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UNCLASSIFIEDDRAFT – NOT A STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT POLICY V1.0

UK GovernmentReference Architecture

Government ICT StrategyJanuary 2012

(Draft – not a statement of Government policy)

Contact details:

Steve Walters - HMRC Head of Strategy & Architecture

Email: [email protected] Tel: 07795 127754

Paul Turton - HMRC Strategy & Architecture

Email: [email protected] Tel: 07795 978263

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................3

2 FINDINGS............................................................................................................6

2.1 Background – Approach for gathering Findings..................................................................................6

2.2 Content Comparisons key findings........................................................................................................6

2.3 Reaching Consensus is a challenge.........................................................................................................7

2.4 Conclusions...............................................................................................................................................7

3 UK GOVERNMENT REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FRAMEWORK................9

3.1 Structure...................................................................................................................................................9

3.2 Contents of the Boxes............................................................................................................................10

3.3 Responsibilities.......................................................................................................................................11

3.4 Benefiting from the Model....................................................................................................................12

3.5 Costs........................................................................................................................................................12

4 BRM – BUSINESS REFERENCE MODEL.......................................................13

4.1 BRM Descriptions..................................................................................................................................15

5 DRM – DATA REFERENCE MODEL................................................................24

6 ARM – APPLICATION REFERENCE MODEL.................................................25

6.1 ARM Descriptions.................................................................................................................................26

7 TRM – TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL.....................................................35

7.1 TRM Descriptions..................................................................................................................................36

8 Next Steps.........................................................................................................38

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1 INTRODUCTION

This Government is committed to reducing the costs associated with delivery and maintenance of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) services. Efforts to create a common infrastructure and improve the sharing and reuse of solutions and services have historically been hindered, in part, by the lack of an agreed set of proven structures and common definitions, defining the critical elements that make up the UK Government’s ICT landscape.

In order to address this gap, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), as part of the ongoing ICT Strategy published in March 2011, are leading the development of the UK Government Reference Architecture (UKRA).

This work is delivering a common set of vocabulary and definitions for each of the key components which make up the UK Government ICT estate, based on proven templates and methods known to support effective technology decisions, when adopted in the context of an Enterprise Architecture based governance approach.

In collaboration with other parties, HMRC are creating a baseline set of Reference Architecture materials, which will be formally transferred for ongoing maintenance to appointed governance bodies, anticipated to be in place by March 2012. The other parties who are/will be engaged in this are:

Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) ; government departments; academia; suppliers; industry analysts; local authorities; impacted ICT Strategy Action Leads; CESG.

Developing an architecture framework is a large undertaking and one that is never really finalised. As a result we believe it will be necessary to release the UK Government Reference Architecture (UKRA) in a series of versions, with each new version building on the last.

This version is an initial consultation paper intended to elicit the views and suggestions from those interested in and impacted by the activities of the United Kingdom Government and its supporting agencies and suppliers.

We do not propose to force agencies to replace any existing frameworks with the UKRA. However, for those who do not already have an architecture framework in place, or have one that is under review, we strongly recommend that you adopt the UKRA.

A sound architecture framework will support government by providing a context for decision-making and help agencies develop capabilities needed for the future.In particular, it will support agencies to operate across traditional boundaries to improve service delivery and deliver more responsive policy implementation.

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The UK Government Reference Architecture is required to enable re-use and interoperability across government. For this to be successful it must provide a framework which allows departments to describe ICT capabilities in a way that allows them to be consumed and shared across government.

Therefore the purpose of this reference architecture is to:

Provide a framework to enable activity, process and complex systems to be broken down into small modular components, with known attributes, functionality, interfaces and dependencies.

Record those components in a way that business process owners, ICT service designers and solution providers can readily identify common areas of functionality.

Provide a framework against which common process and procedure can be developed to enable the effective reuse of solutions and services across government.

The benefits of a single consistent Government Reference Architecture include:

Greater SME engagement in government projects through use of open standards and reference architectures and the componentisation of government ICT projects.

Reduced risk and increased future proofing. The use of consistent infrastructure helps ensure that as technology develops; public sector ICT assets can be easily adapted.

Improved interconnectivity, and agility, facilitating timely delivery of new, joined-up services and inter-organisational processes.

Shorter ICT project and procurement timescales.

Cross-border working with European administrations to improve citizen and business service delivery.

Government becomes a more informed customer and has intelligence it can use during supplier negotiations/renegotiations.

Architecture is comparable across departments and public sector bodies, reducing ambiguity and duplication of requests.

Financial benefits are primarily derived from the re-use of existing assets/services and the enhanced competition delivered through componentised ICT projects and easier transition between suppliers and products.

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2 FINDINGS

2.1 Background – Approach for gathering Findings

A working group was created, formally consisting of representatives from:

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Department Of Health (DoH) Home Office(HO) Ministry of Defence (MoD) Cabinet Office (CO) Department of Education (DoE)

Each member of the working group was requested to supply existing materials representing their Departmental Reference Architecture content. The group also reviewed the US Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEA) & Australian Government Architecture (AGA) framework models agreeing that the UK Reference Architecture should adopt a similar approach.

The content of these models was subsequently compared & contrasted, revealing the following key findings:

Most departments seem to have a ‘Technical Reference Model’ (TRM) but other models seem to be used to a lesser degree

Language/ terminology used – lack of consolidated / consistent language

All materials shared represented very departmentally focussed outputs, rather than a Government wide perspective

There are some areas of commonality between the UK material and those of the FEA and AGA

many similarities were identified & comparisons drawn and agreed All of the group recognised that one consistent approach across

government was required and agreed there was significant benefit to be realised from a cross Government Reference Architecture.

The models discussed focussed on very similar areas, providing and defining models covering the activities and needs of Departmental needs surrounding:

Business Activities Information / Data Service Applications / IS Services Technical Platforms

Different terminology used across departments to represent similar things

Different approaches for representing the overall structure of the various model contents are adopted

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Different IT tools have been adopted to capture, maintain and publish architecture content

Examples include: Microsoft PowerPoint; Excel; Visio; Casewise Corporate Modeller; Mood.

2.2 Reaching Consensus is a challenge

It has been acknowledged that the development of a single set of reference architectural materials will ideally be based on a consensus across all Government Departmental and Agency representatives.

Reaching this consensus has been an identified risk throughout the work, and continues to be managed. This document provides the formal platform from which this consensus is aimed to be delivered.

Danger that the initiative will become ‘shelf ware’ and gather virtual ‘e’ dust. It will be imperative to gain agreement from all stakeholders to extend use of the reference architecture definitions. A requirement must exist to carry out ongoing maintenance after Ministerial agreement has been received.

A perception exists around the FEAF & AGA models that the governance around the models is lacking and there is no process to continually improve the models. This has made the use of these models ineffective.

2.3 Conclusions

It is essential that the UKRA gains the necessary ownership & ‘buy in’ from stakeholders to ensure that it is adopted & adapted accordingly

The risk of protracted debates on architectures and standards could result in long lead times or “academic argument.” It may be tricky to gain a consensus across all Departments to an agreed single reference architecture.

Collaboration between the main departments is vital, the need for consensus may result in winners & losers and there may be a need for compromise if we employ a single consistent approach.

Results will need to be pragmatic, to ensure a final deliverable that is a blend of existing and industry collateral

Component definitions continue to evolve from other streams making it challenging to baseline reference architecture. We need to ensure that we work with all other relevant delivery streams to feed in materials (e.g. desktop definition).

There is a strong desire to establish some common definitionsEngagement and conversations have been lively and active, with passionate views expressed and an eagerness to contribute to a successful outcome

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A Reference Architecture does not equal Architecture ManagementThere is broad acknowledgement that the reference architecture must be robustly supported by a significantly strong governance model, if the content of the model is to be adopted through agency delivered projects.

There is a fear that this work will result in “e-shelfware”Danger that the initiative will become ‘shelf ware’ and gather virtual ‘e’ dust. It will be imperative to gain agreement from all stakeholders to extend use of the reference architecture definitions. A requirement must exist to carry out ongoing maintenance after Ministerial agreement has been received.

The reference architecture is a moving target needing constant adjustment of sightsComponent definitions continue to evolve from other streams making it challenging to baseline reference architecture. We need to ensure that we work with all other relevant delivery streams to feed in materials (e.g. desktop definition)

There are strong feelings of ownership for locally developed methods

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3 UK GOVERNMENT REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE FRAMEWORK

The Reference Architecture Framework is set out in the following 12 box model:

HOW Logical

WITH WHATPhysical

WHAT Conceptual

Tech

nolo

gyB

usin

ess

Info

rmat

ion

App

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ions

Government Strategy

Government Information

Strategy

Government Applications

Strategy

Government Technology

Strategy

Which data storage and transfer

mechanisms ?

Which packages & bespoke software?

Which h/w, systems s/w &

networks

Which physical buildings, people

etc…

How is the business logically

structured

How is the information defined

and related

How are the application

components defined and related

How are the technology components defined and

related

HOW Logical HOW

Logical WITH WHAT

Physical WITH WHAT

Physical WHAT

ConceptualWHAT

Conceptual

Tech

nolo

gyB

usin

ess

Info

rmat

ion

App

licat

ions

Government Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


mechanisms ?



networks


etc…


structured


and related




related

It is no accident that the framework has been designed to resemble a large filing cabinet. This is how it should viewed: as structured storage containing ‘drawers’ which can be opened to view specific aspects of the strategy or architecture. It ultimately should contain, or reference, material ranging from the high level government strategy to the low level IT physical assets. The current focus of this Reference Architecture work is the middle ‘filing cabinet’ which focuses on the logical definitions of architectural components ranging from business to technology.

3.1 Structure

The architecture has three columns that describe the conceptual, logical and physical view of the enterprise. The ‘how, the ‘what’ and the ‘with what’.

The conceptual column sets the strategic vision against which each of the other columns needs to deliver.

The logical column provides a coherent and consistent representation of the enterprise into logical groupings.

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The physical column shows what actually exists across departments and references them to the logical structure.

These columns are then related to four rows:

Business Layer – the Government business activities.

Information Layer – how we describe and interact with information across government.

Applications Layer– The applications and services that allow us to create modify share and store information.

Technology – the technological components that allow us to deliver applications and services.

3.2 Contents of the Boxes

Each box in the Reference Model is described below as follows:

Government Strategy. All activities that the Government undertakes should ultimately be traceable back to this top level strategy.

Business Reference Model – A model for government that describes its activities. These describe the business needs in order to achieve government outcomes.

Which Physical Buildings, People etc – A framework model showing how government is actually made up as distinct from the logical activities that it undertakes.

Government Information Strategy

Data Reference Model – The logical model that represents the key information assets that the government needs to manage to achieve its business outcomes and the key metrics to manage it throughout its lifecycle.

Which data storage and transfer mechanisms - The physical data and information holdings of government against which consistency and interoperability can be judged.

Government Applications Strategy

Application Reference Model – a logical decomposition of the Information services and applications that government requires to be provided and a description thereof.

Which packages and bespoke software? – The cross government applications and services categorised to represent the logical model.

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Government Technology Strategy

Technical Reference Model – A logical description of the technological components that are required to support the delivery of applications and services.

Which hardware, systems, software & networks? - The government ICT register that contains the actual holdings of equipment across departments.

HOW Logical

WITH WHATPhysical

WHAT Conceptual

Tech

nolo

gyB

usin

ess

Info

rmat

ion

App

licat

ions

Government Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


mechanisms ?



networks


etc…


structured


and related




related

HOW Logical HOW

Logical WITH WHAT

Physical WITH WHAT

Physical WHAT

ConceptualWHAT

Conceptual

Tech

nolo

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usin

ess

Info

rmat

ion

App

licat

ions

Government Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


Strategy


mechanisms ?



networks


etc…


structured


and related




related

Technical Reference

Model (TRM)

Application Reference

Model (ARM)

Data Reference

Model (DRM)

Business Reference

Model (DRM)

The focus for this version of Reference Architecture is each of the 4 models identified above in the ‘logical’ column.

3.3 Responsibilities

Value from the Model will increase as more information about the physical environment is added, and as the logical maps of process, information, applications and equipment mature. However, work will be necessary firstly to publish the initial model, then to populate it, and thereafter to maintain its currency. Overall responsibility rests with the Government CIO delivery board, who will take responsibility for provision of the hosting environment, the initial publication, instructions for completion, and overall quality control through an empowered cross government enterprise architect

The Strategy Box’s on the left hand side of the model are linked directly to the strategy documents that are produced by cabinet office

Business Reference Model Box - each department is responsible for ensuring that the business services defined here adequately meet their operational objectives.

Application Reference Model Box - each department is responsible for ensuring that their core information needs are adequately addressed by the information services identified here.

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“Which packages & bespoke software?” Box – Each department is responsible for ensuring that their applications are correctly reflected in the register and that they accurately reflect the logical service for which they provide supporting functionality.

“Which data storage and transfer mechanisms?” Box - Each department is responsible for ensuring that their information assets are correctly reflected in the register and that they accurately reflect the logical information for which they provide supporting functionality.

Data Reference Model Box – Open standards board is responsible for delivering the logical description of information across government.

Technical Reference Model Box – The components are the responsibility of the CIO delivery board. Each category has a RACI, policy and standards that are to be maintained by the responsible owner.

3.4 Benefiting from the Model

While the model is being updated, Departments will progressively be able to see what exists elsewhere, and identify possible opportunities for re-use of assets. The overall logical and physical models will also be taking shape. It is the set of activities to tidy the physical implementations (i.e. moving the physical closer to the logical) that will generate the financial savings. Consolidation of assets and processes should lead to economies of scale), while awareness of existing components will reduce the danger of unnecessary duplication of effort. A separate concept of use document will be issued with guidance and policy on how departments across government should use the model in order to achieve these benefits

3.5 Costs

The central costs of creating and hosting the Model will be low and based entirely on existing technology. The Departmental costs will vary, according to how well they have documented their existing processes, information, applications and hardware. Those departments who are well advanced will be expected to post their material into the model early and then subsequently offer advice to other departments who are starting from a lower base.

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4 BRM – BUSINESS REFERENCE MODEL

A Business Reference Model (BRM) is a functional (as opposed to organisational) view of the business of government. We have identified 2 high level BRM’s: firstly the internal capabilities required to run the government i.e. ‘Managing the Government’ and secondly a ‘Services for Citizens’ BRM that identifies the services provided by government. Neither implies any organisational construct.

This model can be viewed as the top down entry point into the Reference Architecture and It supports the primary aim of the architecture which is to promote reuse and standardisation. Identifying common business capabilities enables us to identify the opportunities for developing common supporting ICT capabilities.

The ‘Services for Citizens’ capabilities will tend to be department specific, although may help to identify areas that are common across several n departments. Describing the government around common business areas instead of a department by department view helps identify areas for Cross Government collaboration.

Managing the Government

Administrative Management

Business Management

Financial Management

Human Resource

Management

Information & Knowledge Management

Support Infrastructure Management

Services For Citizens

CommunityServices Communications Media Policing Employment

Defence Justice Education &Training Healthcare Science Sports &

Recreation

International Relations Immigration Cultural Affairs Multi Cultural

Affairs Tourism Trade

Primary Industries

EconomicManagement Environment Maritime

ServicesNatural

Resources Transport

Credit &Insurance

Revenue Collection

Statistical Services

Support forBusinesses

The focus of our work to date has been on the ‘internal’ capabilities required to run any large organisation. In our case this is the ‘Managing the Government’ BRM. This is where the strongest opportunities for re-use of ICT exist.

Note: there is a potential overlap with the Shared Services initiative within the Cabinet Office. The project team developing the Reference Architecture will engage with this work ahead of the next release.

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4.1 ‘Managing UK Government’ BRM

KEY: = Best early opportunity for Shared IT Services

The Business Components, illustrated in white:

• Are parts of the UK Government enterprise, using resources to fulfil unique business purposes

• Can operate independently, as a separate organisation or a part thereof;• Must work together to achieve a common goal.

Each component exists within a ‘Business Competency’ (illustrated as columns in the model), which represent UK Government’s five key ‘Shared Services’, each with their own characteristic skills and capabilities. These are:

1. Risk, Security and Assurance2. Customer Management3. Financial Management4. Business Management (incl. HR Management)5. Information, Knowledge & infrastructure Management

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The BRM is represented in three rows, which characterise the scope and intent of activity and decision making for each specific component. These are:

• ‘Strategy’ - Strategy, overall direction and policy; • ‘Management’ - Monitoring, managing exceptions and tactical decision

making; • ‘Operations’ - the activities of the function

The Business Components in the model describe key ‘Capabilities’ that are required across all UK Government Departments and at the ‘Strategy’ and ‘Management’ level the vast majority of these functions will be undertaken and provided in a specific manner that is relevant to the individual Government Department, hence are not functions that we anticipate delivering Shared IT Solutions for. However, there are a number of Business Components at the ‘Operations’ level which could be provided in a consistent way using the same technology across Government Departments and these are identified as ‘Shared IT Services’ and are highlighted in the model above in yellow.

‘Managing the UK Government’ BRM Descriptions

What follows below is a detailed view of these Level 0 ‘Business Components’ within the ‘Managing UK Government’ BRM, catalogued by competency:

Risk, Security and Assurance

Description: Risk, Security and Assurance represent the key functions that protect the UK Government through the effective management of Risk

Strategy - Strategic Risk Assessment – The Strategic Risk Assessment component involves understanding the environment & the potential impact & risk to the Government Department

Management - Risk Management Effectiveness Development and Improvements - The Risk Management Effectiveness Development and Improvements component involves the monitoring of Departmental risk management effectiveness, development and improvements to both internal and external risks (ALL risk areas to UK Government Departments)

Operations - Internal Compliance Assurance – The Internal Compliance Assurance component involves the audit function to cover all aspects of internal compliance for the Government Department (e.g. Health & Safety, Data Security, People Policy)

Operations - Service Access Control – The Service Access Control component involves the authentication and verification of a registered customer's identity and defines the roles to a given service (or services) and associated data.

Operations - Internal Business Risk Management Delivery – The Internal Business Risk Management Delivery component involves the day to day protection and management of security with regards to staff, physical assets, data and information, products and processes and business continuity.

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Operations - Law Enforcement Execution - The Law Enforcement Execution component is concerned with the execution and management of criminal investigations and criminal proceedings in accordance with the law, collecting and managing evidence to the appropriate standard.

Operations - Risk Intervention Delivery – The Risk Intervention Delivery component involves the day to day execution and feedback of outcomes of risk assessment, campaign management and interventions to protect the Government Department’s business.

Customer Management

Description: Customer Management encompasses all elements of customer contact, from identification and registration through to contact management, support and education. This Business Competency allows for inbound and outbound interactions across all channels, with a customer, an agent or an intermediary

Strategy - Customer Strategy Development - The Customer Strategy Development component outlines the strategic direction of customer strategy, to achieve long term goals of a UK Government Department to achieve its objectives. It includes considering the needs of customer and how the Government Department delivers a service (or services) to them, taking in to account external factors such a customer demographic changes.

Management - Channel Strategy Development - The Channel Strategy Development component focuses on the strategic approach, vision, objectives and goals of this area through an understanding of the external channel environment.

Management - Customer Relationship Management – The Customer Relationship Management component covers the ability to understand customer needs to develop and enhance the customer contact through all channels and customer segmentation types. It incorporates the review of a customer and their use of channels to develop and improve the relationship that the Government Department has with customers.

Operations - Customer Identity Management – The Customer Identity Management component includes the ability to establish a single identity record for each customer, providing the foundation for all interactions with them based upon a single, up to date picture of who they are. It will also ensure that a customer identity record can be located based on full or partial identity information. This component is indicated as a potential early candidate for a cross government Shared IT Service.

Operations - Customer Profile Management – The Customer Profile Management component is concerned with the allocation of roles to a given service or services and data relating to a particular product to registered customer and the registration of a customer who is legally authorised to act on the behalf another customer

Operations – Customer Contact Management – The Customer Contact Management component encompasses all aspects of the day to day execution of all contact with a customer through both inbound and outbound interactions across all products/regimes tailoring to the customer segment. It encompasses both routine

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contact as part of a process step (such as the issue of a standard form or letter), non-standard queries (such as a phone call from a customer) through to the management of complaints, appeals and management of exceptions.

Operations - Customer Support and Education – The Customer Support & Education component includes the day to day delivery of providing focused guidance to the customer, tailored to their needs, guiding them rapidly to accurate and complete advice that is readily understood and that gives consistent and clear information. It also includes the support of agents and intermediaries who are interacting with customers on our behalf. This component is indicated as a potential early candidate for a cross government Shared IT Service

Financial Management

Description: Financial Management involves the Agency / Department use of financial information to measure, operate and predict the effectiveness and efficiency of an entity's activities in relation to its objectives. The ability to obtain and use such information is usually characterised by having in place policies, practices, standards and a system of controls that reliably capture and report activity in a consistent manner.

Strategy - Strategic Financial Management Development - The Strategic Financial Management Development component is concerned with working with Treasury and defining the financial management direction which implements the Treasury requirements.

Management - Financial Planning and Control - The Financial Planning and Control component is concerned with the annual planning and ongoing control of the financial performance of the Government Department. This component consolidates each of the business plans from each of the Government Departments to the UK Government wide plan. This component also monitors financial flows.

Operations - Trust Accounting - The Trust Accounting component is involved with the production of trust accounting, including customer accounting. This component is indicated as a potential early candidate for a cross government Shared IT Service.

Operations - Resource Accounting - The Resource Accounting component is involved with the production of resource accounts. This component is indicated as a potential early candidate for a cross government Shared IT Service.

Operations - Payments and Receipts Management - The Payments and Receipts Management component is concerned with financial transactions which include receipts and payments from/to customers, payroll to staff, banking and debt collection. This component is indicated as a potential early candidate for a cross government Shared IT Service.

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Business Management

Description: Business Management involves activities associated with the management of how the government conducts its business and changes to that business in order to achieve planned outcomes and outputs. Included are capabilities in developing strategy; monitoring performance against objectives; managing change; resource management of both human and physical assets; and managing commercial relationships.

Strategy - Strategy Development and Direction – The Strategy Development and Direction component involves the development of Government Departments’ strategies. This involves understanding of the external environment [political, economic, social, technology] and its impact, plus the development of the Department’s main aims and objectives including; financial and non financial targets, alignment of its organisation, people and skills development, the way in which the Government Department will respond to legislation, decisions on strategic commercial services to provide internally or procure externally [insource vs outsource], the services which the Government Department will act as a supplier of to OGCs and the way that the Department will approach strategic partnerships.

Strategy - Policy and Legislation Development – The Policy and Legislation Development component is involved with influencing the development of policies and legislations through building strong relationships with the key stakeholders such as the Treasury in order to uphold the integrity of a Government Department’s organisation, processes and systems.

Management - Business Performance Management – The Business Performance Management component is concerned with the monitoring and review of government from all aspects of the organisation. This includes regular or ad-hoc management reviews on the delivery of key performance indicators against targets, identification and resolution of business performance issues and actions tracking.

Management - Process Design and Improvement – The Process Design and Improvement components reviews and monitors performance of business processes and triggers redesign in order to improve business performance.

Management - Change Management – The Change Management component is concerned with the planning and monitoring of change programmes / projects / initiatives including the identification of change solutions, prioritisation, risk and issues management, resourcing the change teams to support the departments implementing the changes and associated benefits tracking.

Management - Commercial Partnership Management – The Commercial Partnership Management component ensures that the necessary Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and Performance Indicators (PI’s) exist for commercial partnerships [both for suppliers to the Government Department and for the Government Department itself as a supplier of services to OGDs] and, in turn, that these documented SLA’s and PI’s are effectively monitored and achieved.

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Management - Resource Forecasting and Planning – The Resource Forecasting and Planning component is involved with the planning and forecasting of resources to achieve a Government Department’s objectives and targets. The definition of 'resources' includes both people and physical assets such as buildings / estates, IT equipment, office equipment and consumables.

Management - Communications Planning – The Communications Planning component ensures that both internal and external communications are planned, executed and are effective. External communications includes both public relations and marketing while internal communications includes communications to the Government Department’s staff. Communications planning covers all available channels of communication.

Operations - Commercial Partnership Operations – The Commercial Partnership Operations component includes the day to day selection of suppliers, the selling/marketing of services between government departments and the management of the commercial contracts.

Operations - Communications – The Communications component includes Internal and external communications where external communications include PR and marketing. This component is indicated as a candidate for a cross government shared service.

Operations - HR Management – The HR Management component covers the day to day management of the Government Department’s staff including recruitment of staff, development and training, redeployment or retirement and ongoing appraisals / performance management. This component is indicated as a candidate for a cross government shared service.

Operations - Facility Management – The Facility Management component is involved with the day to day service support of facilities [e.g. building maintenance, cleaning], meeting room bookings, ordering / delivery / disposal of physical assets such as desks, chairs, consumables and PCs. This also includes the storage and disposal of seized and sensitive assets.

Operations - Legal Operations – The Legal Operations component involves advising government on the day to day legal running of its business and the resolution of legal issues involving government including conducting civil litigation.

Information, Knowledge & Infrastructure Management

Description: Information Management focuses on the processes used to create, capture, use and securely store information of all kinds. Knowledge Management involves maximising the value of information and turning it into knowledge, leading to more informed decision making. This competency is also concerned with the development of Information Systems to enable the manipulation, movement and storage of the Government Department’s data / information.

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Strategy - Information Management Strategy Development - The Information Management Strategy Development component includes the definition of the types of data and information to be stored, the storage and retrieval methods for that data and a clear definition of how the Government Department will comply with legislation for data and information.

Strategy - Information Systems Strategy Development – The Information Systems Strategy Development component includes the development of the vision of how IS will support the delivery of the Government strategies. This includes the definition of the IS expenditure targets such as the proportion of IS spend for ongoing support and maintenance versus investments, strategic architecture vision and strategic application development plans.

Management - Information Structure Management – The Information Structure Management component is involved with the development of the management structures for information which includes Meta data definition and update, data and information storage structures and processes which ensures that the use of data is efficient.

Management - Information Lifecycle Planning and Control – The Information Lifecycle Planning and Control component is involved with the monitoring of the usage of information and intelligence, and to ensure that information held by the Government Department is used appropriately and to the maximum for decision making.

Management - IS Effectiveness, Development and Improvement – The IS Effectiveness, Development and Improvement component ensures IS effectiveness covering both development and support operations. Development includes investment portfolio definition and investment portfolio management, whereas Support Operations includes the day to day operation of IS and it’s Service Management.

Operations - Information Analysis, Insight Reporting and Sharing – The Information Analysis, Insight Reporting and Sharing component covers the analysis of information, whether the information is structured or unstructured data to produce insights and regular or ad-hoc reports on the Department’s performance and any related issues. This resulting insight is also shared to ensure reuse and for effective decision making. This component is indicated as a candidate for a cross government shared service.

Operations - IS Development and Support – The IS Development and Support component covers day to day activities in provision of IT applications, infrastructure, information and services. This includes the day to day management of investment projects, maintenance and support activities to ensure systems and data availability.

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4.2 ‘Services For Citizens’ – Business Reference Model

The ‘Services for Citizens’ capabilities will tend to be department specific, although may help to identify areas that are common across several n departments. Describing the government around common business areas instead of a department by department view helps identify areas for Cross Government collaboration. A full list of Business Capabilities within Services For Citizens are listed below:

Business Support - Business Support includes supporting the private sector, including small business and non-profit organisations; supporting strategies to assist business growth and management; supporting advocacy programs and advising on regulations surrounding business activities; and assisting businesses to comply with reporting requirements of the government.

Communications - Communications includes supporting the growth and management of industries that enable and facilitate the communication and transmission of information; supporting the provision of communications services to all citizens; and advising on regulations, standards and guidelines surrounding communications services and technologies.

Community Services - Community Services includes supporting assistance to citizens in a particular district or those with common interests and needs; providing welfare services and financial support; and supporting disaster and emergency assistance.

Credit and Insurance - Credit and Insurance involves the use of government funds to cover the subsidy cost of a direct loan or loan guarantee or to protect/indemnify members of the public from financial losses.

Cultural Affairs - Cultural Affairs includes supporting the arts and cultural organisations such as museums, libraries and galleries; supporting the development and management of cultural collections and artefacts, and stimulating growth in cultural industries; and sponsoring activities and events to celebrate the diversity of UK culture.

Defence - Defence includes supporting the defence and protection of the nation, region and allies; ensuring the safety of the UK by building, maintaining and deploying military resources; and providing protective support by defence service personnel at major civilian events, emergency operations, humanitarian operations and peacekeeping efforts.

Economic Management - Economic Management includes supporting the economic management of public funds and other resources; supporting appropriate strategies for raising revenue and regulating expenditure; providing advice on investment regulations; and monitoring economic indicators and forecasting trends to enable financial planning.

Education and Training - Education and Training includes supporting the provision of skills and knowledge to citizens; supporting strategies to make education available to the broadest possible cross-section of the community; supporting schools,

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universities, colleges, academies or community groups that provide education and training; and supporting the development and management of educational institutions.

Employment - Employment includes supporting employment growth and working environments; supporting strategies to improve workplace relations, productivity and performance; and supporting labour market stability and growth.

Environment - Environment includes supporting the management of the surrounding natural and built environments; balancing competing requirements to generate long term sustainable benefits for industry, tourism and the community; and protecting elements of the natural and built environment that are of special significance. It includes the conservation of the national estate and world heritage concerns.

Health Care - Health Care includes supporting the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury; supporting the provision of health care services and medical research; supporting regulatory schemes for health care products and pharmaceuticals; and controlling the registration and conduct of health practitioners.

Immigration - Immigration includes assisting people wishing to enter the UK on a permanent or temporary basis; providing and advising on entry or deportation requirements for migrants and visitors. It includes strategies for the management of illegal immigrants.

International Relations - International Relations involves building and maintaining relationships with other countries and international organisations; protecting and advancing national interests; and contributing to international security, economic development, the environment, democratic principles and human rights through aid programs, treaties and diplomatic services.

Justice - Justice involves providing, interpreting and applying legislation, regulations or by-laws; providing advice on regulations regarding the conduct of individuals, business and government to conform to agreed rules and principles; and supporting the operation of the justice system.

Maritime Services - Maritime Services involves negotiating passage for sea transport and maritime jurisdiction; advising on regulations regarding the use of the sea as a means of transport; providing and managing maritime infrastructure; controlling the carriage of cargo; monitoring the safety of seagoing vessels, pilots and personnel; supporting marine search and rescue, and the development of navigational aids; and monitoring the environmental impact of maritime activities.

Multi-Cultural Affairs - Multi-Cultural Affairs involves supporting the diversity of the population across the UK

Natural Resources - Natural Resources involves supporting the sustainable use and management of energy, mineral, land and water supplies; evaluating resource consumption and exploitation practices; and advising on related regulations and supporting industries that realise the economic potential of resources.

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Policing - Policing involves maintaining the safety of UK at all levels of society; guarding against internal or external threats to peace and stability; supporting law enforcement, community protection and corrective services; and coordinating intelligence gathering and international security activities.

Primary Industries - Primary Industries involves supporting rural and marine industries; advising on related regulations. Implementing strategies for efficient and sustainable operations; monitoring current practices to meet national and international standards. This includes liaison with industry bodies and across jurisdictions in relation to the needs of primary industries.

Revenue Collection - Revenue Collection includes the collection of government income from all sources.

Science - Science involves supporting and promoting research and systematic studies. Supporting scientific bodies and monitoring industry research and development programs. This includes research into living things and their environments, natural laws and the application of knowledge to practical problems.

Sport and Recreation - Sport and Recreation refers to supporting, promoting and encouraging community participation in organised games or leisure activities; and advising on regulations regarding sport and recreation.

Statistical Services - Statistical Services refers to providing a high quality, objective and responsive statistics service to assist and encourage informed decision making, research and discussion within governments and the community.

Tourism - Tourism refers to encouraging recreational visitors to a region; supporting the tourism industry and advising on regulations regarding tourism; supporting long-term strategies for tourism development and coordinating across jurisdictions on large-scale projects; and supporting promotional campaigns.

Trade - Trade involves supporting the purchase, sale or exchange of commodities and advising on trade regulations; monitoring and providing advice on the balance of trade, industry protection and subsidy schemes – includes foreign and domestic activities and liaison across jurisdictions to support trade agreement negotiations.

Transport - Transport refers to supporting road, rail and air transportation systems and advising on transport regulations; supporting the movement of people or freight. Monitoring and advising on the safety of vehicles and their operators; and supporting the development of transport infrastructure.

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5 DRM – DATA REFERENCE MODEL

The DRM is a flexible and standards-based framework to enable information sharing and reuse across government via the standard description and discovery of common data and the promotion of uniform data management practices. The DRM will provide a standard means by which data may be described, categorised, and shared.

A lot of work has been done in this area by the CTO Council’s Information Domain group. This work will be integrated with the Reference Architecture work prior to the March release. In the interim their draft report is embedded below.

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6 ARM – APPLICATION REFERENCE MODEL

The Applications Reference Model describes logical groups of IT Capabilities (Components) that manage the information objects in the Data Reference Model and support the business capabilities in the Business Reference Model. The logical application components will tend to be stable but the technology used to implement them will change over time, based on the technologies currently available and changing business needs. These IT Components provide the common, re-usable “Building Blocks” which the can be combined and orchestrated in order to construct business applications.The components should offer discrete IT functionality and ideally be available from multiple vendors in the marketplace. We will link the logical components to the physical components being captured in the Government IT Asset Register.

The adoption of good design practice such as loose coupling, service versioning, and the adoption of open standard interfaces and messaging and data formats developed within the framework of the ARM will ensure that as technologies change the logical component can be evolved without causing major impact on other logical components that make up the business applications. Adopting these principles therefore will ensure that maximum value is extracted from IT investment whilst at the same time minimising the time, cost and complexity of developing, deploying, maintaining, and enhancing our IT systems going forward. Again this use of a standard model will directly support the objectives of reuse by enabling departments to speak in a common language and identify opportunities for sharing.

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6.1 ARM Descriptions

Customer Management Application Group

Customer Relationship Management: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provides services that allow Departments to:

Segment & Profile its Customers Understand their behaviours (Customer Analytics) Plan its interactions with its customers and implement them (Campaign

Management)

CRM focuses on the generic approach to customers, specific interactions with individual customers is delivered by the Customer Contact Management component.

Customer Contact Management: Contact Management Services support and manage all customer contacts with Departments providing:

Diary & Scheduling Escalations & Enquiry Status Complete Contact history

A Contact Management System (CMS) is a solution that allows organisations to record all atomic relationships and interactions with their customers and provide complete trace ability from initiation to outcome.

External Collaboration: Services to enable customers and Departmental staff to exchange information to work on shared tasks, the component is provided for people to “share” information, such as documents in a collaborative “space” where they can work together asynchronously or in real time.

Customer Identity Management: The Customer Identity Management component provides a single assured service for the verification of a customer's identity; it encapsulates the many Technology Architecture components and services that are used to support Identity ManagementIt provides the ability to manage roles and permissions based on the legal entity. It also supports the maintenance of the identity data (merging / separating records, cleansing and keeping a clear audit log of actions); including special customer records and supports the provisioning of identity data to other business services.It enables Departments to know who their customers are (Individuals, businesses, agents…) and what roles they have, what permissions and services access are associated to their roles and bringing together and securely managing their information.

This capability includes the ability to establish a single identity record for each customer (or employee), providing the foundation for all interactions with them based upon a single, up to date picture of whom they are. It ensures a customer identity record can be located based on full or partial identity information.

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Customer Portal: The customer portal provides services which support the customer in their interactions with Departments, by providing the ability to define their preferences, provide appropriate presentation and bring together the applications and guidance they need. The Customer Portal is used in conjunction with the Off-line Forms services (below) in order to provide secure viewing capability (e.g. for showing customer status information) and to maintain user preferences, etc.Portals are predominately delivered via the online channel but they are equally applicable, if functionally constrained, to other channels such as Telephony. Online Form: Provides a method for the capture of information from customers where they are connected directly to services provided by Departments (e.g. via the Internet). Data input will be validated at the time of submission for both its integrity in respect of the form specification itself (e.g. field size, range, format, calculation) and in respect of data already held by a Department.

Offline Form: Provides a way for customers to prepare data for submission to Departments without needing to be connected directly to Departmental services; as far as possible the data will be validated against the form specification at time of input. Pre-population of customer data fields and data submission (filing) will be handled using the Third Party Services (see below).

Guidance: The Guidance Component provides services supporting the provision of content to an adviser (or other Departmental employee) or a customer which allows them to come to an appropriate and correct decision in respect of the query they have or are being asked to handle (for example eligibility or amount of liability). This decision may be a definitive answer, such as "you are eligible", or the need to invoke a transactional service to get that answer.

Guidance may be static; requiring the user to evaluate their own context and/or its applicability or dynamic; where it is tailored specifically to fit his or her circumstances, role and entitlements, using 'intent-led' processes to offer ‘next best’ guidance and questions to lead interactions. In such cases the Decision Logic Application Component will under pin the guidance application.

A key principle is wherever possible the same source material (version of the truth) is presented to suit the interaction, whether static or dynamic. Where a Department needs to ensure non-repudiation of guidance given to a customer, an audit trail of the information supplied and conclusions provided must be kept. For some applications, there will be a need to keep and resume part-completed sessions supporting enquiries requiring decisions and eligibility and entitlement responses.

Third Party Services: Provides a way for our customers to access Departments on-line services to retrieve and submit data using third party software products. This is a key enabler for the on-line strategy and is the primary route for on-line service access used by business customers and agents; to set the context, over 70% of on-line submissions for Self Assessment annually are filed using third party software with the remaining (<30%) using the on-line form provided through the Customer

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Portal. The Off-line Forms Service also uses the Third Party Services to submit customer data.

Existing third party services are provided through a combination of direct web-services provided by Departments. Third Party Services are client-agnostic and going forward, will use open standards for messaging (XML, SOAP, Web Services etc.)

Business Process and Decision Management Application Group

Process Logic: The Process Logic Application Component supports the routing and execution of business processes; these can be split into two, complementary categories:

Process Orchestration; the business process is achieved by linking together a number of discrete services provided by other Application Components. These services are usually automated. This should become the dominant approach as Departments work towards a Service Oriented Architecture.

Workflow Management - The business process is achieved by linking together a number of tasks or activities. Such activities may be either allocated to people and manually enacted, or automated. Functions included are assigning work to individuals, balancing workload and tracking overall performance. In addition, workers require access to business data and associated business functions; workers usually use at least a subset of the main-line business applications.

Decision Logic: The Decision Logic Application Component provides services which allow the business to define it's rules for assessing eligibility, liability and entitlement etc. These rules can then be directly executed avoiding the historic requirement to get them tuned into traditional "code" by IT developers.Predicted uses of Decision Logic services include:

Policy & Guidance; to help policy makers to turn legislative requirements into policies and rules that customers can use as interactive guidance.

Determine (Calculate) Liabilities or Entitlements; where these decisions are complex or subject to frequent rule / policy changes.

Guiding Business Processes; using rules and other decision technologies to react to events, and to take automated decisions to guide the flow of activities within a business process, in concert with the Process Logic services.

Risk Assessment; to determine the risks associated with a transaction or event, in near real-time. Depending on the outcome of the assessment different workflows are triggered to direct responses.

Response Allocation; automated (and human supervised) response allocation against resource groups and risk scores based on optimising yield/effect of the response.

Legacy erosion; abstraction of the rules from traditional code and executing them outside of departmental core systems, in concert with other Application Components such as those in the Finance and Business Management domain and coordinated by Process Logic.

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Finance and Business Management Application Group

Financial Planning and Control: These components support the annual planning and ongoing control of the financial performance of a Department, allowing consolidation of business plans from each of the business units to the Departmental wide plan. This component also supports financial flows in cash and treasury management.

Management Accounting: Provides the ability to create, track and manage the various departmental budgets.

Services provided: Project Accounting – Departmental change projects Cost Centre Accounting - by Cost Centre hierarchy Profit Centre Accounting - financial efficiency analysis Revenue and Cost Planning - budgeting to meet efficiency targets

Cash & Treasury Management: Services provided: Cash and Liquidity Management-Disposal of funds across accounts to support

day to day Departmental and HM Treasury operations. Credit Management-Risk and mitigation actions - e.g. credit limits and

deferment account Status. Exchange Rates-Provides information on exchange rates Treasury Management-Strategic forecasting of cash balances.

Core Accounting: Supporting Trust Accounting (Provides integrated accounting support for the collection and disbursement of funds to and from customers) and Resource Accounting (related to maintenance of the department’s resource accounts, reporting on the department’s financial performance and the outturn of expenditure compared to funds that were approved by Parliament).

Trust Accounting: It provides integrated accounting support for the collection and disbursement of funds to and from customers.

Services provided: Open Item Management-control Debt Administration-Manage Liabilities identify debts, issue reminders Trust Ledger - To support production of Trust Accounts Create/Amend entitlement - e.g. benefit, entitlement Create/Amend Charge-Create/amend liability against customer’s account e.g.

add interest, penalty regime calculation. Maintain Customer Master Data-specific to accounting Account Statement Management

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Payments & Receipts: Provides services related to the processing of payments and receipts.

Services Provided: Process Payment - Pay customers entitlements Process Receipt - For the customer and matched against Customer charges BACS Error Returns

Resource Accounting: Provides services related to maintenance of the department’s resource accounts. These report on the department’s financial performance and the outturn of expenditure compared to funds that were approved by Parliament.

Services Provided: Resource Ledger-to support production of Resource Accs. Bank Accounting-reconcile statements with Departmental ledgers Accounts Payable-Manages supplier accounting Fixed Assets-Asset register, accounting, depreciation Financial Statements - produced at period/year end

Corporate Shared Services: The collection of other accounting and business services, necessary to support the core business of the department.

Legal Services: Provides services advising a Department on day to day running of it's business and resolution of legal issues involving the Department

Human Resources: All services relating to employee management, starting/leaving work, employee details, appraisal system, payroll, expenses etc.

Estate Management: Relates to the management of the department's physical estate – property acquisition, disposal, leasing management and maintenance

Supply and Inventory Management: Handles the supply and inventory management of goods and services for the department.

Health and Safety Management: consisting of Health and Safety Monitoring - including Risk Assessments and provision and Management of Health and Safety items required under related Acts, e.g. DSE.

Learning and Talent Management: Provides services required to track employee skills and to develop and deliver training packages to the desktop.

Business Intelligence Application Group

Reporting: Provide the ability to report and query data held within the Business Intelligence architecture. It can also be used to conduct operational reporting on source systems where the use of the service is deemed appropriate.

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Services provided: Pre-Defined Reporting – Pre-defined reports created for users, to meet

regular requirements. Ad-hoc Reporting – User created reports for infrequent requirements. Query and Analysis – Allows users to query and analyse data, e.g. drill down,

‘slice and dice’. Application Specific Reporting – Limited to and within a specific application.

Search: Provides the ability to locate sources of specific data (i.e. structured, usually in operational systems) or information (i.e. unstructured, usually in content repositories or internet/intranet stores).

Services provided: Web Search – Identify and retrieve content across the intranet/internet. Enterprise Search – Multiple types of content across a variety of sources,

producing a consolidated list ranked by relevance. Federated Search – Across multiple applications or using multiple search

applications. Application Specific Search – Limited to and within a specific application.

Analysis: Provides the ability to analyse data using a range of technique; for purposes including rule discovery, support to risk assessment and policy development, customer segmentation and ad hoc queries.

Services provided: Data Mining, Behavioural Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Graphical Information,

Financial Analysis, Forecasting and Trends, Geographical Information, Data Network Visualisation.

Performance Management: Provides the ability to define, monitor, measure and optimise results and outcomes to achieve business objectives across multiple levels.

Services provided: Goal Setting – Goals and objectives linked to organisational operation, can be

hierarchical. Initiative Recording – Initiatives and projects linked to goals and objectives. Key Performance Indicators – Metrics linked to goals and objectives. Monitoring and Tracking – Information for operational reviews, scorecards and

dashboards.

Information Management Application Group

Enterprise Content Management: Enterprise Content Management is the component which provides services which support the management, throughout lifecycle, of unstructured and semi-structured information (often referred to as "content"). It consists of:

Document / Records Management - Supports the life-cycle, capture, storage, security, version control, retrieval, distribution, preservation and destruction of any documents and content, irrespective of formats and media. Supports

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various business functions from forms processing, Content authoring, Knowledge Management, etc.

Web Content Management - Supports the management and control of web material (HTML documents, images, sound files, etc). It provides the features of Document / Records Management specialised for maintenance of web channels.

Email Management - Supports the classification, storage, retrieval of Email, again this is a specialisation of Document / Records Management.

Data Warehouse: consists of: Data Acquisition, Staging and Data Mart Creation Function: Retrieve Data

from Operational or Third Party Systems into a staging area ready for uploading to the Data Warehouse Core Data Store. Create User Data Marts when applicable for purposes of analysis and reporting. State: Extract Transform and Load Rules for running an ETL job. Reference: All Corporate Reference Data. Input: All data acquired from Third Party data stores and core departmental systems, Output: Data which is to be promoted to the Core Data Store.

Core Data Store (CDS) - Function: Stores all selected, shareable data in a structure applicable to its use promoted from Data Staging. State: Data Security rules for stored data. Retention and Archiving Rules. Input: Data acquired from the Data Staging platform. Output: Where applicable, data required for data marts and third party data stores.

Data Warehouse Metadata Management- Function: Manages the tags and encoding schemes to be used to describe resources in a Department. State: Business and technical rules for managing tags & encoding schemes.

Provisioning of Archive Data - making available non-active data. Provisioning of Joined Data - Delivery of composite views of data built from

the atomic data. Provisioning of Non-Joined Data - making available the atomic data.

Master Data Provisioning: consists of:

Provisioning of Reference Data - Provides single version of the truth for each reference data object, this service will cover information such as Codes/Descriptions or Exchange Rates.

Reference Data Management - services which allow the business to set the values of reference data and ensure it is shared in a co-ordinated fashion.

Data Improvement: Data Quality - Function: Checking and assessing data is fit for purpose. One off or regular checks. State: Business and Technical Rules by which data is assessed as being fit for purpose. Input: All data from various sources. Output: Assessment reports.Base Data Matching - Function: Enriches the data by combining data (e.g. providing a single view of either an individual or a company). These joined views will be created once and consumed by different Applications. State: Rules for Joining the Data. Input: Various Data Sources. Output: Matched Data Sets.

Data Validation: It is the comparison of data content against pre-determined rules which provide assurances of acceptable formats and structure of data.

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The compared data may have originated from any capture media and will be presented to this component using a consistent representation format (e.g. XML), and following a set structure (e.g. header, routing and source information, data format reference, data content).

Component Integration Application Group

Application Integration: Application integration describes the service which enables the data or functional components of one system or component to be used by another system or component. It includes any middleware or bus components that facilitate integration between applications or services, as follows:

Enterprise Service Bus – provides near real-time guaranteed messaging and real-time request/response for all components, applications and services outside of the major COTS packages. It provides a message backbone that allows data to be exchanged between applications residing in different domains and can mediate between application platforms within a domain where no domain service bus is deployed.

Domain Service Bus – provides near real-time guaranteed messaging and real-time request/response for all components, applications and services within an integration domain. An integration domain can be though of as a system or set of services that serves a specific business function and is deployed on the same technology stack.

COTS Integration – provides near real-time guaranteed messaging and real-time request/response within major COTS packages selected elsewhere in the architecture.

External Integration: The external integration service provides the controlled and managed gateways that enable the exchange of data with third parties. The gateway services will also enable functionality to be exposed by a Department to be consumed by approved third parties and allows a Department to consume services provided by third parties. Departments have different relationships with different groups of third parties and this is recognised in the strategy that proposes three logically separate gateways:

OGD/Public bodies' gateway – provides a gateway for data and services with UK central and local government third parties, normally across the GSI (or the planned PSN).

EU government gateway – provides a gateway allowing the exchange of messages between EU Member States. It is primarily – but not exclusively- used by the Customs and International business area. The EU gateway wraps the Common Communications Node/Common Systems Interface (CCN/CSI) hub – which is a pan EU integration backbone - and allows a Department’s applications to interface using cross government standards. Any new projects should align to EIF standards which promotes the use of recognised standards such as JMS and Web Services – although agreement is usually reached by consensus in project working groups.

Supplier gateway – provides a gateway allowing the exchange of data and the exposure of services that allow a Department to interact with its suppliers

Data Integration: Data integration concerns the acquisition of usually large volumes of data from a source system such as a HOD for transfer to a second system. The

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second system is usually a data warehouse but the data integration service can also be used in other circumstances such as the controlled migration of data from a retiring system to its successor or for data archiving purposes. It consists of:

Extract, transform and Load – primarily provides data integration from operational data bases into data warehouses. However the platform is also used for providing data services from sources to consumers

Internal file transfer – recognises that a Department’s legacy platforms are often closed to newer forms of integration and are unlikely to be replaced in the near future – a file transfer solution is therefore essential to support integration with these platforms.

Process Integration: Lightweight process orchestration is a quasi-service that provides the glue that allows federated BPM/Workflow Engines to work together. It does not include any services to support long running business activities, business process simulation, business activity management and human-centric processes. These can be found in the Business Process Management layer of the ARM.

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7 TRM – TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The TRM is a component-driven, technical framework categorising the standards and technologies to support and enable the delivery of Service Components and capabilities.

It also unifies existing agency TRM’s and E-Gov guidance by providing a foundation to advance the reuse and standardisation of technology and Service Components from a government-wide perspective.

Aligning capital investments to the TRM leverages a common, standardised vocabulary, allowing cross departmental discovery, collaboration, and interoperability. Government Departments and Central Government will benefit from economies of scale by identifying and reusing the best solutions and technologies to support their business functions, mission, and target architecture.

The TRM will continue to be elaborated as the other ICT Strategy workstreams progress so that consistent definitions are maintained i.e. the definitions agreed in the End User Device, PSN, Cloud etc. workstreams will be reflected in the TRM and potentially also the DRM.

Network

LAN

Presentation / Interface

Integration

Service Management

Hosting and Platform

Technical Reference Model (TRM)

Audio Dialogue Visual Display Content Rendering Channels

Usability & Accessibility

Services

Data Interchange

Data Management EAI Middleware Interoperability

Bulk Data Output

Bulk Data Capture Server Devices Storage

IT Accommodation

Services

End User Devices

WANAccess

ChannelsService

TransportGateway Services

IT Service Management

(ITIL)

Systems Management Data InterfaceData Base

Access Channels

Service Transport

Gateway Services

Security

Authentication

Authorisation Service

Security Management

Services

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7.1 TRM Descriptions

Service Management Technology Group

IT Service Management: IT Service Management is a process-based practice intended to align the delivery of information technology (IT) services with needs of government. IT Service Management involves a shift from managing IT as stacks of individual components to focusing on the delivery of end-to-end services using best practice process models

Systems Management: Systems Management is the management of the information technology systems in government. This includes gathering requirements, purchasing equipment and software, distributing it to where it is to be used, configuring it, maintaining it with enhancement and service updates, setting up problem-handling processes, and determining whether objectives are being met.

Presentation / Interface Technology Group

Descriptions to be provided by Global Digital Services to cover:

Audio Dialogue Visual Display Content Rendering Channels Usability & Accessibility Services

Integration Technology Group

Data Interchange: Data Interchange defines the methods in which data is transferred and represented in and between software applications.

Data Management: Data Management is the management of all data/information in an organisation. It includes data administration, the standards for defining data and the way in which people perceive and use it.

EAI Middleware: Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) refers to the processes and tools specialising in updating and consolidating applications and data within an enterprise. EAI focuses on leveraging existing legacy applications and data sources so that enterprises can add and migrate to current technologies. Middleware increases the flexibility, interoperability and portability of existing infrastructure by linking or ‘gluing’ two otherwise separate applications.

Interoperability: Interoperability defines the capabilities of discovering and sharing data and services across disparate systems and vendors.

Data Base: Data Base refers to programs that enable storage, modification and extraction of information from a database, and various techniques and devices for storing large amounts of data.Data Interface: Data Interface defines the capabilities of communicating, transporting and exchanging information through a common dialogue or method.

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Delivery channels provide the information to reach the intended destination, whereas interfaces allow the interaction to occur based on a pre-determined framework.

Hosting & Platform Technology Group

Bulk Data Output: Bulk Data Output refers to the data that has been converted via a Bulk Data Transfer software application to compress, block and buffer to optimise transfer rates when moving large data files.

Bulk Data Capture: Bulk Data Capture refers to the means in which this converted data is received and processed.

Server Devices: Server Devices are front-end platforms that provide information to a requesting application. It includes the hardware, operating system, server software and networking protocols.

Storage: Storage refers to components and recording media that retain digital data. Data storage is a core function and fundamental component of IT.

IT Accommodation Services: IT Accommodation Services refers to the integration of information technology (IT) and facility management disciplines to centralise monitoring, management and intelligent capacity planning of a data centre’s critical systems. Achieved through the implementation of specialised software, hardware and sensors, Accommodation Services enables common, real-time monitoring and management platform for all interdependent systems across IT and facility infrastructures.

End User Devices: The following definition for End User Devices is taken from the Government End User Device Strategy document (page 2): PCs, laptops, tablets, smart phones and other hardware that end users can use to interact with data and applications.

Network (WAN/LAN) Technology Group

Access Channels - Access channels define the interface between an application and its users, whether it is a browser, personal digital assistant or other medium.Service Transport - Service transport consists of the protocols that define the format and structure of data and information that is either accessed from a directory or exchanged through communications.Gateway Services - Gateway Services define the level of access to applications and systems based upon the type of network used to deliver them.

Security Technology Group

Authentication - Authentication refers to a method that provides users with the ability to login one time, getting authenticated access to all their applications and resources.Authorisation Service – Descriptions to be provided by CESGSecurity Management Services - Descriptions to be provided by CESG

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http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/government-end-user-device-strategy_0.doc

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8 NEXT STEPS

Continue developing common architectural material in support of the March deadline working with other ICT strands

Establish and agree with CIO Delivery Board an ongoing maintenance process for the continual development and governance of the UKRA

Establish clear ownership for the models Establish relevant tools for the storage, maintenance and publication of the

agreed reference architecture outputs Incorporate other ICT relevant content into the UKRA, ensuring maximum

opportunity for re-use is enabled Develop a proposal to enable monitoring of the usage and relevance of the

UKRA Engage with the Cabinet Office Shared Services initiative

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