Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to management of database queries, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to utilizing an enterprise description language (EDL) for describing outsourcing arrangements.  
         [0003]     2. History of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Many businesses are realizing the benefits of outsourcing specific operations to other, more qualified businesses. For example, many businesses are beginning to outsource IT organizations to personnel that have more experience and a better track record of handling IT issues in an appropriate and efficient manner. Other portions of a business, such as business processes, may also be outsourced. Business processes (e.g., claims processing, financials, accounts receivables/payables, etc.) may be outsourced to personnel skilled in that particular area, thereby providing additional benefits and cost savings to the business.  
         [0005]     When a business decides to outsource a particular organization, such as the IT organization, the business typically hires a third party to formulate a contract for the outsourcing deal. In most cases, the IT environment is very complex and difficult to describe to the third party, and therefore, the third party typically assesses the IT environment from various data, documents, current IT personnel, etc. The third party concentrates on the hard assets (software, machines, etc.) and may not determine any external factors, such as underlying data, business processes, external vendors, personnel, etc. that may be affected by the outsourced organization, or that the outsourced organization may affect. This “softer” data from personnel tends to be more difficult to convey to a third party than other tangible assets.  
         [0006]     Once a team agrees to take over the outsourced organization, the third party instills their knowledge to the team. At this point, the team may be blind-sided by various obstacles, such as unknown relationships between the outsourced organization and other business processes. For example, the team, after winning the contract, may go to the business to create move packages based on the information from the third party. A move package is a set of items (machines, data software, etc.) that may be physically moved from the business location to a data center location of the team. The team may then unknowingly transport a set of data, etc. to the data center which may negatively affect other business processes. For example, the third party may not realize that there is an ad hoc database of contact information for new contracts in a particular move package. When the server including the database is shut down for the move, any user, such as a salesman, does not have access to the database. As such, the third party discovers this database after the server is shut down and the user calls the help desk to complain that the contact information is not available.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention relates to management of database queries utilizing an enterprise description language. More particularly an embodiment of the present invention relates to a system for aiding in an outsourcing environment. The system comprises an enterprise description language for describing outsourcing arrangements, and a knowledge repository for storing modules related to the outsourcing arrangements and storing data related to relationships between the modules.  
         [0008]     In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for implementing an enterprise description language. The method comprises the steps of correlating client needs to business and technical environment uses, enacting an iteration of the enterprise description language, designing organization segments and related elements according to the iteration, and building organization segments and related elements according to the iteration.  
         [0009]     In another aspect, the present invention relates to a system for implementing an enterprise description language. The system comprises means for correlating client needs to business and technical environment uses, means for enacting an iteration of the enterprise description language, means for designing organization segments and related elements according to the iteration, and means for building organization segments and related elements according to the iteration. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1A  is a block diagram illustrating an EDL in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 1B  is a block diagram of a solution module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a is block diagram of a change module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a strategy module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a change management module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a finance module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an information module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a compliance module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a workflow module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a business module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a block diagram of an operations module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram of an architecture module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 12A  is block diagram of a users and uses module in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIGS. 12B-12L  are block diagrams of specific users and uses modules in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  is a flow diagram illustrating a method of implementing embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0026]     Portions of an organization, such as a company may interact, one with the other, in a myriad of ways. Because of this, accurate modeling of the organization environment (e.g., a business and technical environment) may be extremely complex. Referring now to  FIG. 1A , a visualization of an EDL  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The EDL  10  is a planning tool that provides an organization with corporate transparency that supports better informed decision making. The EDL  10  also aids in the identification of the impact of various decisions throughout various portions of the EDL  10  and numerous portions of the organization. In addition, previously stranded assets may be reused by exposing the assets to a wider audience. The EDL  10  may also generate a wide variety or reports that provide relevant information for tasks such as IT planning decisions, investment decisions, and guiding development efforts. Some specific reports that may be generated by the EDL  10  assess project cost and Return On Investment (ROI), evaluate technology solutions, improve business processes, coordinate training, etc.  
         [0027]     Still referring to  FIG. 1A , in order to enact various portions of the EDL  10  with respect to a specific organization, a knowledge repository  12  is populated with information relating to and/or gathered from the specific organization desiring to outsource a portion thereof. The knowledge repository  12  is a repository in which information about the organization is captured, organized, and automatically synchronized. The information may be, for example, cataloging of servers, applications, relationships between servers, applications, and business processes. Additional information may include cataloging in-flight projects and the relationship between these projects and the business processes and applications. The captured information allows, for example, business processes to be traced to the technology supporting them. Similarly, the technology is traced to business processes the technology supports. The impact of business strategy on, for example IT, may be realized, and vice versa. The captured information, or relationships determined therefrom, may be supplied to any one, or more, of the modules  14 .  
         [0028]     In accordance with aspects of the present invention, an EDL  10  is created for efficiently and effectively describing technology and business environments and their relationship to one another. The EDL  10  aids in the specification, visualization, and documentation of software systems, such as those being outsourced, along with interactions between the software systems and other portions of the organization. The EDL  10  may be seen as a bottom-up descriptive method that describes relationships, etc. for the purposes of aligning enterprise activities and information. By utilizing EDL  10 , a solution for any number of environments and organizations may be produced from the various modules of the EDL  10  as described below. EDL  10 , allows a user to describe a series of actions the user wants a computer to take with a suite of objects. EDL  10  describes these object through combinations of data and behavior. These combinations of data and behavior are visually illustrated with reference to the modules as described below in  FIGS. 1B-11 .  
         [0029]     As set forth above, the business and technical environment of the present invention may be very complex and therefore a two-dimensional model may not adequately describe the EDL  10 . As such, the following described Figures illustrate various dimensional views of specific portions, defined as modules  14 , of the EDL  10 . The modules  14  interconnect, and therefore, may include items that are present in other modules  14  as well. In addition, although the modules  14 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1B - FIG. 12L , are embodiments for implementing the present invention, various modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from aspects and features of the present invention. For example, the EDL  10  is dynamic and flexible. In other words, as an organization expands or changes, the modules  14  may expand or change as well.  
         [0030]     Referring now to  FIG. 1B , a block diagram of a solution module  14 A of the EDL  10  is illustrated. The solution module  14 A is a visualization of the EDL that represents the amalgamation of solutions employed in order to successfully execute an organization&#39;s activities in accordance with specified requirements. The solution module  14 A includes an implementation  102  which is a means by which activities  104  are successfully completed in accordance with specified requirements  106 . An activity  104  is some action taken in the course of executing a business process or a support process, that in some way moves the process forward. As such, an activity  104  can be seen as a step in a business process. The level of detail of the activity  104  is sufficient to the extent that it reveals architecturally significant details as defined in the business process or support process definition. An activity  104  minimally represents a single unit of work and to the extent that it identifies existing technology or the potential use of technology. For example, an activity  104  may be an admissions process for patients within a hospital and related technology that the hospital employees use to admit the patients. According to an exemplary embodiment, an implementation  102  is a mix of manual processes and technologies that the employees use at each step in the business process. However, if the technologies and manual practices are effectively the same for each activity (e.g., the application is used for all the activities in the business process) then there are no architecturally significant details worth describing by delving into activities and so the description remains at the business process level.  
         [0031]     Still referring to  FIG. 1B , also interacting with the implementation  102  are requirements  106  and actors  108 . A requirement  106  is a behavioral or non-behavioral requirement of the implementation  102  that is necessary to successfully complete the activity  104 . For example, a requirement  106  may be a need to identify previous visits to satellite clinics during the admissions process or outstanding bills from visits to satellite clinics. An actor  108  is a role, or set of skills applied by a person that executes the activity  104  for the purpose of realizing an expected business value. A situation  110  and a quality  112  are also indirectly related to the implementation  102 . The situation  110  is a set of circumstances under which the implementation  102  or data source is valid. In other words, the item is dependent on a specific situation, where circumstances describe the facets of the situation  110 . For example, a situation  110  may define a set of circumstances under which a process deviates “normal” as may be the case with admitting patients that are high profile (e.g., celebrities, politicians) or have security concerns (e.g., prisoners). In such cases, a separate system may be required in order to capture specialized information that the primary system is incapable of handling. The quality  112  defines items that serve as additional dimensions of definition that cut across many different items within a business and technical environment. Such cross cutting concerns include standards, principles, exhibited qualities (and their measurements), and situations that arise that force fractures in the business and technical environment. Qualities  112  may be assigned to a particular implementation  102  and may be, for example, service level agreements (SLAs).  
         [0032]     Still referring to  FIG. 1B , the implementation  102  is also indirectly related to a configuration  114 , a practice  116 , and an interface  118 . A configuration  114  is a combination of other configurations, configuration attributes, and people that a product requires in order to provide one or more of its specified features. For example, a configuration  114  may be a configured product (e.g., a product running in an environment that best suites the product). A practice  116  is some physical set of tasks that together realizes a feature set sufficient to accomplish some activity  104  in a process. In other words, a practice  116  is a set of tasks that aids in efficient completion of an activity  104 . A technical timeline  134  is also indirectly related to the practice  116 , configuration  114 , and interface  118 . The technical timeline  134  is the state of a technical item. State, like the arrow of time, is a separate dimension that is critical when describing the future of an item. An item in the EDL  10  that has an associated timeline has a future different than what is currently known to be true. Each timeline may or may not operate on the same or similar time scale.  
         [0033]     An interface  118  is also directly linked to a component  120 . A component  120  is a piece of common technology that may be found in a technology environment. For example, a customer care system may be a component  120  of an IT enterprise. Components  120  provide their value through different physical interfaces. An interface  118  is a physical manifestation and reflects communication protocols presented by components  120 . A concern  122  and a logical layer  124  also directly link to the component  120 . A concern  122  is a type of general observation of something that is amiss and, if addressed, would likely increase the probability that a feature will be more compliant with specified business values. For example, a concern  122  may be that an admissions system is incredibly slow during some part of the admissions process or has a tendency to lose information when following a certain scenario. A logical layer  124  is a grouping of similarly designed or purposed applications, components, or services in a logical architecture. For example, a logical layer  124  may be a presentation layer that organizes technology specifically designed to present enterprise data on the WEB, or security layer that organizes technologies specifically designed to prevent inappropriate access to sensitive electronic data.  
         [0034]     The interface  118  also directly relates to an attribute source  126  and a message  128 . An attribute source  126  is some attribute source that is supported by the interface  118  on a component  120 . For example, an attribute source  126  may be a database that stores a patients admissions data for the main hospital and all satellite clinics. A message  128  shows some communication between interfaces  118  on components  120 . The message  128  effectively turns into the foundation for interface specifications. For example, a message  128  may be a request for information from the patients admissions and management system to the database storing patients admission information. The transport for this message could be in other applications or through direct means such as remote procedure calls or file transfer protocols. The message  128  is also indirectly related to a business entity  130  and a standard  132 . A business entity  130  is a logical grouping of data that tends to move together between systems or used in process activities. For example, a business entity  130  may be a customer profile that contains information such as home address, telephone number, Social Security number etc. A standard  132  is some industry or commercial standard with which some item complies. For example, a standard  132  may be a common industry format such as HL7 (for health insurance and health provider organizations) or ACORD (for property-casualty insurance).  
         [0035]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a change module  14 B, according to an aspect of the present invention, is illustrated. The change module  14 B is a visualization of the EDL that attempts to categorize the concepts that lay at the heart of a change within an organization. As mentioned above, various items of the modules  14  may be repeated in other modules  14 . For example, the change module  14 B includes the implementation  102 , interface  118 , practice  116 , configuration  114 , and technical timeline  134  as set forth in the solution module  14 A. These items are all indirectly related to each other as described in  FIG. 1 . The technical timeline  134 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , is also directly related to a technical transition  202  and a technical replacement  204 . The technical transition  202  is a description of the change to the current state of a technical item. The change is from the current state to some future state. For example, a technical transition  202  may be a modification to an interface on a system. The technical replacement  204  describes the replacement of an existing technical item. For example, a technical replacement  204  may be a replacement of an existing system within a system or set of systems.  
         [0036]     Remaining with  FIG. 2 , a function  206 , capability  208 , process  210 , activity  104 , and business timeline  212  are all indirectly related to one another. The function  206  may be either a business function (a revenue generating product or service that businesses typically advertise as the “thing they do”) or a support function that provides support to the business function. For example, the business function may be a new product sale or outpatient, surgery. Functions  206  may have a direct line of sight to revenue, whereas a support function might be human resources. A capability  208  relates either to a business capability or a support capability and is a competency area within the business and technical environment. For example, a capability  208  may be an outpatient pharmacy within a hospital, or claims processing within a health insurance company. A process  210  may be either a business process or a support process and is an end-to-end set of activities that together create value for a customer. For example, a process  210  may be an admission within a hospital, or claims adjudication within a property-casualty insurance company. The business timeline  212  is the state of a business item. For example, a business timeline  212  may represent a time span that covers an introduction of a business process all the way to the point at which that same business process is removed. For example, the business timeline  212  may be a new business process that deals with a new line of business or a new product. The business timeline  212  is directly related to a business transition  214  and a business replacement  216 . A business transition  214  is a description of the change to the current state of a business item. The change relates to a change from a current state of the business item to a future state. For example, a business transition  214  may be an actual introduction of a new business process to replace an existing business process in order to more effectively and efficiently deal with a new product line. A business replacement  216  is a replacement of an existing business item. For example, a business replacement  216  may be a removal of an existing business process deemed redundant with a business process that currently exists within a recently acquired organization.  
         [0037]     The business transition  214 , business replacement  216 , technical transition  202 , and technical replacement  204  are directly related to a project  218 . A project  218  brings change to the business and technical environment. Projects  218  change things in the IT environment with the intention of bringing value to business operations. Projects  218  require money, time, and resources, while bringing risks as described in a change management module described in  FIG. 4  below. For example, a project  218  may be a series of technology replacements in order to accommodate services offered in a new hospital wing. A project  218  is also directly related to a business value  220 . For example, a business value  220  may be an increase in revenue in the plastic surgery market. A business value  220  is a well-defined statement of direction, written in terms of a business model, intended to deliver on a business driver, as described in the strategy module of  FIG. 3 . The business value  220  is directly related to a quality transition  222  and a quality replacement  224 . A quality transition  222  is a description of the change from a current state quality to a future state quality. For example, a quality transition  222  may be a shift from a maximum patient volume of 500 patients per month to 700 patients per month. A quality replacement  224  is a replacement of an existing quality. For example, a quality replacement  224  may be a new way of measuring customer satisfaction such as measuring call abandonment rates versus measuring results from customer care representative surveys. The quality transition  222  and quality replacement  224  are also directly related to a quality timeline  226  which is directly related to a quality as described in  FIG. 1 . A quality timeline  226  is the state of a quality  112 . As set forth above, the quality timeline  226  may be similar to or different than the business timeline  212  and/or the technical timeline  134 .  
         [0038]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a strategy module  14 C according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The strategy module  14 C is a visualization of the EDL that defines the direction that an organization intends to take to increase overall viability. Various items and their relationships from  FIGS. 1 and 2  are repeated in  FIG. 3 . In addition, a capability  208 , process  210 , function  206 , pressure  302 , and a scope  304  are all indirectly linked to one another. Pressures  302  are forces external to the business and technical environment that lead to the creation of particular business drivers  306 . For example, a pressure  302  may be a stated business objective from a competitor to increase market share in a market where the company holds a majority stake. Scope  304  represents the combination of the stated business vision provided by leaders (e.g., CEO, CIO, etc.) and the initial response by those individuals with control over pieces of the business and technical environment which can change in order to come in line with the business vision. For example, a scope  304  may be improvements to claims processing. A business driver  306 , which is directly related to a pressure  302 , scope  304 , and business value  220 , is some business objective towards which the business is working, often in response to some external pressure  302 . Business drivers  306  are typically not targeted at a specific part of the business and technical environment, but are course grained and cut across the business and technical environment. For example, a business driver  306  may be to increase customer retention by 15%.  
         [0039]     The scope  304  is also directly related to an initiative  308 . An initiative  308  is used to segment business operations into focused areas for the purpose of defining those areas that are targets for improvement. For example, an initiative  308  may be something like “Bend the Trend” where a CEO of a health insurance company wants to reduce claim costs by 2% over the next two years. The initiative  308  is directly related to a road map  310 . A road map  310  documents a multi-year effort to bring changes to major business and technical environment initiatives  308 . The road map  310  helps group steps into group projects so that the succession of projects  218  can show how each contributes to the greater initiative  308 . More than one project  218  may be required to completely realize a business value  220 . By group steps, the road map  310  also correlates projects  218  so that overall costs can effectively be compared to overall value, as described more specifically with reference to  FIG. 4 .  
         [0040]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a change management module  14 D according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The change management module  14 D is a visualization of the EDL that attempts to describe the changes that must take place to close the difference between a current direction and a desired direction of an organization. Portions of the modules  14  as described in  FIGS. 2 and 3  are also repeated in the change management module  14 D. In this module  14 D, the technical transition  202  is directly related to the road map  310 . As set forth above, the road map  310  correlates projects  218  in order to compare overall costs  402 . A project  218  is therefore directly linked to a cost  402 . Costs  402  are the amount of revenue consumed by an item during a period with a specified frequency, which will be described in greater detail in  FIG. 5 . The road map  310  and the project  218  are also directly related to a step  404 . A step  404  provides a temporal grouping of projects for a particular road map  310  into these windows. In this way, a project portfolio can be generated by viewing all projects  218  within a step  404  for all road maps  310  for a given fiscal planning window. For example, a step  404  may be a business process reengineering effort, followed by a technology refreshment effort. The road map  310 , step  404 , and project  218  are also indirectly related to both assumptions  406  and risks  408 . Assumptions  406  are judgments or beliefs about a project, a customer, or business factors that are key to decisions about project scope, requirements, deliverables, cost, schedule, resources, management, and execution. For example, an assumption  406  may be an expected purchase of an organization with complementary technology. A risk  408  is an exposure to an event or set of circumstances that may cause loss or damage. It is the recognition of future uncertainty. Uncertainty is that which cannot be depended upon (that which is subject to change). An uncertainty can be viewed in a positive or a negative way. For example, a risk  408  may be the price of oil as it might impact stock prices of energy organizations looking to refresh some other technologies.  
         [0041]     The project  218  is also directly linked to a technical transition  202 , business transition  214  and business value  220  as previously shown and described in  FIG. 3 . A business value  220  is directly related to a capability  208  as also previously described with reference to  FIG. 3 .  
         [0042]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a finance module  14 E according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The finance module  14 E describes a visualization of the EDL that encompasses both revenue gained and money consumed by conducting business.  FIG. 5  describes various links between items of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  as well as other items not previously described. A cost  402 , business transition  214 , technical transition  202 , project  218 , actor  108 , configuration  114 , and support process  210 B are all indirectly linked to one another. A support process  210 B is similar to a business process (as described below) except that there is no direct line of site to revenue. Instead, a support process  210 B provides value to actors  108  in support of business processes  210 A. For example, a support process  210 B may be boarding new employees that might be expensive and a redesign, but does not have a direct impact on revenue being generated.  
         [0043]     Costs  402  are also directly linked to a chart of accounts  502 . A chart of accounts  502  is the account against which monetary items are logged. Therefore, the chart of accounts  502  is also directly linked with revenue  504 . Revenue  504  represents some monetary value either lost or gained. Revenue  504  is indirectly related to a situation  110  and directly related to a business process  210 A. A business process  210 A is an end-to-end set of activities that together create value for a customer. For example, a business process  210 A may be surgery room processes since the execution of such processes will lead directly to revenue being generated.  
         [0044]     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an information module  14 F in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The information module  14 F is a visualization of the EDL that represents the data an organization uses to conduct its business and the relationships that exist between various data and ultimately systems of record. A business entity  130  is indirectly related to a message  128  and an activity  104 , as previously illustrated by  FIG. 1 . The business entity  130  is also directly related to a business entity relationship  602 . A business entity relationship  602  represents a relationship between two or more business entities, of which there are three types (Associative, Aggregate, and Extends). The business entity  130  is also indirectly linked to a standard and an attribute  604 . An attribute  604  is a facet of a business entity  130 . For example, an attribute  604  may be an address at a customer profile, whereas the customer profile is the business entity. The attribute  604  is also directly linked to an attribute source  126  which, in turn, is directly linked to an interface  118  and indirectly linked to a situation  110  as previously described with respect to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0045]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a compliance module  14 G in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The compliance module  14 G is a visualization of the EDL that serves as additional dimensions of definition that cut across many different items within the business and technical environment. Functions  206 , activities  104 , implementations  102 , and qualities  112  are all indirectly related to both a situation  110  and a process  210 . In addition, revenue  504  and an attribute sources  126  are indirectly related to a situation  110 . A situation  110  is directly related to a circumstance  702 . A circumstance  702  describes the facets of the situation  110 . For example, a circumstance may be “platinum” versus “gold” customers. The quality  112  is also directly linked to an impact  704 . An impact  704  represents the relationship that one quality  112  has on other qualities  112  in terms of positive and negative influences. The impact  704  enables planners to mitigate negative influences, or capitalize on positive influences. For example, an impact  704  may be a situation according to which increasing the volume of patients results in an increase in the number of medications dispensed.  
         [0046]     Qualities  112  are also directly linked to a measurement  706 , which is indirectly linked to a standard  132 . The standard  132  is also indirectly linked to a process  210 , configuration  114 , message  128 , business entity  130 , and attribute  604 . The measurement  706  is the method of measurement by which the quality is determined. For example, a measurement  706  may be the number of calls abandoned for a customer call center.  
         [0047]     Also within the compliance module  14 G is a principle  708 . A principle  708  helps guide development team decisions as they aid in evaluating the pros and cons of various options. Principles  708  are much like building codes created by cities and towns that regulate choices and construction methods. Principles  708  are indirectly related to both a physical layer  710  and a logical layer  124 . A physical layer  710  is a grouping of similarly constructed or purposed applications, components, or services in the business and technical environment.  
         [0048]     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a workflow module  14 H in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The workflow module  14 H is a visualization of the EDL that combines business processes and their accompanying activities that enable features and deliver on functions. Support processes  210 B, business processes  210 A, scope  304 , standards  132 , triggers  802 , qualities  112 , and activities  104  are all indirectly linked together. A trigger  802  signals an important occurrence that starts processes necessary to handle an event. For example, a trigger  802  may be a scheduled surgery or a submission of a purchase order for a new product.  
         [0049]     In this module  14 H, a business process  210 A is also directly related to revenue generated  804 , a customer  806 , and a business capability  208 A. A customer  806  is defined as any person or entity that subscribes to services, or uses products provided by the business in return for money or trade. For example, a customer  806  may be an employer, hospital, or members of a health insurance company, wherein all pay for services provided by the health insurance company. A support process  210 B is directly linked to an actor  108 , costs  402 , a support capability  208 B, and a transition  808 . A transition  808  occurs within an activity  104  whenever some specified condition is true. For example, a transition  808  may be an opportunity for cross marketing changes from a customer care call to sales call. As such, the transition  808  is also indirectly related to an activity  104 . The transition  808  is also directly linked to a condition  810 . Upon the truth of a condition  810 , the transition  808  may initiate other processes, or may loop back to the beginning of the current process. The business process  210 A and support process  2101 B are indirectly linked to the business timeline  212 .  
         [0050]     Referring now to  FIG. 9 a  business module  141  in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The business module  141  visualizes a portion of the EDL that lays out an organization&#39;s business and support functions and the capabilities of the organization that realize those functions. A quality  112  is indirectly linked to both a business function  206 A and a support function  206 B. A business function  206 A is a revenue generating product or service that organizations utilize as a portion of their core business. Business functions have a direct line of site to revenue  504 . For example, a business function  206 A may be a surgery or a psychiatric service for a hospital. A support function  206 B does not have a direct line of site to revenue  504 , but is in support of a business function  206 A. For example, a support function  206 B may be human resources. The business function  206 A is also directly related to a business feature  902 . Business features  902  describe what the business and technical environment does and are detailed enough to be meaningful. Similarly, a support function  206 B is directly linked with a support feature  904 . A support feature  904  is similar to a business feature  902  except that the support feature  904  does not have a direct line of site to revenue  504 . For example, a business feature  902  may be new customer sales versus existing customer sales and a support feature  904  may be a benefit administration within human resources. Scope  304  is indirectly linked with a business function  206 A, a support function  206 B, a business feature  902  and a support feature  904 . The business timeline  212  is also indirectly linked with a business function  206 A, support function  206 B, business feature  902 , and support feature  904 .  
         [0051]     Business features  902 , support features  904 , concerns  122 , and business values  220  are also indirectly linked. The business feature  902  is directly linked to a business process  210 A which, in turn, is directly related to a customer  806 . The support feature  902  is directly linked to a support process  210 B which is directly linked to an actor  108 . The actor  108  is directly related to an implementation  102  and a skill set  906 . A skill set  906  describes the skills in terms of qualifications and responsibilities required to maximize the chances of successfully using the item required to realize some implementation  102 , which will be described in further detail with reference to  FIG. 10 . For example, a skill set  906  may be underwriting or actuarial skills for an insurance company. The actor  108  is also indirectly linked to an organization  908  and a configuration  114 . The organization  908  is some structure used to oversee a group of organizational resources such as actors  108  or configured products, also described in  FIG. 10 . For example, an organization  908  may be an underwriting department of a property-casualty insurance company, or a customer care center for an online retail company.  
         [0052]     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , an operations module  14 J in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The operations module  14 J is a visualization of a portion of the EDL that details the set of products (hardware, software, etc.) that enable the successful delivery of business activities  104 . In the operations module  14 J, a configuration  114  is indirectly linked to a technical timeline  134 , implementation  102 , cost  402 , and organization  908 . In addition, the configuration  114 , practice  116 , and a license  1002  are all indirectly related to each other. A license  1002  describes a usage contract placed on an item by a vendor  1004 . For example, a license  1002  may be the Mozilla licensing agreement often associated with open-source software.  
         [0053]     The configuration  114  is also directly linked to an interface  118 , configuration attribute  1006 , skill set  906 , product  1008 , and physical layer  710 . A configuration attribute  1006  is some requirement of a product that is necessary for the configuration for that product  1008  to work as expected. For example, a configuration attribute  1006  may be a number of processors and a large server (which often ranges from two to four). A product  1008  is a hardware or software solution that provides some value designed to enable the ultimate successful delivery of some activity  104 . For example, a product  1008  may be an Epic product often used in the healthcare industry. The skill set  906  is directly linked to an actor  108  and a product is directly linked to a vendor  1004 . A vendor  1004  (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, Sun, IBM) represents an organization responsible for creating a product or providing a service.  
         [0054]     Referring now to  FIG. 11 , an architecture module  14 K in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The architecture module  14 K represents a visualization of a portion of the EDL that describes logical and physical layers that support the company&#39;s business processes. In this view, a component  120  is directly linked with a logical layer  124  which, in turn, is directly linked with a physical layer  710  and a logical architecture  1102 . A logical architecture  1102  delivers the design in such a way that it models what actually is required without taking real life constraints into consideration (i.e., an ideal world scenario).  
         [0055]     The physical layer  710  is also directly related to a configuration  114  and a physical architecture  1104 . A physical architecture  1104  addresses the “with what” aspects of the architectural design. It translates the logical design into buyable products and solutions that can be implemented. For example, a physical architecture  1104  may be a business lines architecture that contains all applications for business lines administration and management for property-casualty insurance company. The physical design reflects what can be achieved at a certain point. Both the physical architecture  1104 , the logical architecture  1102 , and a dynamic view  1106  are indirectly related. The dynamic view  1106  is a description of architectural elements in action. For example, a dynamic view  1106  may be messages that pass between all of the business lines application.  
         [0056]     Referring now to  FIG. 12A , a block diagram of the users and uses module  14 L is illustrated. The users and uses module  14 L aids in the identification of business problems with respect to initial outsourcing and maintenance of the outsourcing relationship. In this module  14 L the business problems are identified, described, and categorized. For instance, the business problems may be categorized according to a type of user. In addition, the concepts within the different modules  14  that may be required to solve business problems have been identified. For example, when bringing down servers for maintenance, not all portions of the EDL  10  may be affected. The portions of the EDL  10  that are affected by the particular business problem are then related to that business problem. The various portions of the users and uses module  14 L are visually illustrated with reference to the modules as described below in  FIGS. 12B-12L .  
         [0057]     Referring now to  FIG. 12B , an application developer module  22 B of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The application developer module  22 B is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for realizing the features needed by a business. The application developer module  22 B includes naming conventions  1302 . The naming conventions  1302  provide a compilation of project information that identifies consistent terminology. The application developer module  22 B further includes component reusability  1304  and implementation model  1306 . The component reusability documents all IT assets (implemented, proposed and under development) the ability to identify reusable components. The implementation model  1306  provides a list of all the elements that are involved in realizing the solution to a desired change. The implementation model  1306  creates a relationships between the features needed and software components (products, interfaces, transactions, data sources, etc.) that are integral for the implementation of those features. The implementation model  1306  also maps the features to the organizations and users for whom they are being developed.  
         [0058]     Referring now to  FIG. 12C , a business unit director module  22 C of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The business unit director module  22 C is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of a business unit. Each business unit functions as a contributor to a coordinated enterprise by which revenue is generated and performs business processes that are dependent on the objectives and functions of another business unit. The business unit director module  22 C includes a business unit interdependency report  1308  that correlates important issues between each business unit. The business unit director module  22 C further includes a project work plan  1310  that provides step-by-step instructions for constructing project deliverables. The project work plan  1310  also aids in managing project implementation. The project work plan  1310  typically includes quality management, risk management, issue management, scope management and communications management.  
         [0059]     Referring now to  FIG. 12D , a chief financial officer module  22 D of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The chief financial officer module  22 D is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the financial success of an organization. The chief financial officer  22 D is responsible for the financial management activities of the programs and operations of the organization. The conceptual phase of the project management methodology recommends performing a project assessment and impact study  1312  to analyze the benefits, opportunities, risks, and cost estimates of a project. The project information collected (e.g., business drivers, qualities, desired changes, impacted business functions, processes, information and customers solutions, required technology etc.) provides a platform to assess the project feasibility and identifies recommended solutions. Projects that efficiently target critical business drivers and maximize positive impact on qualities at minimal risk and liability are visualized in the project assessment and impact report  1312 . Financial impact analysis report  1314  helps in estimating project costs. In addition, the financial impact analysis report  1314  also serves as a general avenue for developing and communicating the financial analysis to shareholders.  
         [0060]     Referring now to  FIG. 12E , a chief information officer module  22 E of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The chief information officer module  22 E is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the vision, strategy, direction, guidelines, policies, planning, coordination, and oversight of the organization. The chief information officer module  22 E is further responsible to set strategies for technology use at the organization and to define the organization&#39;s problem with respect to technology solutions. The chief information officer module  22 E includes a technology solution evaluation report  1316  that documents an impact of a desired change and corresponding solution on the organization. The chief information officer  22 E is responsible for positioning limited resources. To better allocate those resources, projects often need to be prioritized as to their critical impact on the business objectives, the operational procedures and processes, customers, cost, etc. The resource allocation analysis report  1320  provides information to the chief information officer  22 E regarding the technologies and feature sets that are currently in place from which reuse is possible. The IT vision report  1320  includes the activities and objectives of IT as they relate to a business model.  
         [0061]     Whenever a project involves migration from one system in the to another, the formulation of a thorough migration strategy is critical in terms of accomplishing the migration with minimal negative impact on the customer and thus the business revenue. A successful migration must identify all business information and the supporting components touched by the migration. The migration plan report  1322  tracks all the relationships between technology to be migrated and the business drivers, processes, customers, data, interfaces, etc. Project Dependency report  1324  includes enterprise components and their relationships to each other. When planning a technology change (e.g., retiring an application, deploying a new application, changing vendors etc.) the impact of such a change must be identified and procedures put in place to minimize or eliminate the risk. The technology impact report  1326  maps all technologies to their interfaces, business processes, business entities, message threads, and business drivers.  
         [0062]     Referring now to  FIG. 12F , a chief operations officer module  22 F of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The chief operations officer module  22 F is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the processes required to support a business process. The chief operations officer module  22 F includes a strategic planning communication report  1328 . Strategic planning involves knowing where the organization is at present and where the organization wants to be in the future. Strategic planning focuses on what the organization wants to do on behalf of the customer and the operational processes required to achieve those future goals. Strategic planning communication report  1328  maps the current relationships between the business objectives and IT and documents the desired future state. Part of the task of realizing the strategic plan is to evaluate projects, their impact on, and contribution to the strategic plan. Project prioritization report  1330  provides critical information relating to projects that will bring about the most significant enhancements to the organizations standards and requirements. The continuity planning report  1332  tracks the relationships between the business processes and the computer systems and data. The continuity planning report  1332  further connects the business model to the IT model. In general, the continuity planning report  1332  provides valuable information for developing a business continuity plan. The business mapping report  1334  maps the business drivers and qualities to their corresponding business functions and related processes.  
         [0063]     Improving the quality of business processes is one of the chief operations officers  22 F primary interest. Processes that best serve the values and objectives of the organization and provide the greatest and most efficient service to the customer are vital. The business process improvement report  1336  correlates the organizations standards with the desired changes and the recommended solutions. The chief operations officer  22 F communicates the business model to IT. On the other hand, IT communicates the IT model to the Chief Operations Officer  22 F. The chief operations officer/IT communications report merges both the business model and the IT into a consolidated, objective report that displays the relationships between the two. The communications report  1338  serves to eliminate cognitive dissonance.  
         [0064]     Referring now to  FIG. 12G , a chief technology officer module  22 G of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The chief technology officer module  22 G is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the vision, strategy, direction, guidelines, policies, planning, coordination, and oversight of the organization&#39;s technical infrastructure. The chief technology officer module  22 G determines strategies for infrastructure use at the organization and defines the organizations business problems in terms of infrastructure solutions. In order to reduce costs, poorly utilized servers are often put on a rapid retirement schedule  1340 . In order to do this, the organization must understand all of the configuration and application ramifications. In order to successfully decommission servers, it is critical to understand all of the applications that run on that server and the configurations those applications need in order to work as expected. Furthermore, it is critical to understand what business processes those applications support in order to determine any financial impact of taking those servers down.  
         [0065]     Referring now to  FIG. 12H , a data architect module  22 H of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The data architect module  22 H is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the integrity and integration of critical information related to a business to support the business. The data architect module  22 H includes a business information report  1346 . The business information report  1346  documents the relationships that exist between a given composite of business data and the components of the enterprise (both business components and IT components). The business information report  1346  enables the data architect  22 H to understand how the business uses the information, thus facilitating the management of the data to best support the business. A data source mapping report  1348  documents and traces all the components of business information. The data source mapping report  1348  includes the source of the data, the attributes of the data, the business entities that are a compilation of the data, the inter-data relationships, the interfaces that interact with the data source, and the business processes that use the data. An information standards assessment report  1350  documents all data and its relationships to the enterprise. The information standards assessment report  1350  enables a single attribute of information (e.g., patient name) to be consistently referenced by all business entities that use that attribute (e.g., patient record, patient contract etc.).  
         [0066]     Referring now to  FIG. 12I , a project manager officer (PMO) director module  22 I of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The PMO director module  22 I is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the tactical and strategic project spending by identifying and managing enterprise-wide touch-points shared between projects. The PMO director  22 I further supports the organization and project managers by providing a consistent approach for defining, initiating, controlling and closing down projects for which the business and technical environment serves as the primary source of knowledge. The PMO director module  22 I includes a project priority assistance report  1352  that provides a list of projects based on their priority. It is critical that inter-project dependencies be identified and coordinated to increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the execution of all projects. The inter-project dependency report  1356  documents the enterprise wide touch-points between projects. The progress and benefit of all projects are evaluated at each phase. The project evaluation report  1358  provides a mechanism whereby the project management office can monitor projects at each phase to ensure that they are successfully following the standards and requirements and producing deliverables that are aligned with business drivers. The project evaluation report  1358  traces each project to the business drivers being addressed and the qualities being enhanced to facilitate value evaluation. The project evaluation report  1358  facilitates the task of setting and validating the achievement of success criteria. The change management assistance report  1360  documents and tracks all projects in the critical areas of change management. The change management assistance report  1360  serves as an integral tool in formulating a change management strategy. The project management office is responsible for monitoring the scope of a project. Once the baseline project plan is approved, any changes to the scope requires management approval. These requested changes must be measured against the baseline to determine the impact to cost, schedule and deliverables. The change control assistance report  1362  maps baseline changes to the enterprise components impacted by those changes. For example, it may be that two projects propose enhancing two, seemingly different projects. However, upon closer examination of the EDL specification for the projects, it is discovered that the applications share a common business entity, thereby increasing the potential that the projects may clash.  
         [0067]     Referring now to  FIG. 12J , a project manager module  22 J of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The project manager  22 J is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for the successful implementation of projects. The project manager module  22 J includes a development team communication report  1366  that documents the features requiring development for accomplishing the desired changes which satisfy the business objectives of the organization. As an example, the development team communication report  1366  may include information regarding the software components needed to support the features, the transactions that must occur between these components and the interfaces that connect them. For example, a project team may need to coordinate with another team currently in the process of updating an interface on a component that is part of the overall project plan.  
         [0068]     Referring now to  FIG. 12K , a quality assurance director module  22 K of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The quality assurance director module  22 K is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for identifying and realizing opportunities for service level agreement enhancements. All businesses are built around the service level agreements and other standards according to which organizations must comply in order to be competitive and financially viable. The objective of every project is to enhance performance and service to better meet or exceed one or more of these standards (qualities). The quality assurance director module  22 K includes a current quality assessment report  1370  that links qualities with its business drivers to establish a correlation between the objectives of the organization and the objectives which have been successfully achieved. The quality assessment report  1370  includes a method of measurement by which each quality is deemed accomplished. The quality assessment report  1370  further provides the framework for documenting the current qualities. The quality assurance director module  22 K further includes a quality projection analysis report  1372  that documents relationships between service level agreements and individual processes and procedures that accomplish each business goal.  
         [0069]     Referring now to  FIG. 12L , a vendor module  22 L of the users and uses module  14 L according to an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. The vendor module  22 L is a visualization of the users and uses module  14 L that is responsible for proposing and providing well defined solutions to business problems. In order for a vendor to be able to offer a product that efficiently and effectively solves a business problem or provides a solution to some desired change, the problem and desired change must be understood in real world terms. The vendor module  22 L includes a client vision alignment report  1380  that is a source by which the vendor understands the organizations vision. The client vision alignment report  1380  further provides the vendor  22 L with important information for formulating a proposal. However, if the vendor  22 L is unaware of the organization&#39;s business objectives, the vendor  22 L is hard pressed to be innovative in order to manipulate the products and services to best improve the business. A client business objective report  1382  defines the operations of the organization along with the technology supporting the organization. A project redirection impact report  1383  provides information regarding a business process and the impact that it may have on other entities (regulatory constraints, budgetary constraints, economic conditions, competitor issues etc.). A request for proposal report (RFP)  1386  is a primary tool by which the business initiates correspondence with vendors. The creator of the RFP report  1386  may need any combination of details for soliciting a response from vendors. Depending on the kind of solution targeted by the RFP report  1386  (e.g., creative alternatives, solutions specific to a set of requirements, etc.), the RFP report  1386  provides the information (HW/SW requirements, network topology, financial data, Service Level Agreement parameters, license data, standards and desired changes, etc.).  
         [0070]     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a flow diagram  1200  for implementing embodiments of the present invention is illustrated. The flow diagram  1200  illustrates the steps necessary to complete a single implementation iteration, however several iterations may be necessary to complete the entire process, depending on the complexity of a need structure. For example, each iteration may accommodate a set of needs based on need priorities, need urgencies, need anticipation, etc.  
         [0071]     The flow diagram  1200  has been divided into process areas  1202  that will be described in detail below. The preliminary process area  1202 A first involves identifying ways in which the client will leverage the information model described using the EDL. These uses can come from a pre-existing catalog of previously identified needs often found in a particular industry or can be constructed from scratch. These value propositions, or uses, are then mapped to the various concepts within the EDL such that a user immediately understands what concepts are germane to their particular needs. The enables an author of the outsourcing specification to immediately know what sort of information to collect. The flow diagram  1200  then proceeds to process area  1   1202 B. Process area  1   1202 B allows correlation of client needs to a business and technical environment. Process area  1   1202 B controls the building of the business and technical environment to be value-centric and provides boundaries and guidelines for building an organization that includes enabling information (e.g., information that provides a benefit). Process area  1   1202 B also organizes the building of the business and technical environment into need and value-centric iterations that move from the more critical to the less critical, but equally important, uses. This bottom-up approach driven from specified client needs ensures that only relevant information is collected at any given time. Over time, this targeted collection of local information can lead to global wisdom about the enterprise.  
         [0072]     At step  1212 , the business and technical environment uses are reviewed. The business and technical environment uses are value outputs of an integrated business and technical environment. As the elements of each organization segment are defined, interrelated, and built, the information and relationships become useful for accomplishing various tasks, such as IT planning decisions, investment decisions, guiding development efforts, etc. At step  1216 , client needs are correlated to the business and technical environment uses. The client needs may be of a more critical nature because of a specific and/or urgent problem that must be resolved in a timely fashion. For example, business process standardization efforts may be expedited with maximum benefit to the stakeholders.  
         [0073]     Step  1218  recognizes that the initial catalog of uses developed prior to any experience with a particular client environment might not be specialized sufficiently to accommodate the unique traits of the client and as such might require specification of these unique uses. At step  1226 , a determination is made as to whether another iteration should be enacted. The basis for this determination is made at step  1246  of process area  5   1202 F, which will be described in further detail below. If another iteration is to be made, then the process repeats at step  1222 .  
         [0074]     The flow diagram  1200  then proceeds to process area  2   1202 C. Depending on the client needs and corresponding uses selected to mitigate those needs, organization segments and related elements are designed and built accordingly for that iteration. At step  1228 , the business and technical environment elements are correlated to the corresponding uses. At step  1230 , the elements from step  1228  are correlated with the information from process area  1   1202 B to allow the specific iterations to be designed and built. At step  1232 , reported specifications are used to bring together the elements from the EDL and report form that provides useful information. At step  1234 , the organization segments, related elements, and build parameters are received to form the iteration vision and set of deliverables.  
         [0075]     Steps  1230  and  1234  then lead into process area  3   1202 D. Information from process area  2   1202 C is utilized to build the business and technical environment elements at step  1236 . Once the client needs are identified, an iteration vision and set of deliverables is documented (step  1234 ), and the needs are linked to the relevant business and technical environment uses (step  1216 ), the associated organization segments are built accordingly. In some embodiments, only the necessary elements and necessary element attributes are built so that all effort enables benefit. Future iterations may involve revisiting and enhancing the same elements and segments to accommodate additional uses. At step  1238 , the business and technical environment elements from step  1236  are utilized to create a business and technical environment model. After creation of the model, as shown by the multiple process area  1202 G, a client may review various portions of the model and/or information to ensure accurateness. The multiple process area  1202 G will be described in further detail below.  
         [0076]     Once the environment is modeled and built, the flow diagram  1200  proceeds to process area  4   1202 E. Process area  4   1202 E provides useful information related to the environment information and relationships designed and built in process areas  1 - 3   1202 B- 1202 D. The output of the environment to reports is what realizes each use and mitigates each need. Numerous reports (e.g., implementation model report, business information report, etc.) may be generated at step  1242  from the report database created at step  1240 . The database is maintained and updated by a business and technical environment tool utilized in process area  3   1202 D. The information relevant to each use is exported to a set of repository files from which the reports are generated. Information from the database and the reports may also be utilized in the multiple process area  1202 G for review and feedback purposes.  
         [0077]     The reports and information from the database may also be utilized by process area  5   1202 F. Process area  5   1202 F allows for the correlation of the business and technical environment reports to client needs. Process area  5  is a transitional stage that completes the current iteration and launches the next iteration. The current iteration is completed with a postmortem examination at step  1244 . The postmortem examination evaluates the reports of the current iteration in light of the needs the current iteration is designed to meet and the value that is designed to be delivered. The reports are weighed against the iteration vision and set of deliverables documented at step  1234 . Based on iteration decisions and the possibility of additional client needs, another iteration may be activated as shown through the feedback loop from step  1246  to step  1226 .  
         [0078]     As previously mentioned, the multiple process area  1202 G may be enacted during various portions of the flow diagram  1200 . Various models, reports, information, etc., as derived from steps  1238 ,  1240 , and  1242 , may be reviewed at step  1248 . After review, at step  1250 , a client or other participant in the organization or process area may determine whether the information or model is approved, or if additional changes should be made. If the model or information is approved, then the review is ended at step  1252 . If changes or feedback are necessary, then, at step  1254 , feedback is provided to the build elements step  1236 . The feedback may be utilized to modify, correct, add, etc. various elements of the model.  
         [0079]     It is thus believed that the operation and construction of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the method and apparatus shown or described have been characterized as being preferred it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Technology Category: g