Tool-selection
From origin Casewise Corporate Modeler is a modelingtool to describe the business and IT in a 'traditional' fashion:

• Hierarchy: organograms to display the division of labor in an organization:
  • The positions that make up the organization.
  • How these are grouped into units.
  • How formal authority flows among them.
• Process Dynamics: hierarchical decomposition of functions and activities, that on each level can be linked in work flows with inputs and outputs. Per activity the performing organization can be pointed out using 'swimlanes'.
• Entity: entity-relation diagrams for relational modeling of entities, attributes and relations.
• Data Flow: display of data-use in work flows.
• Matrix: separate view to establish relations between the various aspects.
• Generic: free-format diagrams to view and relate all the above aspects and others, such as applications.

Corporate modeler allows more analysts to work on the same model at the same time. Alls models and objects can be stored in and retrieved from one central repository. Further the tool offers:

• Comprehensive means of authorization.
• Simulation.
• Features for cost accounting.
• Links with other tools, such as MS-Visio, Rational Rose and Requisite Pro.
• Extensive publishing and reporting.
• Auto Modeler for the exchange of data with Office-applications (import/export).
• Adaptability features, such as user defined templates, objecttypes and relations.

In particular by means of the adaptability features, 'traditional' views can be extended with each required method, technique or best practice. By this it's one of the few tools, that support integrated modeling from strategy to operation and from business to (information) technology. With or without linkable other tools.

Some demerits of Corporate Modeler:

• The interface and drawing-features are a bit behind with officetools, such as MS Visio and iGrafx Flowcharter.
• There is no standard support for object oriented development, such as with the UML. This disadvantage is however compensated with the link-features with Rational Rose en Requisite Pro.

HIT knows all features and lacks of Corporate Modeler thoroughly and can provide a sound comparison with your requirements.

Tool-setup
Corporate Modeler can be setup standalone for one user or as a multi-user environment in a network with a repository (model-database) on a server for more users. In a multi-user setup both the authorizations and user-interface van be configured per user:

• User-interface: what models the user is allowed to work on.
• Authorization:
  • What a user can do to that model: read-only, create but not update, create but not delete, etc..
  • Who owns a model, diagram, object, etc..
  • Each user can lock his/her models, by which others cannot change the model before it's ready.
  • Each object can only be edited by one user at the time.

Work can be done as well in 'sub-models', that later can be merged into the 'master-model'. In combination with the authorization-features the informing, advising, choice and authorization with/of models can be distincted. This way the whole decisionmaking-process can be supported in a structured way. HIT can help you to setup Corporate Modeler in conformity with the responsibilities and authorities in your organization.

• The population of the tooldatabase (repository) is done through the links with other modelingtools and the import of data from Office-applications with Auto Modeler.
• With user defined template diagrams extra viewpoints (diagramtypes) can be addedm by which views (diagrams) can be made, that are not provided standard by Corporate Modeler.
• The user defined objecttypes and relations are very useful to define extra aspects and their relations (viewtypes en architectural styles).

For many standard methods, techniques and best practices HIT already has templates, objecttypes and relationtypes available. Further extentions can be made and delivered quickly.

Tool-use and support
On the general toolpage the importance is emphasized to start the tool-use on the basis of a startplan. This startplan can be anchored within Corporate Modeler in the following way:

• The business and IT objectives to be concretized:
  • With user defined objecttypes and properties.
• The issues to be addressed:
  • With the standard object Issue, that can be related to all other elements within Corporate Modeler.
• The aspects, that are relevant for that:
  • With all standard and user defined objecttypes and objecten, for which the relevance can be expressed through the use of standard and user defined relation-types.
• The views, through which these aspects have to be elaborated:
  • By the means of template diagrams.
• Who elaborates what and when:
  • With the use of authorizations (ownership, etc.), releasemanagement, additional properties for diagrams, objects, etc., links and the import/export-features with Office-applications a structured and in the tool embedded actionplanning can be setup.
• In case you require so, further completed and elaborated in a projectplan (f.e. in conformity with Prince2)..

On the basis of such a startplan HIT can provide you with focussed support, both in the startup-phase and afterwards.

Tool-implementatie van HIT oplossingen en producten
All solutions and products of HIT can be delivered implemented in Corporate Modeler.