications for the enterprise. In particular, they classify opportunities for developing ECC applications and describe challenges in implementing them. Their findings are based on a study of 51 ECC application initiatives across a broad range of industries in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Given the lack of systematic descriptions regarding what is possible from ECC, this article should be valuable to researchers and practitioners in unpacking the black box of cognitive computing.

Learning in the health care enterprise.

Abstract: Introduction The overall enterprise of health care delivery is considered. The 4 levels of the enterprise include clinical practices, processes that provide capabilities and information, structure that includes the business entities involved, and ecosystem that includes Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Congress, as well as societal values and norms. It is argued that the enterprise of health care delivery needs to be transformed to enable high-quality, affordable care for everyone. Discussion The constructs of enterprise transformation and organizational learning are reviewed. The distinction of single-loop versus double-loop learning is discussed and illustrated for all levels of the health care delivery enterprise. Three health care examples are used to elaborate this distinction—cancer, population health, and health IT. Four strategies are outlined that the health care delivery enterprise can use to more effectively learn at all levels of the enterprise. Conclusions This overall line of reasoning suggests several important research issues. The health care delivery enterprise involves much more than treating disease and paying for it. We need to improve our methods and tools for addressing the overall enterprise. Research is also needed on better means for portraying consequences of decisions to the full range of stakeholders in the enterprise. In general, the overall goal should be a healthy, educated, and productive population that is competitive in the global marketplace. We need to better understand the available levers for achieving this goal and how to best portray the intricacies of the overall enterprise to motivate those who can pull these levers to do so.

The imperative for employee-centric organizing and its significance for enterprise engineering

Abstract: Traditional thinking about enterprises considers (executive) management as the primary and exclusive custodians of enterprise performance. Employees, under management control, must behave instrumentally as parts of the enterprise machine. Hence, no employee variety: standard, predefined instrumental behavior is often required and expected. This paper submits a fundamentally different perspective by arguing that variety in employee behavior is crucial. Moreover, the instrumental approach to employee behavior conflicts in our view with moral and ethical considerations concerning employees and society at large. Our main points are outlined as follows. In the foundational section theoretical perspectives are offered that clarify and corroborate the importance of employee variety in behavior for enterprise operational and strategic performance. This importance necessitates employee involvement and consequently employee-centric organizing. Additionally, the ‘unitarist’ view on uniting employee and enterprise interests is argued, which implies the shift from traditional management behavior towards behavior that manifests leadership characteristics. The subsequent section will elaborate on a few implications of our theoretical position. Chief among these implications is the humanization of enterprises and the affordance of meaningful work. Next, we stress the importance of enterprise coherence and consistency, specifically in view of the focus on employee behavior and avoiding employee cynicism. Achieving coherence and consistency has consequences for the way enterprises are conceptualized. Dominant ways of enterprise conceptualization are questioned. Philosophical and ontological considerations will be offered in relation to the emphasized employee-centric way of organizing, followed by some observations about common approaches to organizational thinking that preclude the employee-centric focus. The final section summarizes main points.

Enterprise System and Its Application in Aerospace Industry

Abstract: Enterprise systems (ES) or enterprise information systems (EIS) concepts have been researched and utilized for decades, but it was not until the past decade when they became popular in not only the areas of information systems and computer sciences, but also in those of business process management, business process reengineering, industrial engineering, systems engineering, business intelligence, government administration, e-commerce and e-business, and others. The growing needs of using ES to solve real-world problems require intensive study of ES-related techniques and applications. This study explores those ES techniques and their applications in the aerospace industry. Furthermore, an application case of information integration in spacecraft state detection is demonstrated.

Development of a framework for the implementation of sustainable enterprise resource planning

Abstract: Sustainable Enterprise Resource Planning (S-ERP) is an enterprise system that designed to integrate sustainability activitiesbetween corporate sustainable business functions. This system enables practitioners to effectively practice sustainability in an organisation. Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung (SAP), Oracle, and Microsoft have designed the S-ERP system for various types of industry. However, a number of organisations still have a problem of implementing the S-ERP system as it is a multifaceted system that needs managerial and technical skills to implement. Therefore, they need a master plan that provides a comprehensive guidance for practitioners to implement this system. According to a literature, there is no available master plan that assists the organisations to implement the S-ERP system. This issue will obstruct the implementation process. Therefore, this issue motivates the researchers to develop an S-ERP master plan that encompasses three parts: roadmap, framework, and guidelines. A study focused on the development of an S-ERP roadmap has been performed in the earlier work entitled “A master plan for the implementation of sustainable enterprise resource planning systems (part II): development of a roadmap” (Chofreh et al., 2016b). In addition, the S-ERP roadmap has been evaluated in the work entitled “A master plan for the implementation of sustainable enterprise resource planning systems (part III): evaluation of a roadmap” (Chofreh et al., 2016c). Subsequently, this study aimed to summarise the development process of the S-ERP framework. This frameworkwould give a comprehensive perspective to implement the S-ERP system. A conceptual research method is used to develop this framework by reviewing two related areas on sustainability and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation and exposing the knowledge gap. The literature revealed that there are diverse dimensions considered in the sustainability and ERP implementation frameworks. These dimensions are generally considered two main paradigms including sustainability paradigm and decisional paradigm. The sustainability paradigm consists of three sustainability dimensions including environment, social, and economic. The decisional paradigm consists of three decision-making levels in an organisation including strategic, tactical, and operational. The S-ERP framework is developed by integrating these two paradigms and unites them into one holistic structure. The breakdown of each component and level of the paradigms is identified according to the relevant literature. Concisely, this framework would be a potential guidance for practitioners to distinguish various perspectives that need to be considered for the S-ERP system implementation. The framework hopefully can assist the practitioners to mitigate the problems during the S-ERP system implementation.

Concurrent enterprise: a conceptual framework for enterprise supply-chain network activities

Abstract: Supply-chain management SCM in manufacturing industries has evolved significantly over the years. Recently, a lot more relevant research has picked up on the development of integrated solutions. Thus, seeking a collaborative optimisation of geographical, just-in-time JIT, quality customer demand/satisfaction and return-on-investment profits, aspects of organisational management and planning through ‘best practice’ business-process management – concepts and application; employing system tools such as certain applications/aspects of enterprise resource planning ERP – SCM systems information technology IT enablers to enhance enterprise integrated product development/concurrent engineering principles. This article assumed three main organisation theory applications in positioning its assumptions. Thus, proposing a feasible industry-specific framework not currently included within the SCOR model’s level four 4 implementation level, as well as other existing SCM integration reference models such as in the MIT process handbook’s – Process Interchange Format PIF, the TOVE project, etc. which could also be replicated in other SCs. However, the wider focus of this paper’s contribution will be concentrated on a complimentary proposed framework to the SCC’s SCOR reference model. Quantitative empirical closed-ended questionnaires in addition to the main data collected from a qualitative empirical real-life industrial-based pilot case study were used: To propose a conceptual concurrent enterprise framework for SCM network activities. This research adopts a design structure matrix simulation approach analysis to propose an optimal enterprise SCM-networked value-adding, customised master data-management platform/portal for efficient SCM network information exchange and an effective supply-chain SC network systems–design teams’ structure. Furthermore, social network theory analysis will be employed in a triangulation approach with statistical correlation analysis to assess the scale/level of frequency, importance, level of collaborative-ness, mutual trust as well as roles and responsibility among the enterprise SCM network for systems product development PD design teams’ technical communication network as well as extensive literature reviews.

Enterprise Architecture for e-Government

Abstract: The paper describes an Enterprise Architecture1 for E-Government2, for Governments across the world who intend to provide better service delivery for their business, citizens and other stakeholders The purpose of Enterprise Architectures for E-Government is to support transactional system interoperability[1], quicker response to Government enterprise3 wide issues, reduce complexity in IT landscape, enhance enterprise security, facilitate information based decision making while driving efficiency, cost benefits, sharing, reuse, effectiveness and system transformation across government

Extending the enterprise evolution contextualisation model

Abstract: Enterprise engineering EE emerged as a new discipline to encourage comprehensive and consistent enterprise design. Since EE is multidisciplinary, various researchers study enterprises from different perspectives, which resulted in a plethora of applicable literature and terminology, but without shared meaning. Previous research specifically focused on the fragmentation of knowledge for designing and aligning the information and communication technologyICT subsystem of the enterprise in order to support the business organisation subsystem of the enterprise. As a solution for this fragmented landscape, a business-IT alignment model BIAM was developed inductively from existing business-IT alignment approaches. Since most of the existing alignment frameworks addressed the alignment between the ICT subsystem and the business organisation subsystem, BIAM also focused on the alignment between these two subsystems. Yet, the emerging EE discipline intends to address a broader scope of design, evident in the existing approaches that incorporate a broader scope of design/alignment/governance. A need was identified to address the knowledge fragmentation of the EE knowledge base by adapting BIAM to an enterprise evolution contextualisation model EECM, to contextualise a broader set of approaches, as identified by Lapalme. The main contribution of this article is the incremental development and evaluation of EECM. We also present guiding indicators/prerequisites for applying EECM as a contextualisation tool.

Enterprise Architecture Security Assessment Framework (EASAF)

Abstract: Many existing studies have shown that the causes of most of system attacks are not related to coding vulnerabilities that apply to individual systems, issues related to the run-time environment, or the technology in place. In fact, they are caused by issues associated with how systems within organizations are structured. Therefore, it is necessary to examine security with regard to all components that influence the organization’s systems, including data, processes and even employees. The most promising approach to achieving this goal is Enterprise Architecture (EA). The main goal of this project is to develop a framework based on the concepts of well-established EA frameworks such as TOGAF and Zachman and their compositional layers (e.g., application, information and process). This framework will be combined with a data flow analysis of the principles that trace the potential information flow between high- and low-security enterprise components. Therefore, this paper studies various enterprise architecture frameworks and shows how to develop an enterprise architecture framework that considers the organization’s information security from the perspective of information flow. This framework will have various layers, each with a set of security metrics that quantify the organization’s relative security based on the specifications of that layer. The defined framework will be capable of defining Enterprise Architecture security-related principles and metrics. These principles and metrics will eventually be used to define how to develop secure enterprise systems based on the enterprise architecture with regard to security-critical information flow within any given organization. The defined framework will also be capable of providing guidance for information security architects by recognizing certain parts of the organization that are less secure than others.

System Modernization of Domestic Enterprises: Theoretical Background, Motives, Principles

Abstract: This article covers the basic principles and methodological, economic and mathematical tools for solving the problem of modernization of Russian enterprises. The paper shows that the solution of this problem affects a wide range of topical issues of the modern economic science: effective structuring of the socio-economic aspect of society; concepts and definitions of ‘enterprise’; theory of the firm; theory of production functions and associated models; methods of organization and of the evolution management of the development of the economy at the micro level. The article proposes the concept of the enterprise as a system of institutional and organizational, social and labour, property and technological, business and model sectors interacting both among themselves and with the authorities, population, economic and business structures of regional and federal levels. This concept allows not only formulating a correct definition of the ‘enterprise’ concept, but also indicating the ways of the implementation of enterprise modernization projects. The concept of system modernization as a method of the transformation of economic entities, occupying an intermediate position between the administrative modernization and organic evolution has been developed. The author classifies the risks and advantages of both methods of transformation. The resource-based and competence-based theory of the firm highlighting the interaction of enterprise resources with its capabilities (ambitions, aspirations, competencies) can be the basis for describing the functioning of the enterprise under modernization. The nonconformity of the amount of resources to the level of capabilities of the enterprise is a powerful stimulus of its transformation. The article has developed a small-size model of the functioning of an enterprise under modernization, including the resource-based and competence-based production function, as well as the functions of costs, dynamics of resources and capabilities of the firm. The author presents the key elements of the strategy of the massive modernization of enterprises at the regional and federal levels.

Developing the intra-firm technology transfer system at the industrial enterprise based on matrix approach

Abstract: It is proved that the modern level of economy competitiveness has been achieved due to the scientific and technical innovations in the industrial sphere. Given the global trends, Ukraine is working out its own direction of the innovative development. To achieve the final result of innovation at the industrial enterprises, it is necessary to ensure a transfer of innovative technologies to the commercial production. Shift of the technological developments from the research units to the potential customers is usually brought about with the help of market mechanisms, i.e., launching the technologies into the market and its promotion. The article offers a matrix approach to determine the overall development of intra-firm technology transfer system considering both the internal innovation capacity and favorable external conditions. The general scheme for determining the capacity of intra-firm technology transfer system development at machine-building enterprise on the basis of correlation and regression modeling has been developed. Four main program of developing the intra-firm technology transfer system are offered. They include active development which stipulates the extensive use of endogenous factors in terms of favorable environment; moderate growth which is appropriate given certain internal and external problems of enterprises innovative development in general and technology transfer systems in particular; anti-crisis development which is appropriate either in terms of favorable environment given low internal capacity of technology development and transfer or in a difficult situation at macro-level given high transfer potential; “cryogenic” period when the entity is suffering a crisis and there are a lot of external risks, it is reasonable to resort to the “deliberate damping”, being forced to suspend the innovative activity, creation and development of technology transfer system. Scientific and practical recommendations are provided to develop the intra-firm technology transfer system of the leading machinebuilding enterprises in Poltava region, such as PJSC “Kremenchug Plant of Road Machines”, PJSC “Kryukov Railway Car Building Works”, PJSC “Kremenchug Wheel Plant”, PJSC “AutoKrAZ”. Olga Maslak (Ukraine), Natalia Grishko (Ukraine), Kateryna Vorobiova (Ukraine), Olha Hlazunova (Ukraine), Maria Maslak (Ukraine) BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES LLC “СPС “Business Perspectives” Hryhorii Skovoroda lane, 10, Sumy, 40022, Ukraine www.businessperspectives.org DEVELOPING THE INTRA-FIRM TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER SYSTEM AT THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE BASED ON MATRIX APPROACH Received on: 15th of June 2017 Accepted on: 15th of September 2017

Communication of Enterprise Architectures

Abstract: This chapter presents a communication perspective of enterprise architectures. We provide both a theoretical and a practical perspective of the issues involved in the communication of enterprise architectures. The general idea is that the chapter helps the reader see how architecture development and modelling can be optimally supported by discussing why certain forms of modelling are used in some situation and how this fits the goals in the process. The theoretical perspective will focus on communication during system development in general, where the word system should be interpreted as any open and active system, consisting of both human and computerised actors, that is purposely designed. The practical perspective will take shape as a set of practical guidelines that should aid architects in the selection and definition of architecture description approaches that are apt for a specific (communication) context.

Архитектура предприятия: переход от проектирования ИТ-инфраструктуры к трансформации бизнеса

Abstract: The enterprise architecture is a tool for the systemic description of functioning and principles of the organization development. Initially, this tool was used in complex IT-projects to clarify business requirements and design information systems and technical infrastructure. However, since the beginning of the 2000s the enterprise’s architecture is increasingly used to support organizational transformations and allows managers to integrate various development initiatives among themselves, to translate the strategy into actions and to ensure the coherence of the various elements of the enterprise. The article reviews the evolution of the concept “enterprise architecture”, provides an overview of methods and tools for enterprise architecture management, as well as describes the application of the enterprise architecture in managerial practices.

The Journey to Enterprise Agility: Systems Thinking and Organizational Legacy

Abstract: This is the first book to seriously address the disconnection between nimble Agile teams and other groups in the enterprise, including enterprise architecture, the program management office (PMO), human resources, and even business executives. When an enterprise experiments with practice improvements, software development teams often jump on board with excitement, while other groups are left to wonder how they will fit in. We address how these groups can adapt to Agile teams. More importantly, we show how many Agile teams cause their own problems, damaging scalability and sustainability, by requiring special treatment, and by failing to bridge the gaps between themselves and other groups. We call this phenomenon Agile illth. Adopting a set of best practices is not enough. All of us, Agile teams and the corporate groups, must change our intentions and worldviews to be more compatible with the success of the enterprise. Join us on the journey to enterprise agility. It is a crooked path, fraught with danger, confusion and complexity. It is the only way to reach the pinnacles we hope to experience in the form of better business value delivered faster for less cost.

Holonic and multi-agent technologies for service and computing oriented manufacturing

Abstract: This special feature aims at shedding light on new emerging holonic and multi-agent systems operating in a service-and computing oriented manufacturing environment, using the latest ICT technologies such as service-orientation, mobile agents, Web-and Cloud services, virtualization, big data and analytics to name a few. Industrials are seeking for models and solutions that are not only able to provide efficient overall production performance, but also to face reactively a growing set of unpredicted events. The demand for large scale industrial systems running in complex and even chaotic environments requires the consideration of new paradigms and technologies that provide flexibility, robustness, agility and responsiveness. Holonic systems are, actually by definition, targeting challenges that include coping with the heterogeneous nature of manufacturing systems and their on-line interactive nature in combination with competitive pressures. Multi-agent systems is a suitable implementing approach to address these challenge by offering an alternative way to design control systems, based on the decentralization of control functions over distributed autonomous and cooperative entities. Moreover, virtualization of manufacturing execution system workloads offers a set of design and operational advantages to enterprises, the most visible being improved resource utilization and flexibility of the overall solution. At the manufacturing execution system level, cloud computing adoption refers mainly to virtualization of MES workloads. While MES implementations are different and usually depend directly on the actual physical shop floor layout, the general MES functions are aligned with the set of functions defined by ISA-95.03 specification. To achieve high levels of productivity growth and agility to market changes, manufacturers will need to leverage Big Data sets to drive efficiency across the networked enterprise. There is need for a framework allowing the development of manufacturing cyber physical systems that include capabilities for complex event processing and Big Data analytics, which are expected to move the manufacturing domain closer to digital transformation and cloud services within the contextual enterprise. On the other hand, service orientation is emerging at multiple organizational levels in enterprise business, and leverages technology in response to the growing need for greater business integration, flexibility and agility of manufacturing enterprises. Close related to IT infrastructures of Web Services, the Service Oriented Enterprise Architecture represents a technical architecture, a business modelling concept, an integration source and a new way of viewing units of control within the enterprise. Business and process information systems integration and interoperability are feasible by considering the customized product as "active controller" of the enterprise resources – thus providing consistency between material and informational flows. The areas of Service Oriented Computing and Multi-agent Systems are getting closer, both trying to deal with the same kind of environments formed by loose-coupled, flexible, persistent and distributed tasks. An example is the new approach of Service Oriented Multi-agent Systems (SoMAS).