Testing the definition of the Gap of Changes visualized in ArchiMate

: Using a case study replacing legacy by ERP and BOB

Abstract

Enterprise architecture (EA) is a method for dealing with IT complexity. For visualization of changes in EA ArchiMate proposes a Gap concept as a static model like the AsIs and ToBe models. The Gap of Changes (GOC) has been proposed by Bakelaar et al. (2017) for more precise change views in ArchiMate. The definition includes new ‘replaced by’ and ‘extended by’ relationships that are used in views relevant for stakeholders having a role in the change. The validation of this GOC on other cases was desired as future work.The validation shows that the GOC has added value when modelling large architectural changes over using only the AsIs and ToBe models and it let the architect check the changes in the model with a change focus instead of a state focus.This research is a theoretical and practical validation of the GOC in case of replacing legacy systems by an ERP and BOB solution in a food distributor company. After a theoretical review, the creation of the EA model and the setup of a validation workshop is explained. The first result of this research is the actual application of the GOC in a legacy replacement case. The second result is an extension of the definitions of the GOC with a subset comprising only change related objects. The third result is the software created for analysing the GOC that tend to be large due to the type of project. Finally application restrictions of the notion of a GOC are derived from the use case.

Date of Award	13 Sept 2018
Original language	English
Supervisor	Ella Roubtsova (Examiner) & Stef Joosten (Co-assessor)