Previously, business operations of most large enterprises were supported by a number of isolated IT systems performing miscellaneous and specific tasks, from real-time process control to administrative functionality such as payroll and billing. In order to better achieve business goals, these systems have in recent years been extended, and more importantly, integrated into a company-wide system in its own right, the enterprise IT system. Due to its history, this system is composed of a considerable number of heterogeneous components interacting by means of equally diverse connectors. To enable rational evolution and design, where the business’s requirements are transformed into technically and economically beneficial IT systems, holistic enterprise architecture models of the system are a necessity.
The purpose of this course is to develop students' understanding of and ability for using enterprise architecture models to describe and design cost-effective IT system portfolios that also provides a good support to the businesses that are using them.
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Content and learning outcomes
Course contents
The course consists of, and is examined by, one main project assignment in which the students take on the role as the chief architect for a large enterprise’s IT portfolio. The organisation in question today has an IT-portfolio that is without governance structures and that is offering poor support to the business. The assignment is to suggest a future scenario of the business and IT-systems and to convince the enterprise’s CEO to conduct a transition project that implements the scenario.
The course contains the following knowledge modules:
- The complexity of enterprises and the challenge for enterprise architecture.
- Basic enterprise architecture modeling.
- Enterprise architecture analysis.
- Enterprise architecture transition planning.
Intended learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course the participants should be able to:
- With examples describe and explain the complexity in business operations and its IT support in large enterprises.
- Produce understandable and realistic enterprise architecture models of organisations in a predefined modeling language.
- Use enterprise architecture models (created in a predefined modeling language) to analyze the quality of different scenarios of business and IT-systems solutions.
- Create simplified enterprise transformation plans for moving from a current situation to a future desirable state.
In addition the participants should:
- Have a basic understanding of how enterprise architecture is used in practice in organizations today.
Course Disposition
The knowledge modules are studied by the students themselves. Seminars and tutoring sessions are held by the teachers, as is peer reviewing seminars. The course also contain a number of traditional guest lectures with speakers from industry.
The project assignment is examined by a written report and an oral presentation. The assignment is done in groups.
Literature and preparations
Specific prerequisites
Single course students: 120hp and English B or equivalent.
Recommended prerequisites
Knowledge from the following areas are beneficial: object oriented programming, computer communications and computer networks, software engineering.
Equipment
A computer with Windows or Mac operating system with rights to install software.
Literature
Annonseras vid kursstart (en sammanställning av rapporter, böcker, artiklar, websidor och videofilmer)
Announced at course start (a combination of reports, books, articles, web pages, and videos)
Examination and completion
If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.
Grading scale
A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
Examination
- INLA - Assignment 1, 1,0 hp, betygsskala: P, F
- INLB - Assignment 2, 1,0 hp, betygsskala: P, F
- PROA - Project Assignment, 4,5 hp, betygsskala: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F
- SEMA - Lecture Series, 1,0 hp, betygsskala: P, F
Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.
The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.
The main examination in the course is a project assignment, which is also handed in preliminary halfway into the course. In addition an oral presentation is also examined as is attendance at lectures. The project assignment is done in groups. If there is a need to differentiate the grade between the group members examination is done by individual oral examination.
Other requirements for final grade
All examination parts must be approved.
Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination
No information inserted
Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination
No information inserted
Examiner
Ethical approach
- All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
- In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
- In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.
Further information
Course web
Further information about the course can be found on the Course web at the link below. Information on the Course web will later be moved to this site.
Course web EH2770Offered by
Main field of study
Electrical Engineering
Education cycle
Second cycle
Add-on studies
EH2781 IT Management with Enterprise Architecture II, Case Studies
Contact
Mathias Ekstedt
Supplementary information
Replaces EH2020 Industrial Information and Control Systems