The AMM is supported by a real-life case of a business transformation architecture in the domain of enterprise asset management (EAM) that is supported by the alignment of a standardized enterprise architecture blueprint. This chapter proposes an assets alignment pattern (AAP) and offers a set of solutions in the form of design, technical, and managerial recommendations to be used by the target company's asset analysts and enterprise architects to implement EAM solutions in the context of business transformation projects (BTP). Heuristics is applied in real-world complex problems that are very similar to transformation projects. The EAM-based AAP is not influenced by any specific business domain and has a holistic approach that uses a neural networks processor.
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This chapter’s background combines: asset management, patterns design, enterprise architecture, mathematical models, heuristics, technology management, business transformation and business engineering fields; where the main focus is on how to integrate EAM solutions. Building an AAP for an EAM system is probably, the most strategic goal for a business company. Fast transformations for efficient business environments have to be supported by a holistic and intelligent AAP based EAM systems (Cearley, Walker, Burke, 2016). The AAP is business driven and is agnostic to a specific technology, financial, business, architecture or any other pattern concept. As shown in Figure 1, AAP, is founded on a research framework that in turn is based on industry standards, like the Architecture Development Method (ADM) (The Open Group, 2011a). Enterprise Architecture (EA), is a methodology, which can be used to develop Projects: 1) requirements; 2) business architecture; 3) EAM interfaces and integration; and 4) its Information and Communication System’s (ICS) components. The Business Transformation Manager (BTM), EAM responsible, or an Enterprise Architect (simply the Manager) can use the APP and EA to integrate the EAM in the business interprise (Trad & Kalpić, 2017b; Trad & Kalpić, 2017c; Thomas & Gartner (2015); Tidd, 2006). This AAP proposal’s aim is to deliver recommendations for managing aligned EAM’s enterprise architecture integration. The applied research methodology is based on literature review, a qualitative methodology and on a Proof of Concept (PoC) that is used to prove the RQ and the related hypotheses. For the EAM, the Manager’s role is important and his or her (for simplicity, in further text – his) decisions are aided by using CSFs within the AHMM4EAM. A large set of CSFs can influence the AHMM4EAM, like: 1) the role of the EAM and control by mechanisms; 2) global enterprise CSFs; 3) enterprise resources planning sources; 4) level of the team’s skills; 5) audit and technological conditions; 6) financial and governance predispositions; and 7) security, financial and legal control mechanisms. A holistic system’s approach is the optimal to model such EAM controls (Daellenbach & McNickle, 2005; Trad & Kalpić, 2016a). As shown in Figure 1, the decision model interacts with the external world via an implemented framework to manage the EAM’s factors and that is this chapter’s focus.
Figure 1. The research framework’s concept (Trad & Kalpić, 2016a)