Enterprise Architecture

The Department is establishing a DOL-wide Enterprise Architecture (EA). The EA will serve as an integrated framework for aligning the Department's business, data, applications and technology with the Department's strategic plan and mission and information resources management goals.

Some of the benefits achieved in developing the target enterprise architecture are:

· The development of a shared business vision across the Department

· The development of a target architecture that has identified economies of scale for common programmatic processes and systems

· Improved ability to leverage IT to support business processes across DOL

· Help in providing architecturally-based rationale/criteria for a future systems development strategy and effort by:

· Describing how a new system can support a given DOL business function in the context of an EA

· Determining additional new capabilities that can be provided by the target application to address unmet needs in the context of an EA

How We Are Developing an Enterprise Architecture

The Department's Baseline Enterprise Architecture was developed with significant participation from the Agencies. A key outcome of the baseline was an agreement to develop a Federated Enterprise Architecture. The Federated Enterprise Architecture assumes that the Department and its agencies have Enterprise Architectures that are integrated and function cooperatively. The result is that business functions have been categorized as Universal, Common, and Independent. Universal functions occur across most of the Agencies and are under stewardship of the Department. Common and Independent functions are under the stewardship of the respective agencies. The Department and the Agencies are developing a governance process to ensure the Enterprise Architectures are consistent.

The current phase of the DOL EA, the Target Enterprise Architecture, is focused on a set of DOL's universal functions. A parallel, coordinated effort is underway to develop the agencies' enterprise architectures to cover the functions that are agency-specific. That effort will be completed by September 2002, after which the results will be integrated with the EA.

Systems Development Life Cycle Management

The Department of Labor has a System Development and Life Cycle Management (SDLCM) process. Its purpose is to ensure that our automated systems are planned, implemented, modified, and maintained in a manner that meets the program and business needs of the Department with a high degree of reliability, effectiveness, security, and cost efficiency. The seven basic steps in the system life cycle are as follows:

1.  Conceptual Planning Phase

The SDLCM methodology begins with the Conceptual Planning Phase. It is during this phase that a need to develop or significantly enhance a system is identified, its feasibility and costs assessed, and risk and project-planning approaches defined.

2.  Planning and Requirements Definition Phase

The Planning and Requirements Definition Phase begins after the project has been defined and appropriate resources have been committed. The two key aspects of this phase are 1) planning and 2) defining the functional requirements that the system will need to address. During this phase, the Project Management Plan is updated to include or provide additional detail regarding the development approach and methods, tools, tasks, resources, and schedules. Functional requirements are defined to address data, system performance, security, and maintainability aspects of the system.

3.  Design Phase

Upon completion of the Planning and Requirements Definition Phase, the system progresses to the Design Phase. During this phase, functional requirements are translated into preliminary and detailed designs. Decisions are made to address how the system will meet functional, physical, interface, and data requirements. A preliminary (general) system design emphasizing the functional features of the system is produced as a high level guide. Then a final (detailed) system design is produced which expands the design by specifying all the technical detail needed to develop the system.

4.  Development and Test Phase

During the Development and Test Phase, executable software is developed from detailed design specifications. The system is validated through a sequence of unit, integration, system, and acceptance test activities. The objective is to ensure that the system functions as expected and user requirements are satisfied. Large systems are solicited, awarded, and managed in accordance with the Acquisition Plan. All hardware, system software, communications, applications, procedures, and associated documentation are developed/acquired, tested, and integrated. This phase requires strong user participation in order to verify thorough testing of all requirements and meet all business needs.

5.  Implementation Phase

During the Implementation Phase, the new or enhanced system is installed in the production environment, users are trained, data is converted (as needed), and the system is turned over to the user. This phase includes efforts required to implement the system as well as to resolve any problems identified during the implementation process.

6.  Operations and Maintenance Phase

Once a system becomes operational, it moves to the Operations and Maintenance Phase. The emphasis of this phase is to ensure that the user needs continue to be met and that the system continues to perform according to specifications. Routine hardware and software maintenance and upgrades are performed to ensure effective system operations. User training continues during this phase as needed, to acquaint new users to the system or to introduce new features to the current users. Additional user support is provided, as an ongoing activity, to help resolve reported problems. This phase continues until the system is retired.

7.  Disposition Phase

The Disposition Phase represents the end of the systems life cycle. It provides for the systematic termination of a system to ensure that vital information is preserved for potential future access and/or reactivation. The system, when placed in the Disposition Phase, has been declared surplus and/or obsolete, and is scheduled to be shut down. The emphasis of this phase is to ensure that the system (e.g. software, data, procedures, and documentation) is packaged and archived in an orderly fashion, enabling the system to be reinstalled later, if desired. System records are retained in accordance with DOL policies regarding retention of electronic records.

The use of the SDLCM manual applies to all DOL and contractor personnel who develop, acquire (e.g., Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)), or manage new systems, or make modifications or enhancements to existing systems. Adherence to the manual by system developers, users, and all levels of DOL management across all functional areas is crucial to delivering cost effective information systems. DOL agencies are responsible for ensuring that the systems development and management approach described in the manual is practiced on a day-to-day basis.

IT Decision-Making Process

The Secretary of Labor makes final decisions about the Department's policies and priorities. For Information Technology (IT), the Secretary has established a Departmental decision-making process for formulating recommendations regarding IT policy, capital investments, and information resource management. The following are part of the DOL decision-making structure:

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has Department-wide information resource management responsibilities as a primary duty and advises the Secretary of Labor about IT policy, practices, and investments. The Office of the CIO (OCIO) is responsible for ensuring that the Department implements all Federal policies, procedures, and requirements for the management, acquisition, security, and use of IT within the Department. The OCIO is also responsible for implementing the Federal requirement to minimize the paperwork burden on the public and performing information collections in a timely, cost-effective manner. In addition, the OCIO champions crosscutting initiatives that address the needs of multiple DOL agencies and/or the entire Department. These value-added services implement Federal policies for improving the government's return on IT investments.

An Investment Review Process addresses the Department's IT policies and priorities through the framework of capital planning and budgeting. A diagram of the decision-making process is available. Two panels carry out this process:

The Management Review Board (MRB) is the top-level panel of DOL agency heads designated by the Secretary of Labor. The MRB has broad responsibilities for addressing the Department's overall policy and management issues. One area of responsibility is to ensure that IT investments result in substantial benefit to the Department of Labor and/or the taxpayer.

The Technical Review Board (TRB) is the second-level panel of agency administrative officers and information resource managers, who make technical and investment recommendations to the CIO and the MRB. The Technical Review Board has two standing subcommittees--one addressing IT Capital Planning and the other dealing with Enterprise Architecture.

IT Capital Investment

The Department has implemented a phased approach to the IT Capital Investment Management (ITIM) process.

Phase I of the IT Capital Investment Management Process began in 1999 during the development of the FY2001 budget request and enabled the Department to identify those initiatives that were directly related to the needs identified in the DOL IT Strategic Plan, and considered essential to improving the overall condition of the IT environment. These initiatives were reviewed, prioritized and approved using the Department's inter-agency collaborative IT Capital Investment Management process and then placed into the Department's three crosscutting areas:

1.  Enterprise Architecture

2.  Common Office Automation Suite Implementation

3.  Security - Critical Infrastructure Protection

Crosscut initiatives address the needs of multiple DOL agencies and/or the entire Department. The three crosscuts are funded through a centralized IT investment fund managed by the Chief Information Officer (CIO). The CIO Council's IT Investment Portfolio System (I-TIPS) is used to support these processes.

Phase II activities were implemented in 2000 and included the use of I-TIPS portfolio manager, quarterly control reviews of IT crosscuts and major initiatives, development and implementation of a post implementation review methodology, and identification of lessons learned. A fourth crosscut, Common Management Systems, was added to the list of crosscut categories.

We are now in Phase III, which began in 2001. The Department is continuing to conduct quarterly control reviews of IT crosscuts and major initiatives and will increase the number of PIRS, while focusing on IT project performance measurement.

IT Investment Management Progress-to-Date. Over the past few years, we have strengthened the IT investment management and decision-making process. Here are some of the Department of Labor's accomplishments:

  • Development and operation of the multi-tiered Investment Review Board
  • Development of standardized risk and return evaluation criteria
  • Establishment of IT investment review thresholds
  • Implementation of I-TIPS
  • Capture of FY 2001 above threshold selection information
  • Implementation of an ITIM education/training program, including introductory courses in Risk Management, Project Management, Cost Benefit Analysis, and IT Performance Measures
  • Implementation of Expert Choice, a decision-making support tool
  • Enhanced portfolio development and performance oversight
  • Use of I-TIPS Portfolio Manager
  • Development of Agency-specific, IT Crosscut, and Departmental IT portfolios
  • Portfolio presentations to the Technical Review Board
  • Development of a Departmental data capture strategy to achieve full exposure of IT budgets
  • Incorporation of IT security assessments
  • Improved partnerships with Deputy Secretary, Budget Office, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Inspector General, Procurement Executive, and Program Offices
  • Conducted Quarterly Control reviews of IT crosscuts and major projects
  • Development and implementation of Post Implementation Review (PIR) Methodology

Next Steps. We also have plans to keep moving forward, and here are highlights about our next steps:

  • Continue to conduct quarterly Control reviews, evaluate Portfolio Performance, and conduct PIRs on select systems
  • Continue integration of IT investment management process with other processes
  • Continue collaborative approach with agencies
  • Continue on-going institutionalization of the ITIM process
  • Focus on IT project performance measurement and achievement
  • Focus on the critical processes identified in the General Accounting Office ITIM Process Maturity Model
  • Incorporate lessons learned from PIRs and improve process over time
  • Improve ITIM competencies amongst DOL workforce

U.S. Department of Labor E-Government Strategic Plan

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR E-GOVERNMENT STRATEGY

"We are proud that GovBenefits.gov has been recognized for its citizen-centric approach and for its advanced technology. Mostly, we are pleased that the Labor Department’s E-Government efforts in support of the President’s Management Agenda are being recognized.”
—Patrick Pizzella
DOL Chief Information Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
DOL has established the following E-Government vision, strategy, and success measures to complement the overall Federal strategy. This approach not only sets the Department’s
E-Government direction in concert with the Federal effort, but also ensures that the Department institutionalizes its management frameworks to bring the strategy to fruition.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR E-GOVERNMENT VISION STATEMENT
The Department will provide E-Government service that is citizen driven, userfriendly, results-oriented, universally accessible, collaborative, innovative, cost-effective, and secure.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR E-GOVERNMENT STRATEGY
The Department will pursue an enterprisewide approach to E-Government that integrates customer relationship management, organizational capabilities, enterprise architecture, and security and privacy components in a comprehensive E-Government framework designed to improve the Department’s service delivery to its customers.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR E-GOVERNMENT SUCCESS MEASURES
  • We are customer-centric, not organization-centric. We communicate with customers and know who they are and what they want.
  • We seek transformation opportunities through innovation rather than automation. We simplify our business processes and reduce costs through integrating or eliminating redundant systems, thereby making it easier for our customers to do business with the Department.
  • We integrate information technology investment decisions with business and program requirements, processes, and goals.
  • We collect information from our customers only once, and reuse it appropriately.
  • We provide a secure environment, with appropriate privacy protections, for our customers to conduct transactions with the Department.
  • We leverage partnerships with customers, governments, and the private sector to improve the delivery of services to customers

U.S. Department of Labor E-Government Strategic Plan

DOL has established the following E-Government vision, strategy, and success measures to complement the overall Federal strategy. This approach not only sets the Department’s

E-Government direction in concert with the Federal effort, but also ensures that the Department institutionalizes its management frameworks to bring the strategy to fruition.