Table Of ContentDevelopment and Usage of
Information Architecture:
A Management Perspective
Kanapaty Pelly Periasamy
Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Michaelmas 1994
This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my parents.
Acknowledgements
In writing a thesis one accumulates numerous debts. I wish to take this opportunity to
thank all those who have contributed directly or indirectly to this thesis.
My sincere gratitude to my supervisor, David Feeny, for his unfailing guidance and
encouragement throughout this research.
Thanks to the members of the Oxford Institute of Information Management and the
various faculty members of Templeton College (Oxford) who were patient sounding
boards for my ideas and provided constructive and stimulating feedback.
I am grateful to my employer, the Institute of Systems Science, National University of
Singapore, for the study leave and financial support to undertake this course of study.
I wish to also thank the consultancy business of IBM United Kingdom for providing
funds to undertake this research.
This research would not have been possible without the active participation of the case
study organisations and the cooperation of the survey respondents.
Thanks to the consultants - IBM UK, Andersen Consulting, and Nolan, Norton & Co.-
for being a source of helpful and provocative interaction.
Finally on a personal note, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my wife,
Parimala, and my daughters, Shaaretha and Sangeetha, without whose understanding,
support and patience this thesis would not have become a reality.
Development and Usage of Information Architecture:
A Management Perspective
Kanapaty Pelly Periasamy
Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Michaelmas 1994
Abstract
Despite its emergence more than a decade ago, information architecture remains a
problematic concept. A study of relevant literature suggests significant advocacy with
inadequate supporting evidence on its existence, application or value. The available
limited research evidence generally presents unsatisfactory information architecture
experience. Notwithstanding the unresolved issues and reported unsatisfactory
experience, information architecture continues to be referenced as an important
information management issue. Hence this doctoral study sought to investigate it
In the first stage, the study set out to clarify the position of information architecture via a
large scale postal survey of 294 organisations. The survey found that information
architecture is being used in association with IS planning, particularly in organisations
which position IT as a strategic resource, but perceptions on its two conventional key
components vary. While application architecture is viewed as being useful for IS
planning, corporate data model is seen as being more relevant to data management and
project implementation. Both models are regarded as tools facilitating integrated
information systems development.
In the second stage of research, case studies on 6 large organisations were conducted to
gain an in-depth understanding of successful information architecture practice. The
investigation reaffirmed application architecture's position as an IS planning tool and cast
further doubt on corporate data model's role not only in IS planning but also in IS
practice as a whole. Business area/project data model was identified as the pragmatic
high-level data model for both application/database development and data management. A
major finding of the case studies was on business system architecture, a pictorial model
depicting IT in its business setting. It is seen as being of value for integrating IS planning
with strategy development and business planning - a tool for fusing IT with the business.
The case studies concluded that the value and effectiveness of information architecture is
dependent on the targeting of its components - business system architecture, application
architecture and business area/project data model - in terms of tasks and recipients.
The case for a holistic approach to business/IS planning and implementation is currently
being argued by a number of leading management and IS scholars. This thesis embraces
the holistic approach and positions the (redefined) information architecture as a valuable
tool in its implementation.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1. Research Issue 2
2. Research Methodology 3
3. Research Findings 4
4. Outline of Thesis 7
Chapter 2: The Case for Research in Information Architecture 9
1. What is Information Architecture? 9
Definition of Information Architecture and its Components 10
Information Systems Architecture 12
2. Information Systems Planning 14
IS Planning Methodology 16
IS Planning Process - An Example 17
3. Development of Information Architecture 18
Value Activity-Entity Matrix and CRUD Matrix 18
Application Architecture Development 19
Corporate Data Model Development 22
4. Claims and Assertions About Information Architecture 23
Business/IS Planning Tool 23
IS Framework 24
IS Integration 24
Project Management 25
Application Development 25
Relevance to IT Architecture 25
Managing Change 26
5. Criticisms on Information Architecture 27
Consumption of Significant Time and Resource 27
Senior Management and Information Architecture 27
Need for Expertise in Methodology and Tools 27
Obsolescence of Information Architecture 28
Failure of Information Architecture 28
6. Research Evidence on Information Architecture 29
Information Systems Planning in UK Companies (Earl, 1990, 1993) 30
Table of Contents
Strategic Data Planning (Goodhue, et al., 1992a) 32
Building an IS Architecture (Kim and Everest, 1994) 33
7. The Need for Research in Information Architecture 34
8. Proposed Research 35
9. Summary 38
Chapter 3: Research Methodology 39
1. Research Methodology Typology 39
2. Research Paradigms and Methods 41
Positivism and Phenomenology 41
Research Methods 42
3. Specific Research Methods 44
Experiments 44
Survey Research 44
Combined Research Approach 45
Case Study Research 46
4. Methodology for Information Architecture Research 47
5. Large Scale Postal Survey 49
6. Case Studies 50
Case Study Organisations 51
Case Study Process 52
7. Summary 53
Chapter 4: Survey - Examining the Adoption of Information Architecture 55
1. Hypotheses and Research Issues 55
Issues to be Explored 56
2. Large Scale Postal Survey 58
Survey Sample 59
Derivation of New Data 62
3. Hypothesis Testing 62
Selection of Statistical Tests 63
HI: Information Architecture is Used by a Majority of Organisations 63
H2: Information Architecture is Perceived to be of Significant Value. 64
H3: Information Architecture is Associated with IS Planning 66
Table of Contents iii
4. Exploratory Analysis of Information Architecture: General Issues 69
Role of IT and Information Architecture 69
Usage of IT and Information Architecture 71
5. Analysis of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 73
Adoption/Valuation of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 74
Sources of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 74
Developing Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 75
Users of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 76
6. Benefits and Problems of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 77
Benefits/Purposes of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 77
Problems of Application Architecture/Corporate Data Model 79
7. Discussion and Propositions 81
Information Architecture: The General Message from the Survey 81
Comments and Propositions on Corporate Data Model 82
The 'Data Vs Process' Debate from an IS Planning Perspective 83
Comments and Propositions on Application Architecture 84
8. Summary 86
Chapter 5: A Redefined Information Architecture - The Theoretical Model 87
1. Research Domain 87
2. Management Requirements 90
3. Managerial Communication 94
4. Management Behaviour 96
5. Management Information Characteristics 99
6. Strategy Development and Business Planning 101
Strategy and Business Plan 101
The Strategy Development-Business Planning Framework 103
7. Information Systems Planning 104
8. Earl's 'Organisational Approach' 105
Project Implementation 106
Information Architecture and the 'Organisational Approach' 107
Support for the 'Organisational Approach' from the Literature 108
9. IT Architecture 109
Reach and Range of IT Architecture 111
10. Component of Information Architecture: Business Model 112
Table of Contents iv
11. The Theoretical Research Model 113
Development of the Research Model 113
Strategy Development and Business Planning 114
Functional Level Planning 116
Project Implementation 117
The Organisational Behaviour Setting 118
Systems Thinking and Information Architecture 119
12. Verifying the Theoretical Research Model 120
Zachman's (1987) Information Systems Architecture (ISA) Framework 120
Verification of the Research Model with Zachman's ISA Framework 122
Other Verification Effort 124
13. Summary 124
Chapter 6: Case Studies - 125
The Case Study Process 125
Framework for Case Study 126
Scope of Case Study 126
Data Collection 127
Case Study Report 128
1. Case Study No. 1: Shell UK Exploration and Production (Shell Expro) 129
Company Profile 129
IT Function 130
Strategy Development and Business Planning 131
Information Systems Planning 133
Project Implementation 135
Business Model: The Exploration and Production Business Model 136
Application Architecture: The Output of Business Area Analysis 139
High Level Data Model: The Exploration and Production Data Model 140
IT Architecture 143
Conclusion 144
2. Case Study No. 2: Thames Water Utilities Ltd. 145
Company Profile 145
IT Function 146
Strategy Development and Business Planning 147
Information Systems Planning 148
Table of Contents
Project Implementation 152
Business Model 153
Application Architecture 158
High Level Data Model 162
IT Architecture 165
Conclusion 168
3. Case Study No. 3: Rover Group Ltd. 169
Company Profile 169
IT Function 170
Strategy Development and Business Planning 172
Information Systems Planning 174
Project Implementation 176
Business Model 177
Application Architecture 181
High Level Data Model 183
IT Architecture 185
Conclusion 189
4. Case Study No. 4: Allied Dunbar Assurance Pic. 190
Company Profile 190
IT Function 191
Strategy Development and Business Planning 192
Information Systems Planning 196
Project Implementation 200
Business Model 202
Application Architecture 205
High Level Data Model 208
IT Architecture 212
Conclusion 215
5. Case Study No. 5: Safeway Stores Pic. 216
Company Profile 216
IT Function 217
Strategy Development and Business Planning 221
Information Systems Planning 223
Project Implementation 225
Business Model 227
Table of Contents vi
Application Architecture 231
High Level Data Model 233
IT Architecture 235
Conclusion 237
6. Case Study No. 6: British Rail 238
Organisation Profile 238
IT Function 239
Initiation of Information Architecture Project 241
The Information Architecture Project 242
Key Deliverables of the Information Architecture Project 245
Other IS Models Relevant to the Project 249
Major Project Issues 250
The Outcome of the Information Architecture Project 254
Conclusion 255
7. Summary of Chapter 257
Chapter 7: Case Study Synthesis - Theory vs Practice 258
1. Context for Analysis of Information Architecture 259
Strategy Development and Business Planning 259
Information Systems Planning 261
Project Implementation 262
Summary of the Context Related to Information Architecture Practice 263
2. Business System Architecture 265
Characteristics of Business System Architecture 266
Organisational-level Business Processes and Models of Industry 267
CRUD Matrix and Business System Architecture 268
Value and Usage of Business System Architecture 269
3. Application Architecture 271
Overall Application Architecture 271
Detailed Application Architecture 273
4. High-Level Data Model 275
Corporate Data Model 275
Business Area/Project Data Model 278
