This section is a preliminary assessment of TA roles and responsibilities necessary for effective governance and management control.
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
The CIO has overall responsibility for the Technical Architecture governance model execution. His primary roles include:
- Sponsorship of the TA program and primary advocate.
- Promotes understanding and buy-in of technical architecture benefits throughout the State.
- Leads annual technology business strategy updates with the Governor and State executives.
- Provides general oversight of TA Program structure and performance and development of a TA blueprint.
- Approves EA Framework changes.
- Approves TA project initiatives.
- Approves Information Technology policies, standards, and guidelines.
- Approves annual TA roadmap submission.
- Monitors TA program compliance and performance.
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
The COO is one of the most important customers for TA from planning and tactical perspectives. The ability of the TA to engage the operational side of DTS and enable change and planning activities that ultimately improve services and reduce costs is dependent upon the COO and his management teams as drivers for TA guidance and support. Ultimate decisions on products and deployments for overall TA consistency reside in this management area.
TA Program Office
The TA program office, including the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Technical Architect, is responsible for management and reporting of the overall EA program. They also assist the CIO and COO in promoting buy-in and marketing of the practical benefits of TA. Their primary roles include:
- day-to-day management and execution of the State of Utah Enterprise Architecture program and associated activities and initiatives;
- providing Solution Architecture and Engineering Validation for development and infrastructure projects as required;
- oversight of the EA framework, including TA deliverable structure, methodology, and tools;
- the initiation and oversight of TA projects chartered to develop or update EA content;
- directing TA changes through the change management process;
- developing an annual TA roadmap submission to the DTS investment management groups the Architecture Review Board;
- directing a review of IT initiatives for TA requirements focus;
- directing TA exceptions for IT initiatives through an exceptions management process;
- providing recommendations on approval of Information Technology policies, standards, and guidelines to the CIO and Change Management process;
- providing TA performance reporting information to the CIO and Senior Management Boards; and,
- Provides research services for ongoing IT projects and initiatives.
Architecture Review Board
The Architecture Review Broad (ARB) is a permanent group that provides broad agency participation and review of the State of Utah Technical Architecture program and associated activities and initiatives. The Board as be composed of the CIO, COO, CTO, DET and Engineering Directors, and the lead TA Program Office Architect acting as a resource to the Board. Their primary roles include:
- Review and approve change recommendations to TA management processes and EA frameworks.
- Establish and approve priorities for TA development.
- Review TA projects.
- Review and approve change recommendations to TA content.
- Review and approve change recommendations to technology policies, standards, and guidelines.
- Review overall TA program compliance and performance.
- Review initiatives for TA impact.
- Review and approve recommendations for TA exceptions.
- Develop recommendations on architecture related conflicts, as necessary.
DTAC and IT Directors
These groups will provide counsel and advice on specific recommendations of the Architecture Review Board, and make recommendations for areas of priority and emphasis for the TA Program Office.
TA Development Teams
These teams may be chartered with a defined architectural focus within the TA program. They will be responsible for analysis and development of future-state recommendations. They will be primarily composed of teams from business and technical staff with State agencies and the Division of Technology Services. They will research and come to a consensus on TA content updates, technology or infrastructure standards, and best practices and policies. They will be focused as Technology Business Improvement teams. Their primary roles will be to:
- update the TA on an on-going basis;
- represent the interests and requirements of the agencies and the Division of Technology Services;
- conduct reviews of the current-state environment;
- develop and evaluate solution and technology options; and,
- make recommendations regarding products, methodologies, industry standards, and solutions based on the State mission and strategy.
Technology Business Improvement Teams should:
- focus on specific business areas within the State agencies for process and automation improvement;
- be composed of business representatives from the agencies and solutions architects or subject matter experts; and,
- develop and update the business area architectures for those areas involving the business, information, and solutions architectures with regard to models and document content.
Infrastructure Optimization Teams
Optimization teams are chartered by the COO through existing DTS approval processes. These teams focus on implementation and migration strategies for TA recommendations. Other TA staff and teams work closely to support optimization team activities. These teams:
- are focused on specific solution patterns and technology domains;
- emphasize tactical implementation of TA solutions;
- are composed of subject matter experts with hands-on expertise working with specific technology areas; and,
- are charged to develop and update the Technology Architecture with regard to future-state, standards, models, and document content in cooperation with the EA program office and its resources.
Table 1 illustrates an involvement matrix for most of the core TA processes and the roles DTS and agency staff perform in TA development activities.
