Consolidated Guidance: Describing the Boundaries

Synopsis

Two possible types of external entities may access the Agency automation: end users and automated systems. The boundary analysis examines and documents key characteristics of those entities. This allows the Architecture Team to identify and design the needed platforms and interfaces to support expected interactions. The intention is to note the essential characteristics that may impact the design of the interaction platforms. This document provides some suggestions to consider when performing and documenting this analysis.

External Users Analysis

The following list provides guidelines on the types of users and associated information to collect and analyze:

• Types of usage environments . Identify the types of environments from which the expected user population will be drawn. Consider minimally elaborating the three basic environments .
• Types of end users. Identify those individuals or groups that will interact with the system within each environment. This includes current as well as future users. Business process documentation, job descriptions, organization charts, or other documents may help identify these individuals. Name end-user roles for the composite job function they perform. Individuals may fulfill more than one role. For the HS business environment consider the following roles and what they typically do:
  • Receptionist. May direct calls to correct worker, answer generic questions, set up appointments.
  • Assistants. Answer generic questions, perform clearance, review reports, set up appointments, provide orientation, help applicants complete applications.
  • Case Workers. Interview clients, review applications, determine initial eligibility, calculate benefit amount.
  • Employment Counselors. Complete skills assessment, perform domestic violence screening, develop service plan or employment plan.
  • Supervisors. Closely supervise new employees, review cases, provide ongoing training for new policy changes, prepare reports, talk to disgruntled clients.
  • High-Level Administrators. Talk to disgruntled clients, prepare reports, answer drills from State Administrators.
  • State Administrators. Set policy, disseminate policy, hold training classes, collect data needed for Federal or other stakeholders.
  • Appeal Officer. Reviews case decisions.
  • Other noteworthy stakeholders that may not directly access the applications but affect the end users' behavior, such as local governments, private sector partners, regulators, inspectors, and quality assurance.
• User Characteristics . Characteristics that influence interactive platform design decisions should be described for each type of end use identified above. Consider:
  • Assumed skills and level of knowledge or abilities, such as expert, inexperienced user, and physical disabilities.
  • Environmental characteristics, such as language, culture, age, safety, security, privacy, and workforce labor agreements.
  • Temporal considerations, such as patterns of behavior, including work times, minimum or maximum expected simultaneous users, or work loads.
  • Likely changes in this entity such as trends in growth of user community or increasing competency in using personal computers (computer literacy).
  • Accessibility ( PL 1998 )
• Usage Goals . When describing the users, it is natural to define them in terms of what they do, that is, their usage goals (see types of end users). As the list of end users grows, the usage goals associated with them can be separately factored.
• Usage Settings . For each usage environment, provide a description of locations where the users will interact with the system, such as individual offices, interview rooms, homes, library, or on-the-road. Each setting may influence design assumptions about the interaction platform's capabilities (e.g., form factor such as screen size, information security, privacy, or accessibility constraints). Consider changes in the environments, such as telecommuting or reorganizations that may change usage patterns.
• Identify Platform Types . As an understanding builds of who needs to do what and where, identify and characterize the means that they have available to do their jobs. Describe essential characteristics of these platforms from the user perspective, such as special devices needed (e.g., bar code readers for case files, removable storage, large displays, office printers for confidential letters).
• Describe Usage Scenarios . Provide descriptions to highlight key interactions for end-users and the technology they use (e.g., conducting interactive interviews in the office or at a client's home). Use cases ( Booch, Rumbaugh, and Jacobson 1999 ) may be used, if appropriate.

External Interoperable Systems Analysis

This analysis builds on the strategic planning analysis of the situation activities, focusing on the technical aspects (e.g., message exchange and internetworking protocols). These systems are outside the control of the HS Agency and may require interoperability agreements between the Agency and the systems owners. Agency services depend on the services these systems offer. The Agency systems may also provide services to these external systems. The following list provides guidelines on the types of external systems and associated information to collect and analyze:

• Identify External systems. Identify existing or future systems that directly interoperate or share information with the Agency systems. This considers all possible usage environments (e.g., downloading virus updates in the operational environment). For the business environment, consider:
  • Banks (electronic benefits transfer networks)
  • Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Social Security information
  • Credit Bureau
  • Law enforcement
  • Federal (reporting requirements)
• Characterize External System and Settings . For each of the systems, characterize the technology and the environment (or settings) in which the system operates. The characteristics of importance to the Agency are those that may impact the future of the information-sharing relationship. This may include characteristics of the system (make and model or OS version of the platform) and privacy, system availability, data integrity or protection, or access control policies.
• Interface Characteristics . If the interface is already defined, reference existing interface control documentation, as appropriate, noting any planned changes. For new interfaces, characterize the essential characteristics that will drive the internetworking design. Consider:
  • Message formats and data elements
  • The transmission mechanism and format (tape, network, paper forms)
  • Networking (link type/speed, application, and lower protocols).
• Information-Sharing Goals . Identify the set of services the external system provides to the Agency or what the Agency provides to the external system. You can abstract these from the details of the current implementation, such as the types of transactions supported.
• Describe Usage Scenarios . Provide descriptions to highlight key interactions between the automated systems. Use cases ( Booch, Rumbaugh, and Jacobson 1999 ) may be used, if appropriate

Summary

Descriptions of the boundaries and associated entities can generate significant information. To compile them for quick reference and analysis, summarize the associations between entities (see the interaction table ). In general, one or more external entities interact with one or more HS Agency-provided platforms within one or more settings to achieve one or more of the entity's goals . For example, an individual may read e-mail at the office on a workstation attached to a LAN , on the road with a laptop and dial-in networking, or using wireless devices at the airport. Each setting's implementation may require a different approach to deliver quality e-mail services (e.g., limited bandwidth or device display size). Include comments to address assumptions about the automation or user technology boundaries and interactions (e.g., common usage scenarios) in notes.

Example Summarization of Interaction Between Entities and Platforms

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