Relating business modelling and enterprise architecture

Abstract

English SummaryThis thesis proposes a methodology for creating business models, evaluating them, and relating them to enterprise architecture. The methodology consists of several steps, leading from an organization's current situation to a target situation, via business models and enterprise architecture. The problems with Business-IT AlignmentCurrently, increasing amounts of businesses rely on IT systems to do their business. However, success rates of IT implementations projects are low. Difficulties exist in aligning existing IT systems with business objectives. A consensus exists among researchers and practitioners alike that business-IT alignment (BITA) is necessary to improve business performance. Typical symptoms of lack of BITA include:• People cannot use the systems effectively.• Changes in systems often do not consider the financial impacts.• Systems cannot be changed easily and quickly to adapt to new situations.Difficulties also exist with technological innovations. Most difficulties are not caused by technical issues. Lack of consideration for financial and organisational aspects is a cause for projects not surviving after the pilot phase. A lack of attention is paid to financial aspects of innovations. Projects are often more expensive than planned due to changing requirements. Projects are often more expensive than planned because demands are not well known. Therefore, we have a problem to build and adapt IT systems to changing business needs. This thesis attempts to combine two partial solutions to this problem, Enterprise Architecture (EA) and Business Modelling (BM). A partial solution: Enterprise ArchitectureEnterprise Architecture comprises a collection of simplified representations of the organisation, from different viewpoints and according to the needs of different stakeholders. A coherent description of enterprise architecture provides insight, enables communication among stakeholders, and guides complicated change processes. ArchiMate provides a language to create such descriptions in a precise and formal way. While Enterprise Architecture helps to manage change, it includes insufficient business strategy, and use of ArchiMate is limited to expert users. Another partial solution: Business ModellingIn the basis, business models are used to describe businesses and explore possibilities for future development. Business modelling is intuitive to use by managers, consultants, VI and entrepreneurs alike. The business model concept is a young and emerging field of research. The state in which this field finds itself is one of "prescientific chaos": several competing schools of thought exist, and progress is limited because of a lack of cumulative progress. Links to other research domains are vital to establish the business model as a distinct area of investigation. This lack of cohesion in the field clearly diminishes the added value of business models for organizations and makes business modelling an art, rather than a science. A combined solution: Relating Enterprise Architecture and Business ...