FGM understands that a successful architecture must be driven by specific business needs, not by the whims of the latest technology. That’s why we begin with the development of a true business-driven enterprise architecture, which provides a holistic view of the enterprise. A truly holistic enterprise view provides two key benefits.

1. Information technology (IT) investments are prioritized and focused on clearly identified business needs rather than holding the business hostage to the latest “cool” or “trendy” technology.
   
   
2. A cohesive, integrated enterprise roadmap, expressed in terms that are appropriate at all levels within the organization, such as for corporate management, technical management, IT professionals, and customer account managers, drives the organization and is used as a clear, concise, common way to express corporate intent for the evolution of the enterprise.

The key to a successful enterprise architecture is the development of a roadmap, driven by corporate business objectives, that continually assesses the “as-is” state of the enterprise and provides the blueprint for incremental evolution to an ever more capable “to-be” state. The evolutionary aspect is an important improvement over earlier approaches because it preserves and leverages existing IT investments, continues to support mission critical functions during the evolution, and provides management with unprecedented flexibility to balance cost, business needs, and schedule.

At FGM, we select methodologies and analysis tools appropriate for our customers’ unique needs. For example, we used the Zachman Framework, supported by the Metis tool, to develop the OneVA enterprise architecture for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This successful effort is being used to drive VA IT investments as they consolidate and streamline operations to improve service internally and service to their ultimate customer—the American veteran. For our Department of Defense (DoD) customers, we use the DODAF methodology in conjunction with the Popkin System Architect analysis tool suite to develop a DoD-wide architecture as an enabler for net-centric operations. This represents an extraordinary transformation in the way that the DoD conducts operations by providing American and coalition forces with the ability to share information in the on-going war on terrorism in ways and at speeds that have previously been impossible to achieve.

At the forefront of enterprise architectures—helping
Government customers realize the potential and
benefits of a well-designed enterprise architecture.

	Noah Klemm Deputy Director Integrated Federal Systems noah@fgm.com John W. Wilmer Vice President Integrated Defense Systems jwwilmer@fgm.com Ph.: 703.885.1000 Fax: 703.885.0130

	Case Study: One VA Achieving Data Compatibility Across the Department of Veterans Affairs