High Level Domain Map Project - Final report

A Business analyst - replacing the Student Record System

This section highlights various applications of the domain map we developed, showcasing its extensive capabilities and potential uses Additionally, several other scenarios, referenced in the interim report, are briefly summarized in Appendix 1: Usage Scenarios.

The domain map serves as a valuable tool for enhancing collaboration within the sector, as illustrated by two key scenarios The first scenario highlights how a business analyst utilizes the domain map to evaluate the replacement of a student record system The second scenario focuses on JISC's process, beginning with program definition and culminating in a programmer developing services to implement an application.

All screenshots included in this article feature real data from the domain map Currently, the e-framework has limited defined service usage models (SUM), prompting us to create several examples to demonstrate the relationship between the domain map and the e-framework.

Scenario 1: A Business analyst - replacing the Student Record System

The University of Wigan, following its merger with Warrington College of Higher Education, is focused on unifying the distinct systems of both institutions to enhance operational efficiency and achieve economies of scale Recognizing the need for change, the merger process emphasizes the acquisition and implementation of a new student record system (SRS) that will streamline processes across the combined university A comprehensive requirements analysis will be conducted to assess existing practices and identify improvements, ensuring that the new SRS meets the necessary functionality for both legacy institutions.

In order to do this the University appointed a business analyst with a brief to:

 Propose improvements to the processes,

 Recommend the scope of the new system,

 Outline key concerns in the development or implementation of the new system.

This would then be followed by a more detailed specification of requirements which would be incorporated into an invitation to tender to supply the new system.

The primary responsibility of a business analyst is to engage with diverse stakeholders to understand their interests in the system, their current activities, the rationale behind these activities, how the existing system facilitates their workflows, and their suggestions for potential improvements to enhance efficiency.

To effectively support the project, the business analyst must first familiarize himself with the scope of student record systems and create helpful resources for stakeholder discussions He begins by consulting the domain map and selecting the student record system as his entry point to gain a comprehensive overview of the system.

Figure 2: Applications view of the domain map

Figure 3: Overview of Student Record System

The application overview provides insights into the relevant work areas, supported life-cycles, and essential functions required post-deployment It also highlights the external organizations for data exchange and identifies other applications at the University of Wigan that the SRS must interact with.

Figure 4: Detail screen from the Student Record application showing which other applications it needs to interact with.

This comprehensive overview serves as a valuable foundation for upcoming discussions, providing a printed view alongside a detailed description for each item, although the latter is currently unavailable.

In considering the admissions process, it is essential to adopt the perspective of the aspiring learner By focusing on the "aspiring learner" and "admissions" phases of the learner life-cycle, meaningful discussions can be initiated This approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of the admissions process from the learner's viewpoint.

Figure 5: The life cycles in the domain map and selects the learner life-cycle:

The Learner life-cycle illustrates the various states within the life-cycle and the associated applications that support each phase While currently presented as a simple list, these elements could be organized into a cyclical format, highlighting how each state leads to potential subsequent states in the learner journey.

Figure 7: Aspiring Learner Life-cycle State showing functions, processes and external organisations

Figure 8: Admissions Life-cycle State showing functions, processes and external organisations

He observes the functions, processes, and external organizations involved, and generates both summary and detailed views for discussions with the Head of the department.

Functions define the actions taken by individuals or systems to achieve specific goals, while the processes illustrate how these functions are executed Each process consists of a sequence of activities that detail the implementation of the function Additionally, functions can be categorized based on work areas, applications, life-cycles, and external organizations, which aids in enhancing comprehension.

Our business analyst can also drill down and look at the functions that support each life-cycle state and processes that implement them.

Figure 9: Student admission function Note the explanatory description

Figure 10: Admit student, one of the processes in the student admission function

Every function and process within the university setting can be analyzed to foster discussions about best practices and identify necessary improvements to support and enhance current operations.

The domain map enhances the coherence of a business analyst's analysis by providing a structured framework that builds on prior generic analysis This framework facilitates discussions and allows for diverse perspectives tailored to different stakeholders For example, when engaging with IT staff, it is beneficial to utilize the application view, focusing on the relationships between applications, data flows, and the necessary standards to support them.

Our business analyst leverages the model to gain insights into data flows among different systems, understand relationships with external organizations such as UCAS for admissions and HESA for reporting, and identify the necessary standards to facilitate effective communication.

Defining a JISC programme

While the scenario presented may not fully reflect reality for brevity, it overlooks several key processes not currently represented in the domain map, such as writing committee papers, securing funding, and engaging in discussions with colleagues The domain map encompasses both people-processes and software-processes, and future detailed scenarios will incorporate both aspects to provide a more comprehensive view.

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) have announced the development of e-portfolios to enhance learner transitions across educational sectors Ongoing initiatives, influenced by the Department for Education and Science, aim to integrate these transitions effectively In support of this effort, HEFCE has allocated £2.5 million to JISC to optimize the use of e-portfolios for facilitating student progression to and from universities While Becta may also play a role in this initiative, it will not be considered in this scenario for simplicity.

Michelle, a programme manager, is tasked with creating a proposal for the JISC Committee for Learning and Teaching, which includes a draft invitation to tender for a new programme Although she is familiar with e-portfolios and knows key players like the Centre for Recording Achievement, she aims to understand how these portfolios integrate with existing university processes to identify potential funding opportunities for JISC.

She thinks that there are three ways that she could tackle the use of e-portfolios to support admissions

 the applications that support e-portfolios,

 the use of e-portfolios in learning and teaching

To gain a clearer perspective, she utilizes a domain map to investigate various approaches, aiming to better understand the challenges universities encounter in effectively implementing e-learning solutions.

The article explores the higher education domain through four approaches: work areas (sub-domains), application, life-cycle, and external agents Focusing on e-portfolios, the author begins with the work areas, specifically emphasizing the learning and teaching sector, which encompasses various sub-areas.

Figure 11: The work areas in higher education

Figure 12: The learning and teaching work area showing the subdivisions of the work area, functions, applications and external organisations

Student applications are a crucial aspect of the learning and teaching process Her keen interest in utilizing e-portfolios to facilitate the transition from schools and colleges to universities makes this an excellent starting point for exploration.

Figure 13: The admissions sub-area of the learning and teaching work area

From there she can drill down to the student recruitment function

Michelle also looks at the e-portfolio application view

Figure 15: e-portfolio application showing work areas, functions and life-cycles

She realizes that several functions related to the student admissions process lack detailed development To address this gap, she aims to create a comprehensive model focusing on the integration of e-portfolios in admissions.

Recognizing the lack of service usage models for evaluating e-portfolios, she concludes that a significant portion of the budget should be allocated to developing tools and supporting service usage models These resources aim to facilitate the automation or semi-automation of e-portfolio evaluations.

The two scenarios illustrate how a domain model can enhance university operations and support JISC initiatives Additionally, we have identified various stakeholders and potential applications of the domain map, which are detailed in the table below.

JISC Programme managers  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 As shown in Scenario 2: Defining a JISC programme by identifying gaps, bottlenecks etc.

 Monitoring and recording projects or programme activity

 Promoting the work of JISC by increasing its visibility

JISC Committee members  Understanding the e-framework

 Understanding how proposed work relates to existing work.

 Identifying gaps or bottlenecks Project bidders  Contextualising bids within the domain

 Identifying work already done that they can build on

 Identifying gaps that they wish to address Project staff  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Contextualising the project within the domain

 Publicising / promoting their work E-Framework project staff  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Enhancing their understanding of the e-framework

 Providing better access to the e-framework

 Providing a tool for promoting the e-framework

 Relating the e-framework to other related work

Business analysts  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 As shown in Scenario 1: A Business analyst - replacing the Student Record System support analysis within their institution

 Support for discussions with stakeholders in a project

 Provide a framework for recording and analysis

 Help locate work already done elsewhere

IT staff Systems Staff  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Enhance their understanding of the relationships between various applications

 Support their understanding of functions and processes

 Provide a means for locating suitable service implementations

Staff Developers  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Provide a tool that can be used to help others understand the complexity of a university, and contextualise their work

Standards Bodies/Institutes  Understand important data flows that might be better supported by standards

 Ensure that standards being developed meet all appropriate needs

Open Source Developers  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Help them to locate existing work that they can build on

Software Developers  Enhancing their understanding of higher education

 Tool which they can map their system to in order to demonstrate the functionality provided

Sales People  Tool for visualising functions that can be used to show the functionality that they offer

 Tool for showing how they interoperate with relevant applications

 Tool for showing how they interoperate with relevant external agents

Figure 16: Table of stakeholders and uses of the domain map

After exploring the various applications of the domain map, we will now examine the data incorporated within it Following this, we will discuss the underlying model of the domain map and the different visualization methods available.

The data in the domain map

A comprehensive domain map for higher education must include detailed information and various types of data that illustrate the relationships among them.

The key elements in the current version of the model are:

The function outlines the actions taken by individuals or systems to reach their objectives, detailing the processes involved in generating value for business stakeholders.

A process consists of interconnected activities that enhance value by converting inputs into more valuable outputs, which can include artifacts and information This transformation can be carried out by humans, machines, or a combination of both Additionally, a business process can be broken down into various sub-processes, each with distinct characteristics, yet all contributing to the overarching goal of the main process.

 Application - Computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly on a task that the user wishes to perform.

Life cycles and their associated states refer to the various distinct phases an object undergoes throughout its existence These phases encompass requirements definition, concept design, production, operation, and maintenance, among others Each state is interconnected, allowing for transitions that facilitate the object's progression through its life cycle.

 External organisation - Organisation outside the boundary of the university that interact with it The interactions generally involve exchange of information This information specification contribute to the domain information model.

A domain refers to a specific area of control or knowledge, characterized by a unique name It encompasses a defined set of common requirements, terminology, and functionality, establishing a coherent framework for understanding and interaction within that area.

 Roles - A role defines the behaviour and responsibilities of an individual, or a set of individuals working together as a team, within the context of an organisation.

Usage scenarios

A project like this typically relies on a clear set of user requirements to create a system that meets these needs within existing constraints However, there is currently a lack of understanding regarding the differences between a domain map and a domain model, as well as unclear guidance on user requirements Due to time limitations in our ten-week project, we have not been able to collaborate with JISC to establish these requirements Instead, we have formulated scenarios based on the bid information and discussions with JISC staff, illustrating potential uses for the domain map we are developing This approach allows us to demonstrate how our evolving domain map addresses these scenarios, facilitating discussions on refining the maps and underlying models to better align with JISC's needs If JISC opts to further develop the domain map, these scenarios can serve as a basis for defining user requirements.

However, in developing scenarios JISC activities can be categorised as

 Reacting to external events, policy changes etc

 Responding to new initiatives, funding etc

For each category we can identify a number of questions that might be asked:

New activities Have we already got one of these?

What have we got? Is it suitable?

Can we reuse existing elements?

Who has already done this type of work?

What do the users need?

How much will it cost?

How long will it take?

Ongoing activities What are the priorities?

Do we still need it?

Does it still do the job?

Reacting to external events, policy changes etc

What impact will it have?

What do we need to do?

Responding to new initiatives, funding etc What are the priorities?

How shall we spend it?

What new programmes do we want to support? unrealistic but they illustrate the approach and mindset for the use of the tool set in the planning processes.

Use case 1: JISC programme manager developing an ITT

JISC creates Invitation to Tenders (ITTs) to tackle challenges inadequately addressed by other initiatives, focusing on developing services and demonstrators to validate the e-framework However, the process has lacked systematic organization; the initial call requested reference models without clearly defining their parameters Consequently, this led to a diverse array of projects operating across various domains, employing different methodologies, and generating a wide range of artifacts at varying levels of abstraction.

Sam has been tasked with drafting an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the JISC E-Framework Committee (JEF), aiming to maximize the adoption of the e-framework by universities This initiative is crucial for enhancing the integration of technology in higher education and ensuring that the e-framework meets the needs of academic institutions effectively By focusing on impactful strategies, the ITT will play a significant role in promoting the framework's benefits and encouraging widespread implementation across universities.

Sam understands that to maximize impact, he must reflect on existing resources obtained through JISC or international funding By identifying key areas that are likely to influence decision-makers in universities, he can strategically focus his efforts for greater effectiveness.

Sam explores the domain map in a somewhat random manner, seeking inspiration from various domains and their life-cycles He finds it particularly useful to navigate freely across the map, allowing him to examine the implemented services in detail.

After a strong cup of coffee, Sam concludes that e-administration is likely to capture the interest of IT directors He explores the e-administration domain, focusing on the asset life-cycle, as all managers have a vested interest in their assets Upon reviewing the life-cycle, Sam notes existing services that cover acquisition, management, maintenance, and disposal, but identifies a gap in project management services for significant acquisition projects, such as major computer installations or buildings He examines the reference models in the field, which are comprehensive, and uses them to propose a set of services for potential JISC funding To gather more information, he reaches out via email to DEST, SURF, and New Zealand to inquire about their work in this area.

Use case 2: JEF member reviewing draft ITT

Sam submits his draft ITT, which includes links to the domain map, and it is distributed in the JEF committee papers Mo, a newcomer to the committee, reads the papers upon receipt rather than during his commute, leading to a limited understanding of JISC’s work To clarify the e-framework and the proposed work, Mo follows a link to the asset life-cycle, which helps him comprehend the detailed steps involved in asset management—something he had not previously considered As he is currently specifying the acquisition of a large network storage array, he keeps this example in mind While examining project management services, Mo discovers several existing services but also identifies significant gaps that hinder effective project management processes By analyzing the project life-cycle, he realizes that some services may not adequately support project management as outlined in the e-framework Mo then contacts Sam to discuss these findings.

Ed, a project management team leader at the University of Neasden, seeks a solution to enhance the project management life-cycle He has found that existing commercial products are often too costly, inflexible, or incompatible with the university's systems Consequently, Ed is exploring the e-framework as a potential tool to support the project management life-cycle, especially for significant upcoming projects slated for detailed planning in approximately 12 months.

Ed, unfamiliar with the e-framework, seeks to gain a general understanding by exploring the domain map site She identifies that life-cycles resonate more with her thought process and focuses on the asset management life-cycle Upon reviewing the model, Ed assesses the current implementations and recognizes the gaps that need to be addressed for a functional system tailored to her requirements After examining the existing service definitions, she concludes that they fall short of her needs, leading her to determine that engaging with the e-framework would distract her from her priorities Consequently, Ed opts not to bid but plans to monitor the development for potential future involvement.

Engage with JISC stakeholders to validate the discussed scenarios and, if needed, revise or create new ones to effectively illustrate the processes that the map aims to support.

Appendix 2: The Domain map's model

A domain model serves as a conceptual framework that outlines the key entities and their interrelationships within a system It documents essential concepts and vocabulary, illustrating how major entities connect while highlighting their significant methods and attributes This model is particularly relevant in the context of the Higher Education system.

Background to the modelling approach

The Higher Education Institution (HEI) operates within a complex social, geographical, economic, and political context, functioning as a system comprised of interconnected components designed to achieve specific objectives This system is influenced by its external environment, which defines its boundaries Understanding these interactions is essential for effectively mapping the higher education domain and analyzing the HEI system's relationship with its surrounding context.

To effectively understand the HEI system, it is essential to model the system and engage in iterative testing and refinement of these models The choice of system models for this project is influenced by Bunge’s work, which offers a mathematical framework for describing the world and its components This foundation supports contemporary Object-Oriented Analysis Methodology, enhancing our comprehension of systems and their functionalities.

The chosen modeling method and language must effectively address system complexity while providing sufficient precision for domain map users The intended uses of the domain map dictate which system properties should be captured Utilizing a visual modeling language, such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML), allows for a comprehensive description of both the structure and behavior of a system For this project, UML was selected to create a conceptual model of the domain, complemented by an ontology tool for instantiation and validation Ontology, which examines fundamental aspects of reality like existence, change, and society, serves as a robust foundation for a deliverable that can be assessed by stakeholders.

Well-structured models allow modellers to concentrate on specific elements while maintaining overall coherence The modelling approach must accommodate various levels of abstraction, enabling modellers to transition from conceptual sketches to detailed designs essential for planning, management, and operation In this context, the models focus on people, processes, and technology, emphasizing the necessary components to enhance teaching and learning processes, which are fundamental to the core mission of higher education institutions (HEIs).

12 IEEE STD 610.12 www.ichnet.org/glossary.htm

13 Fowler 1998 Fowler, A (1998) Operations management and systemic modelling as frameworks for BPR,

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol 18 No 9/10, 1998, pp 1028-1056

14 Bunge 2004a, 2004b Bunge, M (2004a) How Does It Work? The Search for Explanatory Mechanisms, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Vol 34 No 2, 182-210,

Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference outlined in the ITT presented several questions for this study to address This report indicates where these topics are discussed in detail, or provides answers directly within this section as needed.

What can be learned from developing a domain map of the UK HE sector?

Developing a domain map offers significant value to various stakeholders, including project managers, data analysts, and decision-makers, by visually representing functions, processes, and relationships Key benefits include enhanced communication, improved understanding of data flows, and streamlined decision-making However, it is essential to assess the appropriateness of a domain map for specific contexts, as it may not be suitable for complex systems requiring deeper analysis or where dynamic relationships are prevalent Understanding when to utilize this tool is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness in organizational development.

Much of the report addresses this issue, but especially the section on Scenarios.

A domain map is beneficial for various groups, including educators, researchers, and business professionals, as it helps visualize relationships and organize information effectively While this overview is not exhaustive, it highlights the importance of domain mapping in enhancing understanding and collaboration across different fields.