collection business architecture a partnership with technology to support the process of change...

Collection Business Architecture

A Partnership with Technology to Support the Process of Change

Lecily Hunter, Statistics Canada

Susan Lensen, Statistics Canada

Larry Sullivan, Statistics Canada

April 15 & 16, 2009

Statistics Canada • Statistique Canada2

Outline

1. Collection Business Architecture (CBA) Project

• Streamlining Processes and Investment in New Technology• Current State of Collection & Drivers for Change

2. Survey Master Control System (SMCS) for Collection

• Why we need a Survey Master Control System• Vision and Scope for the project• Survey Master Control System Architecture• Enterprise Architecture Governance


Outline (cont’d)

3. Outcomes:

• Challenges of an EA Project

• Achievements

• Lessons learned

• What remains to be done


Collection Business Architecture Project (CBA)

Collection modernization for future efficiencies

Streamlining collection processes and realigning organizational structure

• Centralized accountability centre for collection• Return of services to collection• Eliminate duplication, overlaps in functions• Revisit capacity, workforce, workflows, and costs

Investing in new technology for a more robust and cost efficient platform for all surveys

• Survey Master Control System• E-Questionnaire (internet)• Wireless data service (air cards) for field staff• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)


Current State of Collection

Multiple modes of survey collection:• Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)• Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)• Mail out / Mail back• Data Capture / Imaging• E-Questionnaire (Internet)

Collection activities take place in head office, regional offices, and remotely (field interviewers)


Current State of Collection (cont’d)

Variety of technologies and infrastructure considerations:• Laptops and PDA’s for field interviewers, with telephone

transmission to centralized servers for CAPI collection; internet capability to be introduced over next year

• VDI is being rolled out to regional offices to replace workstations; regional servers moving to 2 centralized sites with failover

Survey applications developed differently for each mode of collection (CATI/CAPI/Mail/Internet), although some common software may be used

Other collection applications developed to customized needs of regional, head office or Census collection – stove piped solutions


Drivers for Change

Recognition that business processes for surveys and Census have commonalities

Need to make it easy for people to respond to surveys by having different response options available

Need to make it easy for managers to react to the factors that drive the cost and quality of collection, as the collection process unfolds


Current initiatives

VDI allows interviewers in regional offices to access head office systems – this is permitting work to be “moved” to the regions without re-development

Generic Tracking Service is a joint project between Census and ongoing collection to develop what could ultimately become a corporate service

E-Questionnaire service is being developed as a corporate solution that will eventually be used for Census as well as ongoing collection


Why we need a Survey Master Control System

Current systems and modes are stove-piped and cannot exchange information easily

It is difficult to move cases between modes and/or sites. Collection partners want :

• to move cases between modes and sites rapidly for better management of non-response

• better business resumption capabilities in the event of an emergency

• to offer respondents more flexible response options (new modes such as e-questionnaire)

• to have better tools to actively manage collection


The vision for the Survey Master Control System

• Integrated solution for all collection activities. (includes 2016 Census)

• Continued effort to line up with other current corporate STC initiatives (short and long term)

• Enhanced client services resulting from SMCS capability

• A scalable and adaptable architecture.


Project Scope

Two year funding provided (to April, 2009)

Phase 1: social and agriculture surveys conducted by CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) or CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) in the Regional Offices

Three client “early adaptors”


Requirements for the Survey Master Control System

FY 2006/07• Extensive consultation with regions, Collection Planning and

Management Division, Collection Systems and Infrastructure Division, subject matter divisions

FY 2007/08• For Phase I, used Rational Unified Process methodology to

identify and elaborate requirements• Clients from subject matter divisions participated in validating

requirements

FY 2008/09

• Elaboration of technical requirements, through JAD sessions


Survey Master Control System Architecture

Collection Business Integration Vision

Logical Component Architecture

Application Architecture

Deployment Architecture

Enterprise Architecture Governance Compliance

Challenges and Lessons Learned


Collection Business Integration Vision

reports and monitorsproduction progress to

stores and retrieves data in/from

allows transferringcases between

Control Centre provide specification to

assigns cases to

manages and allocatescollection workload

for all surveys

allows transferringcases between

Collection Interviewer

Survey Input Parameters

(Collection Plan)

Central Data Repository

Collection Mode

CATI CAPI EDR PAPIMailOut/Maiback

Others

provides availability,capacity and case information to

Collection Site

Sherbrooke HalifaxWinnipegVancouver EdmontonHead Office

TorontoSturgeon

FallsMontreal


Business Process WorkflowsBusiness Process Workflows

04/18/23

Apption Proprietary 15

Data Services

Survey Control Data Service

Case Data

Service

ParadataService

Org Structure Service

User Interface Services

Business Rules/Process

ReportingSystemAdmin

Dashboard(Monitoring)

SurveyControl

Orchestration Services

((Business Process Workflows

Declarative Workflow(Pluggable)

Declarative Workflow(Pluggable)Service Composition Workflows

Event

Processor

Legacy Services

CATICollectionApplication

Transformation

Event

CAPICollectionApplication

Transformation

Event

Governance Services

Authorization Service

Audit Logging Service

System Configuration

Service

Custom Report Templates


Real -time Dashboard Services



Report Definition Services

Monitoring & AnalyticalReporting Services

Mail Out

Collection

ApplicationTransformation

Event

Census

Systems

E-Questionnaire

Service

Logical Component Architecture


Application Architecture


Deployment Architecture


Enterprise Architecture Compliance

Statcan Enterprise Architecture principles have been respected.

Technology choices comply with the Statcan Enterprise Architecture.

Industry standards are employed. EA governance requirements are respected. Enterprise Infrastructure Services are employed. StatCan RUP is followed.


Challenges and Lessons Learned

Challenges• Progressing in our SOA maturity.• Defining services that meet business needs without

compromise.• Paying the bills.• Sustaining the legacy.

Lessons Learned• Validate the architecture!• Go BIG or go home! • Take ownership!


Outcomes

Challenges

Achievements

Lessons learned

What remains to be done


Outcomes:Challenges for Project Management

RUP for large project requires constant interaction with clients even after requirements/use cases prepared

Learning curves are steep with new technology (RUP, SOA, .NET, Biztalk)

Business Process Flows need to be in sync with Project Plans for Development

Development projects are typically funded to be built but not funded to be supported and sustained

Difficult to plan for the future in an uncertain economic environment


Outcomes:Achievements

Partnerships work! Project Management and Project Governance are key

success factors Excellent Requirements equal excellent Use Cases Knowledge Transfer part of the contracted solution Testing and QA Terms of Reference Developed New standards and benchmarks New Change, Risk, Issues System Risk Management in place SMCS will be delivered on time


Outcomes:Lessons learned

Must have a Vision Statement Must have a Proof of Concept Have the developers/contractors embedded with the

project team on site Communication is key Support from Steering Committees, corporate

committees break down the barriers and leverage project success

Success for an IT project comes from the business and IT partnership


Outcomes:What Remains to be Done

How do we sustain these EA services? How do we add on the remaining Phase 2

requirements for the SMCS to complete the project?

How do we continue to learn and integrate Service Oriented Architecture and other corporate IT solutions?

The Systems Environment Architecture will be key to integration and maximizing the SMCS


The End

Thank You!

Questions?

collection business architecture a partnership with technology to support the process of change...

Documents

collection processes

collection applications

ongoing collection

quality of collection

collection return of

statistics canada susan

regional offices

business processes