How do you model AS-IS/TO-BE in EA?

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

I would very much like to hear experiences from other EA users:
How do you model AS-IS/TO-BE in EA?
E.g.:
- In the same repository?
- In different repositories?
- How do you merge To-Be into As-Is?
- Good ideas for GAP analysis?
Hope very much to hear/see some good suggestions/experiences :-)

[qwerty]

Have you tried the search (I know it's a PITA). But that question has been asked N+1 times...

q.

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

Of course I searched on it before I posted !
I searched on "AsIs", "As-Is", "ToBe", "To-Be"
All four searched gave zero result.
And I WOULD expect those search criteria to match relevant posts. ! :-)
I only searched under the general board though.
...
Any way - I'll have another go then ...

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

Yes, this time I did get a match on ONE post.
That is the one post you see above - LOL

[qwerty]

I got the following when searching for "future":
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1412297067/0#0
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1407407304/3#3
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1400191441/1#1
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1382311551/1#1

q.

[Geert Bellekens]

In general my experience is to avoid it all together.
Most clients that do a lot of modelling come to the same conclusion.
We just have one model, that is part AS-IS, part TO-BE.
In theory that seems like a horrible idea, not knowing whether a part of the model is already developed or not, but in practice this really isn't an issue.

To put this in perspective, this practice of using a "mixed" model is used not only in small shops, but even in the biggest corporate multinational organisations.
If they can make this work, surely can you.

The only exception I see right now is when you do full MDA. If all of your code is generated, and EA is your only development tool, then I see the need to formally make a difference between the AS-IS model and the TO-BE model.

Geert

[Sunshine]

I've found Separating the the objects under one package tree and managing the objects via the phase attribute whilst putting the diagrams in another package tree structure with as-is and to-be in separate packages under that tree. This way all the objects are grouped together and the diagrams are clustered. I then run doc generation and differences on the diagrams.
Domain
     Business
           Processes
           Events
           etc
     Application
           Components
           Interfaces
     etc
Diagrams
     Current State
           Segment (Finance)
                 Processes
            Segment (HR)
                 Processes
      Future State
          Segment (Finance)
                 Processes
            Segment (HR)
                 Processes
Get the idea
  

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

I got the following when searching for "future":
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1412297067/0#0
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1407407304/3#3
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1400191441/1#1
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1382311551/1#1

q.

Thanx Qwerty, Those are good links - at least in the way, that they tell me, that  there really isn't any ideal solution (far from it) - when that's the cae, at least it is good to know so.

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

In general my experience is to avoid it all together.
...
We just have one model, that is part AS-IS, part TO-BE.
...
is used not only in small shops, but even in the biggest corporate multinational organisations.
...
The only exception I see right now is when you do full MDA.
...

Thanx Geert. The mixed model is what we are doing now.
I anticipate some requests for doing some kind of split model. The upcoming discussion would be easier for me, if I had some references to those big companies that you mention. Could you mention some of them here? - or perhaps just your own company - as far as I remember you have 2-300.000 elements in yoour reposirtory?

MDA: No we don't generate any code at all. We use EA for an enterprise model (Strategy-capabilities-processes-business concepts-IT applications,database-IT Infrastructure).

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

I've found Separating the the objects under one package tree and managing the objects via the phase attribute whilst putting the diagrams in another package tree structure with as-is and to-be in separate packages
  

Thanx Sunshine,
I think I get the idea ;-)
I don't think it will work in our secnario.
- we rely heavily on diagrams being placed contextually with the individual elements
- changes for one single project/initiative are scattered around in the repository

But I do agree that, if we try to do a split model, two sets of diagrams will play a key role. Diagrams are essential to the disgussions/comparisons of asis and tobe (EA compare is far too detailed for getting a high-level gap analysis, although it might be used in an automated mechanism)

[qwerty]

Thanx Qwerty, Those are good links - at least in the way, that they tell me, that  there really isn't any ideal solution (far from it) - when that's the cae, at least it is good to know so.

Yes, there is no simple solution. People (I guess me too in the beginning) think that the answer could be something like branch and merge. But a model is not code. Somehow this got mixed up and not divided correctly. Things like VC and Baselining build in EA impose this would be a good idea. Actually it isn't. Those are the words of the preacher...

q.

[Geert Bellekens]

In general my experience is to avoid it all together.
...
We just have one model, that is part AS-IS, part TO-BE.
...
is used not only in small shops, but even in the biggest corporate multinational organisations.
...
The only exception I see right now is when you do full MDA.
...

Thanx Geert. The mixed model is what we are doing now.
I anticipate some requests for doing some kind of split model. The upcoming discussion would be easier for me, if I had some references to those big companies that you mention. Could you mention some of them here? - or perhaps just your own company - as far as I remember you have 2-300.000 elements in yoour reposirtory?

MDA: No we don't generate any code at all. We use EA for an enterprise model (Strategy-capabilities-processes-business concepts-IT applications,database-IT Infrastructure).

The company I work for currently is ACV-CSC The model for our main application has ~100.000 objects, ~100.000 attributes, ~25.000 operations and ~10.000 diagrams.

A previous client where they used this "mixed" mode was a whole lot bigger: KBC (they use META and have about 2000 functional and technical analysts in multiple countries)

Geert

[Svend Erik Nygaard]

Thanx Geert.

[gloriatorios]

Thank you very much