Fact Sheet: Governance & Transition Tools

BEA AT A GLANCE

The BEA describes the future vision for the DoD BMA. The BEA plays a key role by establishing clear linkages among business capabilities, systems and initiatives, priorities, and the CBMs.

THE BEA:

Describes end-to-end business processes for DoD enterprise CBMs
Establishes foundational data standards and business rules for the CBMs
Provides a basis for DoD investment management criteria for systems certification
Standardizes interoperable IT systems
Accelerates outcome-based architecture development and implementation.

ETP AT A GLANCE

The ETP supports the BEA and articulates a systematic approach to achieve the future state of desired capabilities.

THE ETP:

Guides and tracks transformation of the BMA by describing target business capabilities and how the Department will achieve them
Contains time-phased milestones, performance metrics, and resource needs for new and existing systems that will be part of the BEA
Identifies tangible benefits for each IT investment
Provides a termination schedule for those legacy systems that will not be included in the BEA.

Tiered Accountability for Execution

The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) approach to business transformation relies on accountability at multiple tiers of the organization. Responsibilities are aligned with the decentralized management structure of the Department so that accountability for the planning and execution of systems modernization between the DoD enterprise and the Components have been clearly defined.

At the DoD level, program offices for funded systems and initiatives will implement and manage their respective solutions to achieve near-term objectives, termed Business Enterprise Priorities. Execution will be tracked through performance metrics that quantify and qualify progress. Progress will also be assessed through defined checkpoints such as Defense Business Systems Management Committee (DBSMC) and Investment Review Board (IRB) reviews as well as critical milestones within the Department’s institutionalized acquisition management processes.

Component-level business transformation is the responsibility of the respective Component leadership; however, their efforts are overseen by DoD-level governance through IRBs. Components are accountable to the DBSMC to provide program oversight, status reports, portfolio management of respective systems, and pre-certification of systems at the local level.

Executive-Level Oversight

The DBSMC was chartered by the DoD in February 2005 to oversee transformation in the Business Mission Area (BMA) and to ensure that it meets the needs and priorities of the warfighter. The DBSMC is the senior-most governing body overseeing BMA transformation, and it convenes under the personal direction of the Deputy Secretary of Defense to review capability requirements, set/reassess business priorities, and monitor progress to plan. The DBSMC reviews and approves the Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) and the Enterprise Transition Plan (ETP). The DBSMC recommends policies and procedures required to integrate DoD business transformation and attain cross-Department, end-to-end interoperability of business systems and processes. An important part of the DBSMC oversight includes ongoing review and approval of common DoD-wide standards and interfaces that Components must use to achieve interoperability. The DBSMC approves investment decisions and continually monitors schedule and milestone completeness, costs and resources, performance metrics, and risks.

The Under Secretaries of Defense, also referred to as Principal Staff Assistants (PSAs), support the DBSMC in the top-level management of enterprise business IT investments associated with improving the Core Business Missions (CBMs) of Human Resources Management, Weapon System Lifecycle Management, Materiel Supply and Service Management, Real Property and Installations Lifecycle Management, and Financial Management.

Each PSA serves as the Certification Authority (CA) accountable to obligate funds for business system investments. Leading their respective IRBs, the CAs review, approve, and oversee the planning, design, acquisition, deployment, operation, maintenance, and modernization of specific business systems. All Components are represented in the IRBs.

Transformation Tools

The DBSMC, IRBs, and Components will use several transformation tools to make system investment decisions that support the transition to the Department’s future information infrastructure. These tools include a BEA, an ETP, and a systems compliance checklist.

Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA)

The Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) is the enterprise architecture for the Department of Defense (DoD) Business Mission Area (BMA) and defines DoD's business transformation priorities, the Business Capabilities required to support those priorities, and the combinations of Enterprise Systems and Initiatives that enable these capabilities. The BEA is developed using a set of integrated DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF) products, including All View (AV), Operational View (OV), Systems and Services View (SV), and Technical Standards View (TV) products. The BEA includes activities, processes, data, information exchanges, business rules, system functions, system data exchanges, terms, and linkages to laws, regulations, and policies.

The major milestones for the Enterprise and Component Systems and Initiatives that are critical to achieving the transformation priorities are outlined in the Enterprise Transition Plan (ETP). Although the ETP is a separate document, the BEA and the ETP are integrated and cross referenced at the appropriate common touchpoints (e.g. Business Capabilities, Operational Activities, System Entities and System Functions).

The BEA 3.0, released in September 2005, is considered the initial baseline architecture. After the BEA 4.1 release in March 2007, the BEA was changed from a semiannual to an annual release cycle beginning with BEA 5.0, released in March 2008.

Enterprise Transition Plan (ETP)

The ETP addresses the six Business Enterprise Priorities at the DoD Enterprise level and contains transformation plans for the three Military Departments and three of the Defense Agencies/COCOMs. Within each Business Enterprise Priority, programs have been designated to provide specific solutions. As these programs mature, they will address incomplete milestones, resource needs, and metrics. In addition, these programs will determine specific termination dates for migrating systems.