Enterprise Architecture provides agencies with a tool set for technology decision makingDecember 2005
Enterprise Architecture provides agencies with a tool set for technology decision making
As government agencies work to improve the delivery of services to the public, they are constantly looking for opportunities to streamline their business processes, share ideas and resources, and create more cost-effective services. The Enterprise Architecture program, led by the Department of Information Services, helps agencies collaborate on efforts to make better technology decisions across the state government enterprise.
"Enterprise Architecture will provide state government with a set of tools for strategic technology decision-making," says Scott Came, the DIS Enterprise Architecture Program Director. "These tools will inform and guide technology planning, investment, and solution design decisions. The resulting decisions will align more closely with the state's business priorities."
Participants in this effort started with looking at the architecture framework established by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, and existing programs and best practices from Washington state agencies. Then the Information Services Board Enterprise Architecture Committee formally identified and chartered initiatives to advance the state's Enterprise Architecture. A team of experts from state agencies supports each initiative. The goal of each initiative is to provide tools to ensure that the state’s technology decisions:
- align plans and investments with business priorities and needs
- result in more citizen-friendly, integrated services
- promote a more efficient state IT infrastructure
- facilitate cross-organizational sharing of enterprise information
- recognize innovations and best practices from across the enterprise
The Enterprise Architecture toolkit includes the following four tools:
- Principles. Principles express what the IT community values or deems important to consider in making decisions.
- Existing infrastructure. Documenting the existing infrastructure - such as network, middleware, security, and information sources - helps decision makers identify opportunities for common services and avoid duplicate investments.
- Business drivers, priorities and strategic requirements. Understanding future business needs helps decision makers identify and make appropriate future infrastructure investments.
- Best practices. Documenting the best practices leverages the innovations and the lessons agencies learn, and applies them across the enterprise.
"Enterprise Architecture is not revolutionary as much as it is supportive," says Came. "It's aimed at gradual, but significant improvement in decision making."
Using the Enterprise Architecture toolkit, state agency teams are focusing on the following four initiatives:
Networking Standards
Team members are documenting existing network infrastructure solutions such as the State Governmental Network and Intergovernmental Network.
This team will develop a recommended set of decision-making tools to ensure that our investments in networking assets align with business priorities, eliminate duplication, and maximize interoperability.
Team participants include the departments of Social and Health Services, Transportation and Information Services, the Office of Financial Management, the Legislative Service Center and the University of Washington.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
The VoIP initiative team is developing tools to help agencies assess their technical readiness and the business case for IP Telephony implementations. VoIP is a technology that allows telephone (voice) traffic to travel over the same IP networks that carry data traffic today.
The team expects to recommend a common service offering for VoIP that agencies can use in considering their own VoIP implementations.
Team participants include the departments of Revenue, Licensing, Labor and Industries, Social and Health Services, and Information Services, the Washington State Patrol, the Legislative Service Center and the University of Washington.
Financial/Administrative Services
The Financial and Administrative Services initiative team members are working to identify a standard approach for integrating core financial and administrative information systems.
This team will recommend an integration architecture that allows for incremental implementation of financial business processes, and supports both common and individual agency functionality.
Team participants include the Office of Financial Management, the Washington State Patrol, the Employment Security Department, and the departments of General Administration, Labor and Industries, and Information Services.
Geographic Information Technology (GIT)
Geographic Information Technology team members are working to identify a standard approach for integrating GIT information systems. GIT is a critical decision support tool for government policy makers and citizens as they seek solutions in areas such as transportation planning, public safety, natural resource and wildlife management, and economic development.
This team will recommend a shareable GIT infrastructure the state can replicate across the enterprise. As a result, the state will reduce duplication of efforts, and prevent producing incompatible or conflicting data and inconsistent results.
Team participants include the departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Transportation, Revenue, Ecology and Information Services, the Interagency Committee on Outdoor Recreation, the Office of Financial Management and the Military Department.
For an update on how these initiatives are progressing, be sure to read the January 2006 edition of DIS Tech News.
For more information about the Enterprise Architecture Program, visit the
DIS Web site.