What is Enterprise Architecture?
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a holistic approach to develop, use, and sustain UCD's digital campus to support business transformation.
EA provides a common language and approach to build holistic understanding of UCD's business, data, application, and technology architectures, and how they enable and support the UCD experience.
Key Business Outcomes
Key Business Outcomes
- Informed decision-making
- Aligning IT investments with business strategy
- Increased communication and efficiency across the business
- Compliance and governance
- Risk management and analysis
- Opportunities to reduce costs
How are we doing this?
We are capturing the applications (and underlying technologies) that form UCD digital campus.
At a high level this involves;
- Establishing Digital Governance Framework, Enterprise Architecture Principles and Non-Functional Requirements to help inform, guide and govern the design and deployment of applications across the University
- Creating an Application Portfolio with detailed overview of the applications in use in UCD, including their purpose, ownership, and usage.
- Mapping these applications to Business Capabilities (using the Higher Education Reference Models)
- Capture Data Flows for these applications, including the data objects and interfaces used.
- Applying Application Portfolio Management techniques to determine where investment is needed
- Creating Architecture Roadmaps to outline the future direction of an UCD architecture
Enterprise Architecture Principles
UCD Enterprise Architecture Principles
The complete set of UCD Enterprise Architecture Principles have been approved by the UMT Services Group to inform, guide and govern the design and deployment of applications and technologies across the University.
Alignment with these principles is a requirement for all initiatives, from solutions in individual schools and units, to centrally-managed enterprise platforms deployments.
Non-Functional Requirements
Non-Functional Requirements
A comprehensive library of (opens in a new window)Non-Functional Requirements (Restricted / Authentication Required) are provided for projects led by IT Services, that are used in procurements to ensure that digital solutions being purchased or developed, align to the Enterprise Architecture and adhere to the Enterprise Architecture Principles.
Application Portfolio
An Application Portfolio is being built with information about the Applications (and underpinning technologies) in use throughout the University.
This information is being captured through engagements with units, institutes, and schools and colleges, and is ongoing work in progress.
Capability Mapping
HERM Business Capability Model
UCD has adopted the Higher Education Reference Model (HERM) as it's Business Capability Model.
The Business Capability Model (BCM) describes the capabilities a University, such as UCD, requires to execute its business model / fulfill its mission.
The BCM is used to illustrate how applications support UCD's business capabilities, and enable the digital campus.
- (opens in a new window)HERM - BCM (Restricted / Authentication Required)
- (opens in a new window)HERM - BCM Catalogue (Restricted / Authentication Required)
Application Portfolio Management
Application Portfolio Management (APM) techniques are applied, using the Business Fit and Technical Fit of Applications captured from both the Application Business Owner and Application Technical Owner, to inform and provide quantifiable evidence to support investment and retirement decisions.
Architecture Road Mapping
Architecture Road Mapping
The Architecture (the Business Capabilities, captured Applications, and underpinning Technologies) are modelled in two states.
The As-Is represents the current state, the "To-Be" represents the future state - the vision of where we want to be.
The Roadmap is the plan to get from the current state to the future state, driven by the benefits to the University.
Quick Links
- (opens in a new window)HERM - BCM*
- (opens in a new window)HERM - BCM Catalogue*
- UCD IT Policies, Procedures and Guidelines
- UCD Digital Solutions Deployment Guide
- UCD IT Services PMO
* Restricted access / Authentication required
UCD IT Services
Computer Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.Contact us via the UCD IT Support Hub: www.ucd.ie/ithelp