OCIO Highlights

20 HHS Staff Become Certified Enterprise Architects

During July and August, 20 staff members representing Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and Staff Divisions (StaffDIVs) attended trainings and prepared to become Certified Enterprise Architects (CEA). In August 2007, they successfully passed their final examinations, including two days of oral exams, and received the CEA designation. As CEAs, they will make direct contributions to the continued development of the HHS Enterprise Architecture (EA).

The HHS EA aligns with the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The purpose of this effort is to identify opportunities to simplify processes and unify work across Agencies and within the Lines of Business of the Federal government. The outcome of this effort is a more citizen-centered, customer-focused government that maximizes technology investments to better achieve mission outcomes. OMB scores Agencies on EA status on the Electronic Government scorecard. HHS achieved and maintained Green (successful) status for EA throughout fiscal year 2007.

The FEAC Institute provided the training through their Enterprise Architecture Certification Program, customized specifically for the HHS environment. Captain Mary Forbes, an Enterprise Architect in the Office of the Chief Information Officer who received her certification through a previous FEAC Institute program, worked with the Institute to customize the training for HHS.

A participant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the instruction helpful, "The training was rigorous and thoughtfully crafted, and has given me a sense of foundation in my EA work.”

For the FEAC training, individuals were selected based on a demonstrated application of and commitment to the goals of the HHS EA. Training included nine weeks of in-class and on-line instruction, four graduate level courses approved by The California State University, and the successful completion of several integrated project team (IPT) projects.

The IPT projects allowed participants to cross their traditional OPDIV and program boundaries to develop and present the following preliminary segment architectures:

Use of Geospatial Data
Health Care Administration
Commissioned Corps Human Resources Transformation
National Health Worker Verification Network
Emergency Response
Planning and Accountability
Security
Service Oriented Architecture

Of the HHS participants, Felix Rausch, Executive Director of the FEAC Institute, said, “In retrospect over six years, you were part of an HHS class that was one of the finest ever, particularly with regard to the quality of projects submitted.”

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