Discussion

Enterprise Architecture Report

TheMasteringStudio.com

ICT-4010 Enterprise Architecture

Student Sample

University of Denver University College

Date, 2015

Instructor: Dr. Steve Else PhD

Table of Contents

Background 1

Major Architectural Concerns 3

Analysis of Identified Architectural Issues 4

Business Process Issues 4

Data, Information, Knowledge Issues 7

Policy Issues 9

Strategy Issues 11

Conclusions and Recommended Solutions 12

Appendix 15

Figure 1. Architectural Road Map 15

Figure 2. Gap Analysis 16

Figure 3. Current Business Process 17

Figure 4. Transitional Business Process Model 18

Figure 5. Target Business Process Model 19

Figure 6. Current Architecture Stack 20

Figure 7. Transitional Architecture Stack 21

Figure 8. Target Architecture Stack 22

References 23

Executive Summary

TheMasteringStudio.com is an online audio processing business. It has been in business

for 14 years, has a good reputation, and delivers an excellent product. The company is at its

throughput capacity due to inefficiencies in processes. We, the architecture team, identified

problems with business processes, data, information, knowledge, policy, and strategy. In

general, our recommendations are to automate business processes, collect and use both

customer and external data, develop a pay-first onsite payment system, and develop a fully

automated product offering. These capabilities will be supported by technical architectures that

will be phased into via a transitional architecture.

The transitional architecture will be achieved in 5 months. It will include a critical change

to the business process that will require upfront payment for services rendered. The

transitional architecture will focus on the automation of processes. It will consolidate functions

such as email and file sharing to the company’s existing server, away from third party vendors.

The transitional architecture is designed to act as a platform upon which the target architecture

can be built. The target architecture includes new capabilities that will take 1 year to

implement. It will focus on software developments that can be built while the business enjoys

the improved processes and efficiencies of the transitional architecture.

Appendix – Figure 1. Architectural Roadmap Sample -

1

Background

TheMasteringStudio.com provides audio processing services known as mastering.

Mastering is the final step in the music production process before music is released for public

consumption via distribution channels and broadcast. Mastering is both a technical and

aesthetic process that interfaces audio material to real world audio playback systems, formats,

and situations. Audio that is mastered travels well, in that, it will not sound noticeably different

on playback systems of varying size or quality. Mastered audio is described as sounding louder

than un-mastered material. Mastering brings quiet parts of music above the background noise

of busy listening environments. This loudness makes musical details audible during activities

such as driving or doing laundry.

The Mastering Studio.com started as a local business. A website was built and

customers trickled-in from around the world. Soon the Internet business eclipsed local

customer business and the owner placed an emphasis on attracting Internet customers.

Keyword based Internet advertising proved to be effective but also expensive, so efforts were

made to increase search engine visibility organically by choosing a relevant domain name and

infusing proper content into the site in search engine optimized ways. This has worked very

well and has given TheMasteringStudio.com first-page Google search results for the search:

mastering studio. However, it is not converting visitors into customers very well. Although

search placement and site traffic have never been better, Internet sales are at an all time low.

Customers are not able to interface with the company unless they submit a request for more

information, which they rarely do.

Technically, the entire mastering process can be automated. …

Success for TheMasteringStudio.com will be achieved when all known major

information and business opportunities are efficiently exploited. Outcomes from a successful

architecture shall include:

 Processes that should obviously be automated are automated….

Appendix – Figure 1. Architectural Roadmap Sample -

2

Major Architecture Concerns

Business Process

 The Company does not have a workflow process in place to facilitate online services

and payment (Vandenberg 2014).

 The company does not entice customers to interact with the site or contribute

content.

 The company spends time on mundane processes that could easily be automated.

Data, Information, and Knowledge

 The company does not collect or use information.

Policy

 The Company delivers services before requiring payment.

 The company includes too much in flat rate price and does not upsell.

Analysis of Identified Architectural Issues

Business Process

The company is losing potential customers daily because there is no way for customers

to interface to service offerings via the Internet. This is a major concern for a company that

derives the majority of its customers via the Internet. The company has very good search

engine visibility and is ranked exceedingly high in search results relevant to its business. The

business continually ranks near the top of the first page of Google results for the search:

mastering studio. Google Analytics reports hundreds of daily of visitors all with a very specific

interest in procuring audio mastering services. Very few of these visitors are turned into

customers because there is no way for the customers to instantly attain service from the site.

…

Base Architecture

Figure 3 in the appendix demonstrates the current business process. Almost all

interaction between customer and business is through manual process. The requirement to

Appendix – Figure 1. Architectural Roadmap Sample -

3

perform manual processes and wait for email responses on the customer side prompts

customers to pass-through to competitor sites that offer immediately productive online

workflows. Google analytics supports this showing high traffic but low conversion rates. Manual

processes on the company side have been measured to consume approximately 35 minutes

regardless of the number of files to be processed. 60% of customer orders are to process 5 files

or less. 30% of orders are to process 1 file. For single file projects, manual processes typically

consume ½ of the company’s time spent on an entire project. For projects with lower file

counts, manual processes are a bottleneck to the studio’s throughput.

Customer contributed content builds trust in those who are evaluating online services.

Customer supplied content should make up at least 25% of a site’s entire content

(Santacaterina 2014). Right now the web site enabled business process is strictly utilitarian.

There is no reason for a customer to visit the site unless they are uploading files to be

mastered. Customers do not have profiles on the web site, cannot contribute content to the

site, and are not encouraged to contribute content to the site.

In the current process, …

Target Architecture

From a business process point of view, the target architecture entices customers to

interact with the site. Interaction begins at user registration. Registration requires population of

a mandatory customer profile. Endorsement of services on social media has proved to be

especially beneficial to small businesses (Mershon 2011). Offering incentives at checkout will

encourage customer interaction. …

Gap Analysis

New capabilities identified by the gap analysis in appendix figure 2 that fulfill the

business process target architecture are:

 Automated creation of customers sample files

 Automated creation of other file formats to be offered as up sell

 Company is to begin upselling

 Company to implement on-site payments

Appendix – Figure 1. Architectural Roadmap Sample -

4

Data, Information, and Knowledge

…

Conclusion and Recommended Solutions

The architecture team recommends the use of a modular content management system

to support foundational aspects of the transitional and target architectures. The company had

already researched and had begun development using the Drupal CMS. In fact, the company is

just weeks away from a approving a Drupal based site that matches all of the functionality of its

current Wordpress site. The architecture team has researched Drupal and it has proved to be a

good foundation to support fundamental aspects of the target architecture. Therefore the

architecture team recommends using Drupal to support primary aspects of the target

architecture. It is recommended that the company cutover to the Drupal site as soon as final

adjustments are made in the upcoming weeks. …

Appendix – Figure 1. Architectural Roadmap Sample -

5

Architectural Road Map

Steps toward transitional architecture

Work Package due May 2015:

 …

Work Package due July 2015

 …

Transitional Architecture Achieved

Steps toward target architecture

Work Package due March 2016

 Develop paid download system so customers can listen to samples but have to pay to download full files.

 Develop server-side audio processing algorithms…

Target Architecture Achieved

Appendix – Figure 2. Gap Analysis Grid Sample -

6

Appendix – Figure 3. Current Business Process Sample -

7

[Not shown]

Appendix – Figure 4. Transitional Business Process Model Sample -

8

[Not shown]

Appendix – Figure 5. Target Business Process Model Gilfeather -

9

Appendix – Figure 6. Current Architecture Stack Gilfeather - Gilfeather -

10

Appendix – Figure 7. Transitional Architecture Stack Sample -

11

[Not shown]

Appendix – Figure 8. Target Architecture Stack Sample-

12

[Not shown]

Sample-

13

References

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