Integrating Process and Data Models in a Horizontal Organization - High-Performance Web Databases: Design, Development, and Deployment - page 264

Both process-focused and data-focused approaches have made signifi-
cant effects on the project level where IS personnel have used each tech-
nique to develop information systems for specific applications. Yet, neither
technique has made any significant effect on the corporate level. A meth-
odology must be developed that can take the strengths of both process-
and data-focused approaches and blend them into a corporate model —
which can include the recent trends of the horizontal organization. This
has been successfully accomplished in industry using the combination of
the IDEF0 Activity Modeling and IDEF1X Data Modeling approaches, as well
as through the Information Engineering Methodologies of J. Martin and
C. Finkelstein.
INTEGRATING INTO THE HORIZONTAL ORGANIZATION
Integrating information systems technology into the corporate organiza-
tional structure requires the support of both senior management and low-
er-level personnel if it is to be successful. It must be a methodology that
can be understood and communicated throughout the organization by
both computer technical and noncomputer technical personnel to be effec-
tive. Since the horizontal organization concept uses multidisciplinary
teams within each process, an effective IS methodology must be simple
enough to communicate across disciplines and yet be effective in IS plan-
ning. Process-focused modeling relies on simple, easy-to-understand sym-
bols that can be used across disciplines. This methodology must be easy
and effective enough to be used by all levels within the organization.
Senior executives identified IS planning and information integration as a
key issue for competition and survival in today's market. A process-fo-
cused methodology is compatible with modeling tasks and activities at the
essential process level as well as strategic activities at the higher level. A
process-focused approach has been recommended as an appropriate meth-
odology for an organization structure. The data-focused approach is most
appropriate for the data administrator. Therefore, an important consider-
ation is to develop a methodology that can integrate the strengths of both
process- and data-focused approaches within an organizational model.
With the growth in computer-aided modeling tools (e.g., CASE), the com-
plex task of representing interrelated activities and their associated data
components can be accomplished much more easily for both the process-
and the data-focused methodologies. Detailed computer specifications can
be generated to alleviate the problems of consistency at each level and be-
tween levels within each type of model hierarchy. The systems analyst
must be very careful in choosing appropriate CASE tools to help facilitate
the integration of process- and data-focused models. The CASE tool must
be very easy to use and comprehensive enough to allow for easy integra-
tion between the two models.