Case Study

The Challenge

The MOD is undergoing a Digital and Information Technology Transformation under the Chief Information Officer and has recently adopted new Enterprise Architecture tooling, BiZZdesign. The Crown Servant architects needed a straightforward approach for rapidly delivering a reference architecture and reducing their overall architecture debt and upskilling to build on their foundation knowledge of the tool.

AsystsU was given three successive tasks (85, 112 and 140) under the DaaS framework to design an approach for developing reusable Architecture Building Blocks using ArchiMate 3 and BiZZdesign that could be used to develop the reference architecture and to upskill the Crown Servant architects.

Our Solution

AsystsU created an architecture approach derived from best practice and incorporates business analysis principles from the Federated Mission Networking Mission Thread Approach and the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge and aligns with other existing Service Taxonomies and frameworks (e.g. NATO C3 Taxonomy, TOGAF, NATO Architecture Framework, ITIL and the Government Digital Service Standard).

The approach which was developed during Task 85 and refined and exploited during Tasks 112 and 140, uses ArchiMate 3 modelling elements to create modular building blocks in BiZZdesign. The method ensures that all phases of the TOGAF ADM are comprehensively supported with relevant artefacts to underpin decision making and provide the necessary evidence to support portfolio, programme and project level decision-making.

The Result

The AsystsU team utilised the architecture approach to create examples of Architecture and Solution Building Blocks. Artefacts from the approach have provided evidence for a number of technical and programmatic interventions that will reduce the risk of forthcoming MOD programmes, such as New Style of IT (Deployed). The skills of the Crown Servant architects are rapidly increasing with the effect of reducing the overall architecture debt.