Standardization to enable reuse and interoperability
Reusable Learning has the following description on standardization and interoperability.TECHNICAL STANDARDS
Interoperability † is defined by the IEEE Standard Computing Dictionary (IEEE, 1990) as "the ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged.”
Standards and Interoperability
Standards are crucial for interoperability. In practice, there are two kinds. The first are standards that are authored and maintained by organizations such as:
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
The International Organiation for Standardization (ISO)
The Digital Library Federation (DLF)
The IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS)
The Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC)
The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (IEEE LTSC)
The Advanced Distributed Learning initiative (ADL)
And many, many others (AMMO)
All of these organizations are different in composition, process and legal standing but have the common characteristics that:
Groups of individuals, companies and other “stakeholders” work together to produce technical specifications that anyone can obtain and use. (Rules vary: participation can be by invitation only, by members only, or by anyone. Membership can be for individuals, for organizations or for nations. Fees can be non-existent, minimal, or many thousands of dollars per year. Almost all organizations of this type use a consensus process, but definitions of consensus, rights of appeal, due process, etc. can differ.)
The specifications are maintained by the group that produced them and there are mechanisms by which the “marketplace” can participate or give feedback.
Although it is not accurate to call all of these “standards”, it is common to do so and will be done here. (There is a formal distinction between a “specification,” which tells you what to do, a “de facto standard,” which is a specification that a community has agree to use and a “de jure standard,” which is a specification that has been approved as a standard by an accredited standards body such as the IEEE or ISO (the International Organization for Standardization).)
The second type of “standards” arises from the proliferation of a particular product or group of products in the marketplace. Examples include Microsoft Word, Flash, and Portable Document Format (PDF). Although almost anyone can open and use a Word file, and the Acrobat Reader and Flash plug-ins for Web browsers are ubiquitous and freely available, the intellectual property behind these formats is owned and maintained by single companies. It is acceptable to call these “standard file formats” or “standardized formats” but it is best to avoid calling them “standards.”
In 2003 the UK government set up the National Standardization Strategic Framework (NSSF) as part of its commitment to innovation and technology.
Standards may be one of the following types:
Private standards are for use only by the organization that developed them
Publicly available standards can be, for example, a standard produced by a trade association that may be used by any organization
British Standards are produced by BSI British Standards and developed in collaboration with UK government, businesses and society. Some are enforced by regulation, but for most compliance is voluntary
European Standards are produced by CEN, the European Committee for Standardization, whose members are the national standards bodies of European Union countries. All European Standards are adopted as British Standards
International Standards are produced by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, whose members are the national standards bodies of countries all over the world. The UK decides whether to adopt international standards as British Standards
Standards apply to products and services
Standards can apply to products, processes or services. A well known 'process' standard is the ISO 9000 series, which provides a framework for the effective management of organizations.
Formal standards, such as British, European or international standards, vary in the strength of their provisions; for example, they may specify requirements for the features or characteristics of a product, or simply recommend the best way of doing something.
Evaluation and certification
Evaluation bodies provide testing, certification, inspection or calibration services for organizations wanting their product or service to comply with international, European or British Standards.
The purpose of EA standardization is to implement the engineering of reuse. EA standardization is not for the shake standardization for looks good and uniformity as it is the military paray. Many EA programs conduct indiscriminate standardization on every items, it take a lot of effort to establish the standards and to enforce the standards. LEA suggests the EA standards item must be selective on the common objects for a value of reuse rather tries to set standards on every thing. The first toward standardization is to qualify if the item is worth of setting a standard at all.
To set a standard is similar to establish the law; EA standards must be enforceable. It is meaningless to set standards as the reference only approach.
Earn agility and simplicity via compliance to standards
Agility and simplicity must be earned by compliance to EA standards. EA standard is not a burden to the stakeholders, it is enable the agility, simplicity and cost efficiency. It is only a burden from the aspect of stovepipe culture where people used to do whatever they think is the best. Where learning experience from the others, reuse and share is not a concern. The price of the freedom in stovepipe system culture is redundant effort with Significant investment of time and resources.
Standardization principle
Select of standardization items by its value.
The effort of standardization must avoid the confusion of the mean to the end. Standardization is a mean to achieve the end of reuse. Many standardization effort implement standardization for the shake of standardization. As a result, it become a burden rather than a value to the stakeholders.
Select the standardization based on the value of standardization instead of a blanket effort in standardization, the standardization items must be selected carefully base on the value of standardization. Enterprise architects have been the advocate of standardization on business processes, applications, data and technologies. The caveat is that standardization must be conducted not only concerning the convenience of IT management but also standardization without compromise the user need. Standardization, like every thing else, should be balanced between the convenience of IT management and the flexibility for the stakeholders need.
Reality check
From business competition point of view, standardization may not be the best interest for business profit. Industry honor standardization only at the very basic element which is nutual in competition. For example : The auto industry.
The myth of standardization as the EA silver bullet
In the EA community, while they all aware the importance of standardization, there are some myth about standardization. Some EA experts consider that standardization as the silver bullet . in the ideal world , if the enterprise is standardized , all the challenge of interoperability, sharing, reuse and integration can be solved. It is a simple concept applies not only in the information age but also valid in the industry age. If every things are standardized life will be very simple. But the fact is that the day for total standardization can only be expected does not matter how much push from the enterprise architects. So do not put all the EA effort on standardization. Take a look at the real world at the real word for a reality check that how much standardization has been accepted in the industrial age and predict how much standardization can be expected in the information age.
From the business process standardization aspect, many EA experts have the ideal is to standardize the business process so every place do the business in the same way. Business process standardization works well in a factory environment as many industrial engineering have accomplished in operation research. Enterprise architecture is people oriented. It subject to local business process reengineering base on location and culture. For example : The best route for you to go to work is not necessary the best way for me because we live in different part of the city. It is futile to put the entire EA effort in the basket of on central planned business process reengineering and business process standardization because it subject to the local business process reengineering. Business process standardization should be intend of the core business function with the flexibility to accommodate location reengineering. Enterprise Architecture provides the agility to automate business process from the dynamic change of local business process reengineering.
For better return on the investment of standardization , It is more important to standardize the enterprise data rather than put all the effort to standardize the process. Data is the enterprise asset which have a permanent value while Business processes are only meaningful during the operation.
From the technology standardization aspect, the level of standardization can be expected by learning from level of standardization from industrial age. For example: the automobile industry. How much standardization have been be achieved in the automobile industry ? The answer can be very disappointed that only the low level parts are standardized due to the cause of "business competition". As much as the EA ideology in standardization, "market share" is the only one thing in mind of the vendors.
The myth of EA as the standardization effort.
The other myth of standardization is to consider EA equal standardization. In some EA effort , EA means standardization, they consider that the EA mission is accomplished when they have a technical reference model and standard profile. Although the reference models in the Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Office do not means to say that reference models are the enterprise architecture, the notion of reference model from the EA guidance organization certainly contribute to ideal that EA is about standardization.
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Disseminate Architecture Standards with drawings
The baseline standardsIdealisticly, standardardization intend to bring every system in the organization to standard, but in reality, standard only serve as the baseline standard and allow certain variation from the baseline under a control enviroment.
Baseline Standard Drawings
A baseline enviroment is the snap shot of the enterprise at one point of time. It serve the purpose as the break point for architecture planning and IT managment. The baseline enviroment does not only contain the technology baseline but also the application and data. Traditionally, an enterprise baseline is presented with a volume of report generated from configuation managment database. This type of baseline report is only good to statify the auditors and it become shelware with very little practical use. LEA suggest to use engineering drawing to present the baseline as showing in the following example.
Baseline example :
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The scope of standards
3.0 THE SCOPE OF STANDARDSMost of EA effort initiate the standardization from technology standards. However, the scope of EA standards does not only consists of technology standards but also include business standard, application components standards, data standard, technology standard, and security standards. It is analogy to our society where the law does not only include criminal justice but also for trading, science and many other area pertaining to common interest. Each standardization have it own value.
The scope of standards
Most of EA standards put the effort on technology standards. However, EA standards do not only include technology standards but also business process standards, application standards, data standards. The fact is that standardization in the area of business process, application and data every carry more value than technology standardization.
Industry has made significant effort on standardizatio for example: The CECIS Standard and Standaization
For example : Business Process Patterns and Frameworks : Reusing knowledge in process innovation
FUEGO BPM Process Pattern
EA standard framework
Arhcitechture standard is a group of standards apply to an architecture pattern.
3.1 Business process standards
• Line of business
• The value of business standardization
3.2 Application services standards
Application service standards based on applicaton architecture patterns.
• Application architecture standards
• Application services standards
• Application service pattern standards
3.3 Data standards
For better return on the investment of standardization , It is more important to standardize the enterprise data rather than put all the effort to standardize the process. Data is the enterprise asset which have a permanent value while Business processes are only meaningful during the operation.
Data standard based on DRM.
• Meta data standard
• Data content standard
• Data pattern standard
3.4 Infrastrucrue standards
Instructure standards based on TRM.
• Logical standard
• Standard products
• Technology pattern standard
3.5 Security standards
The ROI of investment on EA standards.
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Baseline standards
A baseline enviroment is the snap shot of the enterprise at one point of time. It serve the purpose as the break point for architecture planning and IT managment. The baseline enviroment does not only contain the technology baseline but also the application and data. Traditionally, an enterprise baseline is presented with a volume of report generated from configuation managment database. This type of baseline report is only good to statify the auditors and it become shelware with very little practical use. LEA suggest to use engineering drawing to present the baseline as showing in the following example.Baseline example :
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Disseminating EA standards
EA programs have spent significant time to establish standards but spent little effort to disseminate EA standards to stakeholders. Many EA programs have esttablishe stands in volume of documents on the shelf without make special effort to disseminate the standards to the community. It is very difficult for the applicaiton developers to comply with EA standards without even know there is a standards.Many EA programs use standard profile in a long list very likely organized by reference models. It is hard to comprehend the pertinent standards in a long list with fine print. And it is very like to find the standards out of context.
The baseline standards
Idealisticly, standardardization intend to bring every system in the organization to standard, but in reality, standard only serve as the baseline standard and allow certain variation from the baseline under a control enviroment.
Disseminate EA standards in architecture patterns
LEA suggest to dissemniate EA standards in bundel base on architecture patterns. The purpose is to communicate application technology with application developers with something they are familiar. The traditional EA approach use Technical Reference Model to organize and communicate technology standard to the application developers. But unfortunately, reference model is not a culture in application development as it is in the network world. As a result, instead of communicating the technology standards, the TRM have get the application developers very confused.
The runtime pattern propose an alternative for the application developer to communicate the technology based on system architecture which has been part of the application development culture.
7.1 Disseminate architecture standards
Architecture standard is a group of standard items group by architecture pattern. Architecrture standards severe well to communicate with applicaiton developers.
The traditional EA approach use Technical Reference Model to organize and communicate technology standard to the application developers. But unfortunately, reference model is not a culture in application development as it is in the network world. Reference models and standard profile do not constitute an Enterprise Architecture without the consolidation design. A pile of material in the yard do not make a building and a list of standard do not make an enterprise architecture either A stove pipe systems made of standards components without the consolidation design , for the most , are standard stove pipe system. EA is the engineering of reuse and the engineering of sharing. Standardization is the engineering of reuse. It set the stage for the engineering of share for the consolidation design based on enterprise definition. As a result, instead of communicating the technology standards, the TRM have get the application developers very confused.
Application developers communicate with system architecture rather the reference model.
System technology architecture pattern analysis enable enterprise technology architecture design without designing every application systems in the organizations. In a services oriented architecture, Organizations define standard system technology architecture patterns as the macro standard to accommodate all application systems and enterprise technology architecture is derived from the system technology architecture patterns rather than from every application systems as shown in figure 2.
Figure 2 : Technology architecture from system architecture patterns
7.2 Analogy to differen home models in a residential development
In residential development, the builder provide several home models in the subdivision for the purpose of cost efficient, quality control and deliver the home in time for the owner’s need. The home owner can only chose from the home models based on the need of their family instead customized design. The trade off is that they can save their purchase cost and get a standard quality of their house.
In the same token, an enterprise establish standard run time patterns in their data center. The application technology platform support multiple applications. The application developer can only have limited choice of runtime pattern to deploy their systems instead of specifying customized system architecture design. The trade of is that the application development and deployment will cost and time efficient due to the fact that the application developers do not have to design and acquire customize system.
The standard runtime pattern approach does not compromise the system capability because of the platform independent technology. In the past, software systems are platform dependent and the application developers have the choice of the specific platform they need. The platform independent software technology such as JAVA are able to run on the specified platform and architecture based on the business performance requirement.
7.3 The runtime pattern architecture drawings
The following system technology architecture pattern drawing render the combination of technology components and standard profile to a runtime pattern similar to a tradition architecture drawing with product specification.
Architecture drawing serve the purpose to render all the technology components and product but difficult to keep update in the evolution of technology releases. To keep the standard profile updated, web technology is recommend to deliver the update standard profile information on each runtime pattern.
The pattern architecture drawing have greatly facilitate EA technology communication with application developers. Application developers adopt a standard runtime pattern and comprehend the enterprise technology standard from the runtime pattern drawing. The traditional EA approach use Technical Reference Model (TRM) as a common language to communicate technology among IT professional. While a TRM works well for technology architects, application developers have not benefit as expected using TRM . It take more time to think what is a TRM than use a TRM. The value of using system technology architecture patterns analysis to establish technology architecture include :
• Establish enterprise technical architecture with minimum business process engineering effort.
• Establish technical reference model and standard profile without enterprise wide application system design.
• Facilitate EA technology communication. Application developers can comprehend enterprise technology standards by their system architecture pattern with minimum effort.
• Sharing common IT resources by defining standard system architecture patterns to accommodate multiple application systems.
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