Reference Architecture for the Telecommunications Industry: Transformation of Strategy, Organization, Processes, Data, and Applications

272 Pages·2017·8.635 MB·English

by  Christian Czarnecki, Christian Dietze (auth.)

Progress in IS
Christian Czarnecki
Christian Dietze
Reference
Architecture for the
Telecommunications
Industry
Transformation of Strategy,
Organization, Processes, Data, and
Applications
Progress in IS
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10440
Christian Czarnecki Christian Dietze
(cid:129)
Reference Architecture
for the Telecommunications
Industry
Transformation of Strategy, Organization,
Processes, Data, and Applications
123
Christian Czarnecki Christian Dietze
Düsseldorf AbuDhabi
Germany UnitedArab Emirates
ISSN 2196-8705 ISSN 2196-8713 (electronic)
Progressin IS
ISBN978-3-319-46755-9 ISBN978-3-319-46757-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-46757-3
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016952817
©SpringerInternationalPublishingAG2017
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Preface
The idea of writing this book came to us while we were together on one of our
frequent international business trips in the Middle East. Through our role as con-
sultants, we were involved in a broad variety of project engagements, proposal
development activities, presentations, and publications related to the architectural
transformation of telecommunications operators. In the last decade, we have sup-
ported more than 50 transformational projects in the telecommunications industry
worldwide. Most of these dealt with the customization of reference solutions pro-
vided bythe TMForum and thealignment ofthose solutionsacross different parts
of the company. This encouraged us to summarize our experiences in general
recommendations and blueprints. Moreover, we have had the good fortune to
discuss our viewpoints with executives as well as experts worldwide. We came to
the conclusion that there is a significant and indeed increasing demand in this
knowledge area for professionals, researchers, and students associated with the
telecommunications industry. These facts and our well-founded scientific research
experience, combined with practical knowledge from our project engagements
across the globe, have motivated us to write this book together.
Preparing the concept of this book as well as the detailed elaboration of the
content,whileatthesametimeworkingasprofessionalconsultantsandacademics,
has certainly demanded a lot from both of us. In addition, the fact that each of us
has been working on different chapters and sections in different locations and time
zones has led to several alignments and iterative updates to ensure the compre-
hensibility and the consistency of the contents throughout all chapters. In total, it
has taken us almost two years to finalize this book.
Writing this book was only possible because of the comprehensive, ongoing
supportwehavereceivedfromourprojectclientsandcolleagues.Beingpartofthe
innovativeandinternationalenvironmentatthemanagementconsultancy,Detecon
International GmbH was one of the lucky circumstances that resulted in the
opportunity to summarize our experiences in this book. We would like to express
ourspecialappreciationtoIssaNasserOesterreichandDr.KaiGrunert,whoalways
supported us and gave us the freedom to realize our ideas on projects worldwide.
Furthermore, we had the great pleasure to work with teams of inspiring and
v
vi Preface
knowledgeable colleagues. We were always supported by our colleagues from the
MENAoffice,theInternationalTelcoCluster,andoureTOMknowledgeinitiative.
Whereasitisimpossibletolistalloftheirnameshere,wewouldliketothankeach
of them personally. Without the TM Forum, our book would not have been pos-
sible, so our sincere thanks go to the whole TM Forum team and the eTOM
working group. We would also like to thank our editor Christian Rauscher, who
was a great help during the whole publication process, and Patricia Joliet for her
excellent work in proofreading our manuscript.
Writing such a book alongside the daily work responsibilities has been a chal-
lengethatwewereonlyabletomeetthroughthecontinuousencouragementofour
familiesandfriends.Wewouldliketoexpressourdeepgratitudetoallofthemand
especially to Nadine Schultes, Cecilia Carvajal, and Dr. Andreas Dietze.
Düsseldorf Christian Czarnecki
Abu Dhabi Christian Dietze
November 2016
Contents
1 Addressing the Transformational Needs of Telecommunications
Operators.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
1.1 What Is the Structure of This Book? .. .... .... .... ..... .... 2
1.2 What Are the Major Findings of This Book?.... .... ..... .... 3
1.3 Which Sources Were Used?. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
1.4 Who Could Benefit from This Book?.. .... .... .... ..... .... 11
1.5 How Is the Content Used in Real-Life Projects? . .... ..... .... 12
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
2 Understanding Today’s Telecommunications Industry... ..... .... 17
2.1 Telecommunications Market. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 20
2.1.1 Price Decrease and Cost Pressure... .... .... ..... .... 21
2.1.2 Emergence of Over-the-Top (OTT) Providers.. ..... .... 24
2.1.3 Growth Potential in Vertical Markets .... .... ..... .... 27
2.1.4 A New Role for Regulators.... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
2.2 Telecommunications Products and Services . .... .... ..... .... 39
2.2.1 Interrelation Between Commercial Products
and Technical Services ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
2.2.2 Customer Experience Management.. .... .... ..... .... 42
2.3 Telecommunications Value Chain. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 44
2.3.1 Erosion of the Traditional Telecommunications
Value Chain .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
2.3.2 The Operator Partnering Imperative . .... .... ..... .... 47
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 50
3 Understanding the Methodical Principles . .... .... .... ..... .... 55
3.1 Fundamentals of Information Systems Modeling . .... ..... .... 57
3.2 Enterprise Architecture..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 60
3.2.1 Introduction to Enterprise Architecture ... .... ..... .... 61
3.2.2 Enterprise Architecture Frameworks . .... .... ..... .... 63
3.2.3 Enterprise Architecture Management. .... .... ..... .... 67
3.2.4 The Open Group Architecture Framework .... ..... .... 68
vii
viii Contents
3.3 Reference Modeling.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 70
3.3.1 Introduction to Reference Modeling . .... .... ..... .... 71
3.3.2 Types of Reference Models.... .... .... .... ..... .... 72
3.3.3 Development and Usage of Reference Models . ..... .... 74
3.4 Reference Models in the Telecommunications Industry ..... .... 78
3.4.1 TM Forum Business Process Framework (eTOM) ... .... 80
3.4.2 TM Forum Information Framework (SID). .... ..... .... 85
3.4.3 TM Forum Application Framework (TAM) ... ..... .... 88
3.4.4 IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). .... .... .... ..... .... 91
3.5 Introduction to Enterprise Transformation... .... .... ..... .... 92
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 95
4 Designing the Architecture Solution.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 103
4.1 Overview of Reference Architecture... .... .... .... ..... .... 105
4.1.1 Layers of Reference Architecture ... .... .... ..... .... 107
4.1.2 Defining Architecture Domains. .... .... .... ..... .... 115
4.1.3 Defining Reference Process Flows .. .... .... ..... .... 119
4.2 Structuring the Architecture Solution .. .... .... .... ..... .... 123
4.2.1 Structuring the Process Layer .. .... .... .... ..... .... 125
4.2.2 Structuring the Organizational Mapping .. .... ..... .... 129
4.2.3 Structuring the Data Layer .... .... .... .... ..... .... 134
4.2.4 Structuring the Application Layer... .... .... ..... .... 137
4.3 Detailing the Customer-Centric Domain.... .... .... ..... .... 141
4.3.1 Reference Process Flows of the Customer-Centric
Domain.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 141
4.3.2 Organizational Mapping of the Customer-Centric
Domain.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 145
4.3.3 Data Layer of the Customer-Centric Domain .. ..... .... 153
4.3.4 Application Layer of the Customer-Centric Domain.. .... 155
4.3.5 Summary of the Customer-Centric Domain.... ..... .... 160
4.4 Detailing the Technology Domain .... .... .... .... ..... .... 161
4.4.1 Reference Process Flows of the Technology Domain. .... 162
4.4.2 Organizational Mapping of the Technology Domain.. .... 166
4.4.3 Data Layer of the Technology Domain... .... ..... .... 174
4.4.4 Application Layer of the Technology Domain . ..... .... 178
4.4.5 Summary of the Technology Domain.... .... ..... .... 182
4.5 Detailing the Product Domain ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 184
4.5.1 Reference Process Flows of the Product Domain .... .... 184
4.5.2 Organizational Mapping of the Product Domain..... .... 186
4.5.3 Data Layer of the Product Domain.. .... .... ..... .... 190
4.5.4 Application Layer of the Product Domain. .... ..... .... 193
4.5.5 Summary of the Product Domain ... .... .... ..... .... 195
Contents ix
4.6 Detailing the Customer Domain and the Support Domain ... .... 197
4.6.1 Reference Process Flows of the Customer Domain... .... 197
4.6.2 Reference Process Flows of the Support Domain .... .... 198
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 199
5 Planning and Implementing the Architecture Solution... ..... .... 203
5.1 Architecture Solution Map .. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 205
5.1.1 Map Element 1: Architecture Diagnostics. .... ..... .... 209
5.1.2 Map Element 2: Strategic Alignment .... .... ..... .... 212
5.1.3 Map Element 3: Architecture Framework. .... ..... .... 214
5.1.4 Map Element 4: Architecture Ownership . .... ..... .... 216
5.1.5 Map Element 5: Architecture Design .... .... ..... .... 218
5.1.6 Map Element 6: Training and Awareness. .... ..... .... 220
5.1.7 Map Element 7: Change Management ... .... ..... .... 222
5.1.8 Map Element 8: Architecture Implementation.. ..... .... 223
5.2 Transformation Types and Organizational Responsibility.... .... 226
5.3 Transformation Project Examples. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 231
5.4 Detailed Example Cases.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 238
5.4.1 Case Study 1—Introduction of an OSS
(Customer Orientation) ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 238
5.4.2 Case Study 2—Introduction of an OSS (NGN-Based) .... 241
5.4.3 Case Study 3—Introduction of a CRM System. ..... .... 243
5.4.4 Case Study 4—Introduction of Process Architecture.. .... 245
References.. .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 247
Index .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 249