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Managing complexity in a Software plus Services World

Amanda JacksonFronde Systems Group Ltd

Session Code: ARC206

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Presentation Overview

IntroductionRedefining Enterprise ArchitectureUnderstanding complexityPartitioningMathematics of complexitySIPSummary

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Amanda Jackson

Consultant/Developer with Fronde Systems LtdStarted NZ Girl Geek Dinners in 2007In the past has covered most roles in IT including: QA, Network Admin, Source Control Manager, Build Management, Games Development, Change Management

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What is this talk about?

Simplifying architecture through:Modeling complexityPartitioning complex systems

By simplifying architecture we can more easily: Add business valueBenefit from trends like Software plus Services

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Software plus Services

Combines Internet services with client and server softwareIncreasingly complex, globally distributed systemsMore choices in the ways to access and manage softwareA new way of thinking is required at the EA level!

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Before we can simplify and redefine we need to understand:

What Enterprise Architecture isWhy we need Enterprise ArchitectureWhat can go wrongHow things fail

Simplify & Redefine

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What is Enterprise Architecture?

Documentation or processes that describe:StructureOrganizationBehavioursPlanning Changes

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Enterprise Architecture

“An enterprise architecture is a description of the goals of an organization, how these goals are realized by business processes, and how these business processes can be better served through technology.”

Roger Sessions - Simple Architectures for Complex Organizations

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Benefits of a good Architecture

Adds value to an organizationIs concerned with all aspects of an organizationEnsures a good ROIHelps ensure successful projects

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Why we need EA

Based on a number of studies done in the last 10 years (such as The KPMG Canada Study, The Chaos Report and others), it has been established that more than 50% of IT projects fail outright!

Andy Blumenthal – Director of Enterprise Architecture & IT Governance for the US Coast Guard

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What can go wrong?

Failed projectsLoss of income

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Why EA fails

Excessive complexityProcesses are:

ExpensiveTime consumingPoorly defined

Results are:Not testableNot reproducibleNot directly usable

Value is not delivered

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EA Failures

Four years ago the government announced to a grateful NHS a national IT program to become the world’s largest civil computer scheme. But after a breathless start, delivery dates for key software were missed, the full costs of implementation have always been unclear, and experts are divided over whether the scheme is too ambitious to ever work as originally planned.

Questions that need to be answered on NHS IT plan by Tony Collins, April 2006 in ComputerWeekly,com

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In October 2007, Gartner predicted that 40% of all existing Enterprise Architecture programs will be shut down by 2010.

Fewer than 5% of firms use Enterprise Architecture effectively. Ross, Weill & Robertson – Enterprise Architecture as a Strategy.

What does this mean for EA?

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What is the problem?

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Existing Methodologies

Influenced by Object Oriented design & analysisPre-date Software-plus-ServicesContinuously evolving but not catching up!Do not deal well with the new S+S design model

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The new Enterprise Architecture

Focus on complexity at the enterprise levelUnderstand the mathematics of complexityCreate a model for complexityDefine a process for controlling complexityTest solutions against that model

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What is Complexity?

A function of the number of states that system can find itself in!

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Software System Complexity

values (heads, tails) penny;penny = read (penny_sensor);if (penny == heads) message (“Penny is heads”);if (penny == tails) message (“Penny is tails”);end;

Complexity = States Per Variable Variables

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Business System Complexity

Read Penny

Prepare Penny/Heads Memo

Prepare Penny/Tails Memo

MemoRE: PennyOutcome: Heads

Penny =Heads

Penny =Tails Memo

RE: PennyOutcome: Tails

Complexity = Branches per Decision Point Decision Point

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Software & Business Comparison

When considering complexity we can see that:

Variables are like decision points

States per variable are like branches per point

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Mathematical Foundations

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Partitioning

The most important complexity control strategy

Divide and conquer to reduce complexity

Reduced complexity = improved efficiency

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The Power of PartitioningNumber of autonomous systems:1Number of states per variable: 6Number of variables: 12Number of states: 2,176,782,336

Number of autonomous systems:2Number of states per variable: 6Number of variables: 6Number of states: 93,312

Reduction in complexity: 99.57%

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Looking at it another way…1 Bucket / 2 Dice a.k.a. 1 autonomous system

2 Buckets / 1 Die Eacha.k.a. 2 autonomous systems

1 Die = 6 states2 Die = 6 6 states

Total states this bucket: 36

1 Die = 6 states 1 Die = 6 states

Total states for 2 buckets: 12

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And now with 12 variables…1 Bucket / 12 Dice 2 Buckets / 6 Die Each

1 Die = 6 states12 Die = 612

Total states: 2,176,782,336

66 = 46,656 states per bucket

Total states:93,312

3 Buckets / 4 Die Each

Total states:3,888

64 = 1,296 states per bucket

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What is a partition?

A set of subsets that divide a larger setAll elements of the larger set live in one, and only one, of the subsets

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Five Laws of Partitions

Must be true partitionsDefinitions must be appropriate to the problem at hand The number of subsets must be appropriateThe size of the subsets must be roughly equalThe interactions between subsets must be minimal and well defined

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Which are partitions? Set 1 Set 2

Set 3 Set 4 Set 5

Unpartitioned

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What do we partition?

Consider same-category-as

Shop InventoryItem Category Cost $

Cereal Food 5.50

Notebook Stationery 2.00

Pencil Stationery 0.50

Pen Stationery 1.00

Lollies Food 0.50

Flour Food 4.80

Newspaper Reading 1.50

Soft drink Food 1.50

Cup Kitchenware 3.50

Knife Kitchenware 2.75

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Same-category-as

Food

Stationery

Reading

Kitchenware

Shop InventoryItem Category Cost $

Cereal Food 5.50Notebook Stationery 2.00

Pencil Stationery 0.50Pen Stationery 1.00

Lollies Food 0.50Flour Food 4.80

Newspaper Reading 1.50Soft drink Food 1.50

Cup Kitchenware 3.50Knife Kitchenware 2.75

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Our new partitions

Foodcereal

soft drinkflour

lollies

Readingnewspaper

Stationerypen

pencilnotebook

Kitchenwareknifecup

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SIP (very brief) Overview

SIP describes the main approaches used for:Complexity controlPartitioningSimplificationIterative Delivery

Overall goal is to align the IT and Business processes so they work together effectively

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Partition Identification

Start at the highest possible view of the enterprise then attempt to partitionIf partition is successful – repeatKeep repeating until you cannot partition any moreAt each stage of partitioning, assign types and deployment information

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Start at the highest possible view

Retail Organization

Operations Internet SalesRetail Sales

Brand Awareness

Catalogue Sales

Product Awareness Planning

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Identify Synergies

Retail Organization

Operations Internet SalesRetail Sales

Brand Awareness

Catalogue Sales

Product Awareness Planning

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Create simpler partitions

Retail Organization

Operations Sales Marketing Planning

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Keep following your path

Retail Organization

Operations Sales Marketing Planning

Retail Distribution

Sales

Retail Sales Reporting

Retail

Inventory

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Partition Simplification

Construct sub-classes of a partition. Any functionality that can be removed from an element should be removed

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Software plus Services

Hugely flexibleIntegrate traditional software with distributed servicesOr not…Put services in a cloud for direct user accessA dizzying, and very impressive array of S+S servicesThe ability for the architecture to get hugely bloated and complex if not planned well – a.k.a. Bloatware!

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How do we partition S+S?

Keep It SimpleArchitect the simplest possible complexityMake it obvious which elements live whereMake it easy to see where partitions layDon’t repeat elements

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How do we partition S+S?

Start at the highest possible viewCreate a high level architectureShow each service and application as they relate to each otherShow clearly defined links

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How do we partition S+S?

Architect and partition each solutionOnly those relevant to your current objectiveMake each architecture as simple as possibleDon’t repeat elements in multiple architectures

Result? It’s easier to see solution linksResult? It’s easier to redesign the whole

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Case Study in Complexity

Complexity can creep into even the most extensively planned projectUnchecked complexity leads to project failureUsing Simple Iterative Partitions might have saved this project, even when it was well into failure mode

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NPfIT

Launched in June 2002Automate and centralize NHS record keepingAutomation of all patient care informationAccess to any patient record by any authorized health care professional in the UKAbility to book appointments with any health care facility in the UKAutomation of prescription services

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NPfIT Functionality

Regional Clinical Information Systems Initial cost - approximately NZ$14 billion

Infrastructure SystemsInitial cost – approximately NZ$3.2 billion

Shared ApplicationsInitial cost – approximately NZ$425 million

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NPfIT Overview

Multi-billion dollar projectContracts split between at least a dozen vendorsCovers a geographic area of close to 100,000 square milesOffers services to 60 million peopleExpected to process 300 transactions per second

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NPfIT Architecture Overview

CRS

Region1CIS

Central Apps

Region2CIS

Region3CIS

Region5CIS

Region4CIS

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C&B

Contact

ETP

PACS

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Current status of NPfIT

In crisis almost from the first dayOne year into the project most vendors were having problems relating to each otherThe worst off, the Accenture/iSoft partnership.

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Accenture/iSoft

By Sept 2006 Accenture had enough and abandoned the projectThey walked away from over $5 billion in revenuesThey wrote off in excess of $700 million they had already spentThey agreed to pay over $100 million to settle legal obligations.

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Overall Cost of NPfIT?

Estimated cost range is

$68 to $142 billion

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Simple Iterative Partitions

Phase 1 – audit of organization readinessPhase 2 – working on the partitioningPhase 3 – simplify the partitionsPhase 4 – prioritize subsets in the partitionsPhase 5 - iteration

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Phase 1

Highlights deep distrust between NHS factionsDelivers extensive training in the nature of complexityFocuses on managing complexity as the absolute highest priority

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Phase 2

Already considerable effort made to partitionHowever, partitions were wrongFIVE different implementations of the same, very complex systemThis was done on purpose due to a highly suspect business ruleSIP forces removal of the dodgy business rule, reduces complexity by 80%Create high level partitions

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Phase 3

Simplify partitions further Remove up to 90% complexity from the 20% remaining Remove unnecessary functionalityMake sure all technical requirements can be traced back to a business requirement

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Summary

Complexity of business processes is linked to decision points and the paths created by those decision pointsComplexity of software systems is linked to the number of variables and the number of significant values those variables can takePartitioning is the single major factor in reducing complexity

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Roger Sessions

Roger Sessions, author of ‘Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises’, has been an invaluable source of help and information whilst preparing this talk. He very kindly allowed me to use material from his book as part of this presentation.Roger is the CEO of ObjectWatch, the creator of SIP and an Enterprise Architecture expert.

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Q & A

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Resources

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Track Resources

Resource 1: Roger Sessions - roger@objectwatch.com - www.objectwatch.com

Resource 2: Simple Architectures For Complex Enterprises - ISBN-13: 978-0735625785

Resource 3: amanda.jackson@fronde.com – fee free to email with any questions

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