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The Business Architecture System has proven its cost effectiveness in a wide variety of situations over the years. The most significant impact of the Business Architecture System can be seen in the management of scope, management of resources, and speed of development. Here are a few examples:

ROI #1: Saving a System

A commission system developed using the Business Architecture System suffered a usually-fatal blow half way through its implementation. Rather than using the current date as the reference for commission calculations, the specifications were altered to use each transaction's date instead. With a typical, legacy implementation, the bulk of the existing code would need to be thrown away, but the clear models developed using the Business Architecture System allowed for quick identification of the affected areas and the target for remedial action, salvaging almost all of the completed coding. The net result was that only three days of adjustments were required halfway through a six-month schedule rather than junking months worth of coding. The Business Architecture System provided full understanding of the scope of the rework and empowered the designers to limit its impact.

ROI #2: Halting Scope Creep

For the same commission system, questions immediately arose regarding the reasons behind the date mix-up. After a brief review of the easily-navigable, client-approved models, it was apparent to all parties where the responsibility lay – with the client. Using the clear models created using the Business Architecture System, not only were the designers able to quickly determine the remedial action, they were also able to provide management with the details necessary to manage the correction and negotiate the change in scope, including an accurate calculation of the additional charges triggered by the change.

ROI #3: Re-Hosting Proprietary Systems

A complex mainframe budgeting system was hosted on an obscure, proprietary software platform known as DX. DX talent was rare, and therefore expensive, and the archaic DX platform itself posed severe technical challenges. In spite of these shortcomings, no business case could be made for the outright replacement of the system. However, using the Business Architecture System, it was possible to define the DX interfaces and to model equivalent functionality. Further, a code translator was modeled which defined the technical specifications for transforming the existing DX code into directly-compilable CICS/COBOL code. The net result was that the budgeting system was converted to standard mainframe technologies for a fraction of the cost of developing a new system. With the introduction of readily-supportable technology, maintenance costs dropped by half.

ROI #4: Offshoring

The Business Architecture System enables the efficient use of offshore resources. Using the Business Architecture System, specifications and business rules are first captured in Visio by business architects in the United States and subsequently e-mailed overseas where the models are translated into programming code, and unit and system testing are performed. The Business Architecture System serves as an unambiguous communications tool to provide clear technical specifications that transcend cultural differences, allowing for more efficient utilization and management of offshore resources. The net result is that coding can be performed for a small fraction of the cost of domestic resources

ROI #5: There's No Business Architecture Like Show Business Architecture

When a famous Hollywood producer needed to set up a volunteer distribution network for his latest political documentary, he turned to the Business Architecture System. Typically, the Business Architecture System models are used to automate business processes, but in this case it was used to establish primarily human-to-human interactions. The models defined the formal organization of the distribution network at the national, state, and Congressional District level, even the mission statement. The method for staging public forums was also modeled, including the invitation of elected officials and the public, media coverage, advertising, and infrastructure issues. The models also defined automated services related to the documentary's distribution, including the website, membership database, and workflow issues. After establishing a distribution system in one Congressional District, the models were then employed as a repeatable recipe for expanding distribution to other Districts, and soon for other states. The Business Architecture System brought structure and discipline to a usually-chaotic industry.


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