Utility Descriptions and Benefits

Utility Type Description Benefits

Procedure Guide

Used to automatically generate complete procedure documents from the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect) into Microsoft Word, using your organisation’s documentation template and standards.

The procedure documents include:

  • Process flow representation
  • Process descriptions
  • Responsibility matrix
  • Definition of terms and abbreviations
  • Required document control components

Access to pertinent information - allows you to generate procedure documents containing the information you require


Accessible format – information is represented in MS Word /PDF


Adherence to company document standards – documents are generated in the templates mandated by your organisation.

Process Detail Utility

Used to provide a straightforward method for business experts to capture modelling information in Microsoft Infopath forms or Excel spreadsheets, which can then be imported into the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect) repository.

Ease of use - enables business experts to capture modelling information without having to use the modelling tool directly.

Saves on costs – tool negates the need for tool-specific training and additional licensing.

Swimlane/ Flow Diagram Generator

Used to automatically generate alternative process flow views that are based on the on the primary model. This provides various business-relevant views, while still maintaining the integrity of the primary model.

These views could include:

  • Process swimlane models by responsible or accountable role
  • Process swimlane models by organisational unit
  • Process swimlane models by location
  • Process swimlane models by application use
  • Process models depicting document and report flows
  • Process models depicting policy and work instruction flows

Provides information specific to business needs – the utility automatically generating relevant swimlane and flow views of your process models that are based on your organisation’s requirements.

Document Management System Synchronisation

Used to automatically synchronise the documents and document taxonomy contained within a DMS (e.g. Documentum or Domino.Doc) into the modelling tool repository. This ensures that the documents referred to by the elements (e.g. Process) within the repository are linking to valid documents within the DMS and do not have to be manually captured and kept up to date.

 

Maintains current, up to date document information within your modelling repository.

Enables traceability and impact analysis from your modelling repository to the documentation contained within your document management system.

HR System Organisational Structure Synchronisation

Used to automatically synchronise the organisational structure contained within the HR database (e.g. SAP HR) into the modelling tool repository.  This ensures that the organisational elements referred to within the repository are valid and do not have to be manually recaptured and kept up to date.
 
These interfaces can be customised to suit your organisation’s technologies where standard tool functionality is unavailable or inadequate.

Maintains current, up to date organisational information within your modelling repository.

Enables traceability for responsibility, accountability and ownership from the information contained within your modelling repository to the organisations and people captured within your HR environment.

Data Extractor

The Data Extractor Utility provides an export of the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect) repository content into a relational database (e.g. MS SQL or MS Access). This export provides a point in time view of the repository content, which delivers a powerful reporting capability for impact analysis, and other custom reporting based on the repository content.  This utility provides the user with reporting-friendly and accessible data with which to develop multiple views (e.g. job description or application usage matrices) from your repository using SQL queries and reports.

Makes data accessible - user is provided with reporting-friendly data with which to develop multiple views

Enables the interface between your modelling repository and Business Intelligence toolset.

Modeller Productivity Utilities

The Modeller Productivity Utilities provide automation to a number of time-consuming modelling activities within the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect), for which no standard tool functionality exists.  This set of utilities provides the following functions such as the following:

  • Creation of multiple object assignments at once (e.g. the assignment of ARIS FADs to functions)
  • Maintaining of a number of model names at once to ensure correctness as per the modelling standards.
  • Maintaining of a number of object names at once to ensure correctness as per the modelling standards.
  • This utility will save the modellers countless hours of repetitive, time-consuming tasks.

Saves on costs - this utility saves the modellers countless hours of repetitive, time-consuming tasks.

Quality Assurance Tracking Utility

This Quality Assurance Tracking Utility will provide you with the ability to keep track of the QA process and the modelling progress of the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect content.  This utility will provide you with the ability:

  • To assign responsible modellers to the models
  • For modellers to automatically trigger requests for QA to be done on selected models
  • For the Quality Assurer to provide results on the reviewed models
  • To track the QA transactions in an external database, which can be used for reporting
  • This tool extends the limited functions that are included within modelling tools in order to automate the administration and tracking of your organisation’s QA process.

Saves on costs – utility automates the administration and tracking of QA process

Improves QA effectiveness – utility automatically tracks  your organisation’s QA process.

Impact Analysis Database

A utility that extracts the information contained within the modelling tool (e.g. ARIS or System Architect) repository into a data warehouse, which is based on a defined dimensional design.  This provides can provide your business with the following benefits by addressing the limitations of the modelling tool:

  • A way with which to extract architecture information into a reporting environment that could be utilised by the entire business
  • Enabling the use of conventional reporting and analysis tools to make business decisions based on the EA data
  • A way with which to do EA impact analysisA way with which to keep track of the change in architecture over time

Makes information accessible to all – the utility extracts the architecture information into a reporting environment that can be used by the entire business.
Facilitates business decision-making - conventional reporting and analysis tools can be used on the EA data

Enables EA impact analysis
Enables  users to keep track of the change in architecture over time.

Enterprise Architecture Tool Integration

Utilities that provide integration between the different tools used to define your Enterprise Architecture.  For example, integration between different modelling environments such as System Architect and ARIS, as well as integration between these tools and commonly used capturing tools such as MS Visio, MindManager, etc.

  Enables a multi-tool EA environment.

Supports migration from legacy and distributed modelling environments into new standardised modelling environments.

 

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