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Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title Enterprise Architecture (C)
Module Code CSC1114 (ITS: CA4101)
Faculty Computing School Engineering & Computing
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 7.5
Description

This course will examine the main concepts of Enterprise Architecture and Business Processes and the context within which it is seen as both desirable and necessary in modern businesses. The environmental conditions, strategic aspects and the enabling technologies will be examined, and comparisons drawn with other management techniques.

Learning Outcomes

1. Define and describe a business process and use standard techniques to analyse and re-design a business process
2. Understand important Enterprise Architectural Frameworks, concepts and related modelling languages
3. Compare BPM techniques EA frameworks with other techniques for introducing process change and improvement
4. Evaluate a business situation and identify in it the relevant driving factors and environmental conditions for process change
5. Be able to apply a selected architectural development method
6. Appreciate the change management and other cultural issues taht arise in changing business processes
7. Evaluate a workflow modelling problem to identify scope for use of software such as Web Services/ Service Oriented Architecture
8. Demonstrate basic competence in one or more modelling techniques - e.g. Petri Nets, Business Process Modelling, ArchiMate


WorkloadFull time hours per semester
TypeHoursDescription
Lecture24Formal lecture (notes made available via web)
Tutorial7Formal Tutorial as Necessary for Certain Topics in Course
Assignment Completion50Research of background for Continuous Assessment
Independent Study67Revision of material & preparation for Examination
Directed learning40Reading of Papers in preparation for lectures
Total Workload: 188
Section Breakdown
CRN20400Part of TermSemester 2
Coursework0%Examination Weight0%
Grade Scale40PASSPass Both ElementsY
Resit CategoryRC1Best MarkN
Module Co-ordinatorBoualem BenatallahModule TeacherSilvana MacMahon
Assessment Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Report(s)Select a topic for the term essay from the list provided, or identify a topic of one's own. Give a short presentation in class on the essay topic.30%Week 5
Formal ExaminationEnd-of-Semester Final Examination70%End-of-Semester
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
RC1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module.
RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element.

* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Elements of Business Systems Engineering
Process Modelling and Analysis and dependencies between Strategy, Process and IT

Enterprise Architectural Frameworks and Modelling Approaches
Overview of enterprise architectural frameworks, modelling approaches

Enterprise Architecture Development Method
Introduction to the enterprise architecture development method (ADM) and important steps related to TOGAF

Process Modelling and Analysis
Steps in process modelling and analysis using selected techniques/modelling language

Total quality management / continuous improvement
Aspects of Total Quality Management (TQM) and continuous improvement

Business process engineering / radical improvement
Assessment of Business Processes and improvements using process engineering and radical improvement concepts

Using Information Technology to enable BPM and EA
Overview of information technology solutions and tools that can facilitate BPM and EA

Case Studies
Various case studies

Indicative Reading List

Books:
  • Jackson,Michael and Twaddle, Graham: 1997, Business Process Implementation, AddisonWesley / ACM Press, Harlow,
  • Marc Lankhorst: 0, Enterprise Architecture at Work: Modelling, Communication and Analysis, Springer, 364, 3642296505
  • Sharp, Alec & McDermott, Patrick: 2001, Workflow Modelling, Artech House, Boston,
  • Hammer M. and Champy J.: 1993, Reengineering the Corporation, Harper Collins,
  • Davenport, T.: 1993, Process Innovation: reengineering work through information technology, HBR Press,
  • van der Aalst, Wil & van Hee, Kees: 2002, Workflow Management, MIT Press, Cambridge,
  • Reijers, Hajo A.: 2003, Design and Control of Workflow Processes, Springer-Verlag, Berlin,
  • Smith, Howard & Fingar, Peter: 2003, Business Process Management (BPM): The Third Wave, Meghan-Kiffer Press,
  • Carr, Nicholas G.: 2004, Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage, Harvard Business School Press,
  • Sethi, Vikram and William R. King: 1998, Organisational transformation through business process reengineering, Prentice Hall,
  • Galliers, R and W. Baets: 1998, Information Technology and organisational transformation, innovation for the 21st century, Wiley,
  • Dutta, Soumitra and Jean Francois Manzone: 1999, Process reengineering, organisational change and performance improvement, McGraw Hill,
  • Peppard, Joe and Philip Rowland: 1995, The essence of business process reengineering, Prentice Hall,
  • Keen, Peter: 1991, Shaping the future: business design through information technology, HBR Press,
  • Scott-Morton, M.S.: 1991, The corporation of the 1990's: information technology and organisational transformation, Oxford University Press,
  • Champy, J.: 1995, Reengineering Management: the mandate for new leadership, Harper Collins,
  • Pidd, Michael: 1992, Computer simulation in management science, Wiley,
  • Nelson R. and S. Winter: 1982, Evolutionary theory of economic change, Belknap,
  • Checkland, P. and J. Scholes: 0, Soft systems methodology in action, Wiley,
  • Jörg Becker, Martin Kugeler & Michael Roseman (eds): 2003, Process Management, Springer,
  • Van der Aalst, Wil, Desel, Jörg, Oberweis, Andreas: 1998, Business Process Management, Springer,
  • Karagiannis, D., Junginger, S., Strobl, R.: 1996, Introduction to Business Process Management Systems Concepts, Springer,
  • Watson, Gregory H.: 0, Business Systems Engineering, Wiley,
  • Utterback, James M.: 0, Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation, Harvard Business School Press,
  • Johansson, J. H., McHugh, P., Pendlebury, A. J. & Wheeler, W. A.: 0, Business Process Reengineering: breakpoint strategies for market dominance, Wiley,
  • Khoshafian, Setrag & Buckiewicz, Marek: 0, Introduction to Groupware, Workflow, and Workgroup Computing, Wiley,


Articles:
  • Teng, J. T. C., Jeong, S. R. and Grover, V.: 1998, Profiling successful reengineering projects, Communications of the ACM, 41, 6. (June), 96 - 102, http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=276609.276625, 515210
  • 2000: Conceptual challenges in contemporary IS research, Communications of the AIS, 3, 1es (February), http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=374501&dl=GUIDE&coll=GUIDE&CFID=4818687&CFTOKEN=24240954, 515211, 2
  • The New Industrial Engineering: Information Technology and Business Process Redesign: Sloan Management Review, 31 4 (Summer), 11 - 27, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=4005729&site=ehost-live, 515212, 2, Katzenstein, G., Lerch, F. J.
  • ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS): 18 , 4 (October), 383 - 422, http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=358108.358111,
Other Resources

None

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