A simple methodology for modeling the business domains of information systems

The main goal of this methodology is to deliver a complete and usable model of an information system's business domain consisting of detailed descriptions of its use cases, business components and of those business components' properties, methods and associations.

The detailed descriptions proposed by this methodology result in information system models that are not only complete and detailed but also usable as well by the users of the modeled information systems as by the experts in the development and maintenance of those systems.

This methodology addresses the specification of an information system's business components.   Those components make up the core of an information system, which core is connected to its users via the information system's user interface components, and to its underlying information technology via the information system's technology interface components.

This methodology does not address the specification or design of those user and technology interface components.   User interface components are better specified and designed with live prototypes, while technology interface components are better specified and selected on the basis of the existing technology infrastructure, technical expertise, and technical requirements, strategies and plans.

Certain requirements to be satisfied or addressed by an information system can be found in that system's business domain model, i.e, its functional requirements (what needs to be done) and its data requirements (what data needs to be managed).   There are, however, other types of requirements that cannot be specified via such a model.   Those latter requirements usually have human, financial, timing, operational and technical aspects that need to be identified, defined, listed and quantified.   They too should be documented, analyzed and prioritized (see a simple methodology for analyzing information management requirements).

The steps taken to reach the main goal of this methodology are not as important as the goal itself.   The end justifies the means.   For that reason, this methodology proposes well documented templates (see business modeling artifacts) to use to produce the detailed descriptions making up an information system's business model but only proposes a general approach for actually doing the work.

Any other approach that results in the same descriptions or in similar ones can be used as long as the quality of the descriptions is maintained.

This methodology offers no further explanation or justification of this approach.

The approach described above consists of the following six (6) sequential steps:

The templates proposed by this methodology to produce the modeling artifacts explain all of the terms used in the above steps in addition to new ones that each step introduces.

Good models facilitate the identification, specification and communication of requirements and therefore lead to better requirement specifications.

In turn, better requirement specifications facilitate the development of information management solutions to satisfy those requirements and therefore lead to better information management solutions.

Finally, better information management solutions facilitate the conduct of business activities and therefore lead to better business results.