Why modelling?

Since man started to create things there has been modelling. Indeed models have been around even before man. The most perfect and unmatched example is DNA, the blueprint of life. Through history mankind used models to control his world. Early man painted hunting scenes in their caves. Astrologers recorded the position of planets and stars at important events on stone tablets to predict future events. Maps were drawn to capture the geography of land, sea, borders, mines, traderoutes. The mechanics and style of buildings evolved through architecture. Science and art depend on our ability to express our ideas and emotions using models. So there is no question about the need for modelling or is there?

Of course we need models

We all see the point of modelling when it comes to building a house. We want to make sure that our requirements are met before we order a contractor. Plans and specifications are used to ensure that. Before we alter our existing house, we start off sketching from drawings of the current situation. Taking out a wall is not done without ensuring it's constructural function. When buying new furniture, we want to make sure it fits in the room. We draw all elements from every possible perspective. We accept the cost of architecture and engineering when it comes to constructing buildings, roads, bridges and other things we want to enjoy, without them to collapse.

The essence of modelling

Yes, we do model or make sure others do the required modelling for us. It can take years and billons to design a new car, but only days and thousands to build one. Analysis and design make up the most part of the end result. Allthough the proportion may vary, this counts for most things man creates: cars, airplanes, buildings, bridges, sewer systems, coffee-makers, washing machines and software. Like Grady Booch said: 'Great software doesn't just happen, it's designed to work that way'. With 'Just do IT' Nike didn't mean information technology. Still not many projects deliver to specs, in time and within budget. Why is that? In our view because we have only just started modelling, compared to the people that build cars, planes and bridges.

What's a good model?

A good model addresses the concerns of all stakeholders involved. The people who pay for and use the result and the ones that have to realize it. A good model translates into all different minds involved. We have no use for models we don't understand. But then an engineer has to understand things a user doesn't need to know. Models that are clear to all have become rare in our modern society. In fact we started to use different views for different stakeholders. Scale models, artists impressions and real world computer simulations for end users and scientific constructs for developpers. So we use different views, emphasizing and showing different aspects of the same thing. Still all these views have to be consistent. We like the building contractors to deliver according to specs. So a good model provides all stakeholders with their respective views, while maintaining the consistency among these views.

Organizations

In order to maintain a competative advantage, businesses have to be adaptable to changes in the market. Since the market changes more rapidly, businesses have to be more flexible than ever before. Since the sixties the times are changing even faster. The information era, globalization, polution, multi ethnicity, aging and the breaking down of traditional religious and socio-political barriers let government and non-profit organizations as well face increasing change in their environment. Organizations have to coordinate activities across their borders. Market and socio-political changes as well drive organizations to take new strategic positions more often. Change is adapted by initiatives, such as sizing, sourcing, merging and division. Organizations have become subject to changes in their environment.

People change jobs more often. There is no such thing as lifetime employment anymore. Activities traditionally performed by people are taken over by computers and computer controlled machines or allow work to be moved to distant locations. So the roles and positions of people in organizations change more frequently as well. Global competition keeps reducing the lifecycle of information technology, increasing its influence.

Being a part of and subject to our chaotic world, organizations have become complex and dynamic systems and they have to be managed as such.

Why enterprise modelling?

Before constructing a building dozens of views, many calculations and hundreds of pages of specs are produced. All consistent and based on well defined common used standards. Still, a building is a static thing. It's complexity can be captured, composed and decomposed relatively easy.

Organizations are far more dynamic and complex. Compared to buildings organizations are rebuild continuously. People of course are no bricks and layers. To a large extend people can manage required changes. But no organization has the luxury of thriving on individuals. Teamwork diminishes the dependency on individuals, but that's not enough. Large organizations still have to manage the cooperation between teams. In small organizations less people have to handle the same aspects.

Organization charts and flowcharts, functionally decomposed into smaller fractions, date from more stable times. For example IDEF0 proved its use in the large scale production of military equipment during WW II. A set of functional decomposed flowcharts is still useful to streamline activities, that don't change very often and know limited scenarios. Likewise organization charts are useful to display the hierarchical structure of organizations. These views are too rigid and limited though to manage the dynamics most organization have to deal with today.

These dynamics can only be captured using new dynamic views. Dependencies between business, information and technology have to be traceable to assess the impact of changes. Strategic analysis requires quick abstraction of operational figures. Likewise strategies change more frequently, demanding less time for their translation into operation. Architecture and engineering are emerging in the fields of business, information and technology to handle these dependencies, abstractions and translations. An enterprise model that maintains the consistency between business, information and technology from strategy, via architecture and engineering to operation has become a vital asset for modern organizations.