| Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) technology provides a means to transform existing enterprise Information Technology (IT) capabilities for improved business service. Today the opportunity exists for engineering services to leverage technology stacks from leading technology providers with engineering principles to re-factor existing IT components with SOA-enabling components. This can be done, conformant with standards, to enable communications across IT environments to improve process time, resource footprint and information quality. However, too often the focus with SOA technology is on the cross-functional infrastructure rather than the integrated mission layer composed of applications and services that support business-specific functionality. As a result, it becomes difficult to integrate to performance measures directly related to business needs. The role requirements serve in integrating and delivering solutions based on SOA is evolving. Since SOA enables a more standardized, effective approach to engineer and integrate system-of-systems, the integration “touchpoints” between these systems must be guided by an architectural understanding of the user problem space. This dissertation explores an approach based on Architecture-Centric Engineering (ACE) in which technical objectives for system-of-system modernization spirals are guided by business drivers such as business concept of operations (CONOPS) and key business scenarios. Achieving these objectives is dependent on the development, integration and delivery mechanisms used by such enterprises as found in the business and government sectors. However, Software-Intensive Systems Engineering Environments (SEEs) are not keeping pace and meeting expectations because they rarely incorporate meaningful quality mechanisms. Through case study, improved integration of quality mechanisms in a SEE is advanced. Through proof-of-concept, insights for improved productivity resulting from integration of quality measures into a SEE are discovered. Practical extensions that build on the proof-of-concept contribute to increased capability, improved competitive edge and faster time to market. |
