Taking and executing correct decisions is critical in enterprise systems which are characterized by rapid changes along interconnected dimensions. Enterprise architecture (EA) frameworks offer holistic treatment of enterprise systems but constitute only one part of the solution to problems arising due to organizational changes. The other, less explored part is the ability to explicate and analyze the intentions behind major decisions. We investigate a step-by-step approach where intentional modeling is treated as a problem solving technique. In our approach, an intentional model devoid of goals is obtained from the existing EA model via mapping. It is expanded by representing the problems due to organizational changes as goals and soft goals and alternative solutions to them. The final intentional model is transformed back to an actionable EA model via the same mapping. In the case study, we re-imagine the evolution of our model-driven software development unit as an enterprise where two stages in its evolution are treated as as-is and to-be states and the journey is captured in terms of intentional models. Initial explorations suggest that the mapping enables a clear path from as-is to to-be states of an EA model while preserving the reasoning behind every alternative chosen.

1. Intentional Modeling for
Problem Solving in
Enterprise Architecture
Sagar Sunkle, Vinay Kulkarni, and Suman Roychoudhury
Tata Consultancy Services, India

2.  Quick Background
 Modeling at Tata Consultancy Services and R&D
 Early effort in Enterprise Modeling with ArchiMate
 Using Intentional Modeling [i*] for goal modeling
 Motivation
 Basic Idea
 Details
 Issues
Agenda

3. Motivation
Cost of incorrect decisions in enterprise systems is
prohibitively high
 Multiple change drivers along business, IT, and
infrastructure dimensions
 Holistic view provided by enterprise architecture
frameworks- mainly what and how but not why
 BMM by OMG, ArchiMate motivation extension
provide blueprint treatment of reasons behind
decisions- They are less actionable and also difficult
to automate

4. Enterprise
Model
Basic Idea
Model of Enterprise based
on ArchiMate Metamodels
Model of Strategic Intentions
of the Enterprise
Intentional
Model
Descriptive in nature Prescriptive in nature

5. Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Enterprise
Model
Basic Idea
Intentional
Model
ArchiMate
i*Intentional Model

6. Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Enterprise
Model
Basic Idea
Intentional
Model
Devoid
of Goals
ArchiMate
i*Intentional Model

7. Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Enterprise
Model
Basic Idea
Intentional
Model
Devoid
of Goals
Intentional
Model
Introduce Goals; Goals
are problems to be
solved
ArchiMate
Evaluate Goals, revise
enterprise model
i*Intentional Model

8. Mapping EA and Intentional
Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Enterprise
Model
Entities
Intentional
Model
Devoid
of Goals
Active [Structure]
Entities perform
[Behavior] Entities
using Passive Entities
Actors perform Tasks
using Resources
ArchiMate
i*Intentional Model

9. Mapping EA and Intentional
Enterprise
Model
Entities
Intentional
Model
Devoid of
Goals
Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Active [Structure]
Entities perform
[Behavior] Entities
using Passive Entities
Actors perform Tasks
using Resources
ArchiMate
i*Intentional Model
To
achieve
goals

10. Problems in Enterprise Models as
Goals in Intentional Model
Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping

11. Problems in Enterprise Model as
Goals in Intentional Model
Enterprise-Intentional
Metamodel Mapping
Enterprise
Model
Intentional
Model
with Goals Represent the
problems as
goals
To
achieve
goals
ArchiMate
i*Intentional Model
Intentional
Model
Devoid of
Goals

12. As-is enterprise To-be enterprise
Model-driven
Developm
ent Unit
Intentional
Model
without
goals
Sub-teams of Solution Architect,
MDE Specialist, Developer
working in MD way
Case Study
If development teams were
distributed, how best to
partition access to models and
code and enable distributed
development?

13. As-is enterprise To-be enterprise
Model-driven
Developm
ent Unit
Intentional
Model
without
goals
Sub-teams of Solution Architect,
MDE Specialist, Developer
working in MD way
Case Study
Distributed
development
as main goal,
other
requirements
as sub-goals
If development teams were
distributed, how best to
partition access to models and
code and enable distributed
development?
Alternative chains of tasks performed
by existing or more actors using existing
or more resources to achieve
geographically distributed development
while enabling efficient
implementation of performance
intensive operations and
synchronization

14. Chosen alternative may result in adding
further responsibilities to existing actor(s),
or adding actor(s)- this is reflected back
into the enterprise model
Distributed
Development
Enabled
Intentional
Model
without
goals
Case Study
Distributed
development
as main goals,
other
requirements
as sub-goals

15. Resulting enterprise model shows who
needs to do what and which resources
are needed to achieve required goals-spanning
business, IT, and
infrastructure layers
Distributed
Development
Enabled
Intentional
Model
without
goals
Case Study
Distributed
development
as main goals,
other
requirements
as sub-goals

16. Key Issues
Contribution
 Metamodel mapping from enterprise model to
intentional model enables automated derivation of
intentional models from enterprise models
 In the reverse direction, chosen alternatives for
achieving goals are reflected into enterprise model
 First steps toward expressing problems in enterprise
systems in terms of goals to be achieved

17. Key Issues
Further Improvements
 Representing goals in enterprise models, here, using
ArchiMate motivation extension- drivers,
assessments, requirements and goals in ArchiMate
motivation extensions may map to soft-goals and
goals in i*
 Diff between as-is enterprise model and the
resultant to-be enterprise model with intentional
analysis reflected in terms of changes in actors and
their tasks so as to get a recipe of what needs to be
done

18. Conclusions
 Apart from What and How, Whys of Enterprises must
be addressed
 Intentional models provide way to express goals and
evaluate alternatives to achieve same goals
 BMM, ArchiMate can be used to further streamline
capturing of enterprise goals in conjunction with
intentional models