Content uploaded by Álvaro Rocha
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Álvaro Rocha on Apr 14, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Article
Planning the information architecture
in a local public administration
organization
A
´lvaro Rocha
Universidade do Porto
Filipe Sa
´
Ca
ˆmara Municipal de Penacova
Abstract
An Information Architecture is the basis for a comprehensive and integrated information system of any orga-
nization, capable of providing answers that meet the challenges posed by the contemporary competitive envi-
ronment. In this paper we analyse a number of representative methodologies used in Information Architecture
definitions and, based on a set of pre-defined criteria, we select the Adapted BSP (Business Systems Planning)
Methodology to apply in a local public administration organization in Portugal. This methodology proved to be
sufficiently flexible and suited to the goals proposed.
Keywords
information systems planning; information architecture; information systems integration; e-government, Portugal
One of the greatest problems faced by municipalities is the misuse of the available
computer systems.
Introduction
In a globalized market, with the consequent increase of
competitiveness and the growing level of demand con-
cerning products and services, practically every aspect
of an organization impacts its competitive positioning,
and this is particularly true for the efficiency of its
Information System (IS) (Teixeira et al., 2012; Rocha,
2011; Huang and Wang, 2010; Mohammad, 2009).
Consequently, local public administrations in Portu-
gal are currently facing a challenge of administrative
modernization, where the purpose is to bring services
and town residents closer together, together with a con-
stant need for process dematerialisation (Almeida,
2011; Torres, 2009, Rocha et al., 2005).
Penacova Municipality, located in the District of
Coimbra, Portugal, is no exception to this need. The
available information is increasingly larger and its con-
sultation must be quick and effective, in order to lead to
the most efficient decisions and actions.
In this context, the purpose of this work was to
develop a study that would define and validate an
Information Architecture for the Private Construction
Works Department of Penacova Municipality, capa-
ble of effectively answering to its information needs.
For that reason, our study focused on existing con-
cepts and methodologies, in order to define a cohesive
Information Architecture based on an academic work
that would be capable of sustaining a genuinely useful
final product.
Accordingly, we outlined the following goals in the
present work:
analyzing methodologies that were representa-
tive of Information Architecture Planning
selecting and implementing a methodology in a
real case scenario
Corresponding author:
A
´lvaro Rocha, LIACC, Universidade do Porto, Rua David Correia
da Silva, 407–5 T, 4435-200 Rio Tinto, Portugal.
Email: amrrocha@gmail.com
Information Development
2014, Vol. 30(3) 223–234
ªThe Author(s) 2013
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0266666913489841
idv.sagepub.com
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
proposing and validating an Information Archi-
tecture for the Private Construction Works
Department of Penacova Municipality
reflecting about the advantages and disadvan-
tages of the implemented methodology.
As result the Adapted BSP Methodology (Amaral
and Varaja
˜o, 2007) was selected and applied, which
proved to be sufficiently flexible and suited to the goals
proposed.
In the following sections we will present the research
methodology adopted in this study, the methodologies
that we considered to be representative of the Informa-
tion Architecture Planning and a case study involving
the development of an Information Architecture for the
Private Construction Works Department of Penacova
Municipality. Finally, we will discuss the results, draw
a number of conclusions and define the direction for
future work.
Methodology of the study
In a first stage, we developed a review of the available
literature, examining in detail a sample of books,
essays, theses and scientific papers published in the
field, which allowed us to select and better understand
the Information Architecture Planning methodology
implemented in our case study.
Maintaining this approach, we followed the case
study method, frequently used in both quantitative and
qualitative investigation works (Ho¨st and Runeson,
2008; Ho¨st and Runeson 2007), that oriented the imple-
mentation of the Adapted BSP Methodology presented
by Amaral and Varaja
˜o(2007)inthePrivateConstruc-
tion Works Department of Penacova Municipality.
Based on the collected and examined elements, we
proposed and validated an Information Architecture
encompassing the complete and integrated develop-
ment of an Information System that supported the
multiple information needs of this Department.
Finally, we discussed the results and reflected upon
the advantages and disadvantages of the implemented
methodology.
Information Architecture Planning
methodologies
The Information Architecture of any organization
involves the definition of relationships between busi-
ness processes and data classes. This enables the
evaluation of data sharing inside the organization.
Additionally, the Information Architecture provides
the basis for resource management and tactical plan-
ning, allowing for an orderly implementation of the
Information Architecture.
The focus of our investigation involved the identifi-
cation of methodologies that were capable of aiding the
Information Architecture Planning of an organization.
Consequently, in the following sections we will briefly
describe the BSP (Business Systems Planning) Metho-
dology, the Adapted BSP Methodology, Zachman’s
Framework, the Federal Enterprise Architecture Frame-
work (FEAF) and the Enterprise Architecture Planning
(EAP) Methodology.
We describe these methodologies because they were
considered representative, to the extent that they were
mentioned, studied and selected and/or implemented
in several academic works (e.g. Huang and Wang
2010; Mohammad, 2009; Mesquita, 2007; Casagrande,
2005; Tome´, 2004; Costa, 2002; Sousa, 2001; Saka-
moto, 1982).
Business Systems Planning methodology
The Business Systems Planning (BSP) methodology
is a structured methodology that enables the imple-
mentation of Information Systems Planning (ISP) by
an organization, particularly as an IS ought to be
structured, integrated and implemented (Rocha,
2002; Sakamoto and Ball, 1982) in order to comply
with the information needs of the organization. It
focuses on the business developed by the organiza-
tion, in the sense that it is based in its processes and
business data (Huang and Wang, 2010; Souza, 2001).
The BSP methodology was created by IBM in 1975
and was revised several times until its 4th edition
(IBM, 1984). This methodology involves every
key-person inside the organization, to the extent that
it focuses on processes that need to be accurately
identified and defined. It also requires the support of
the top management.
Planning information systems based on the BSP
methodology involves the complete and detailed study
of the organization, so its goals can be transformed into
information requirements, as shown in Figure 1.
This methodology follows 12 steps:
1. Preliminary Activities
2. Study Preparation
3. Study Beginning
4. Business Processes Definition
5. Entities and Data Requirements Identification
6. Information Architecture Definition
224 Information Development 30(3)
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
7. Current IS Support to Processes Analysis
8. Interviewing
9. Information Systematization and Conclusions
10. Determination of Implementation Priorities
11. Information Management Analysis
12. Study Documentation and Reporting.
Two of these steps are inherently connected to the
purpose of the present study: ‘Information Architecture
Definition’ and ‘Current IS Support to Processes’.
The matrices resulting from the implementation of
the BSP Methodology to the Information Architecture
Definition reveal the existing processes and their
output or input data, helping to define which IS should
be developed or purchased. They enable the logical
identification of the existing architecture or sub-
architectures inside the organization.
According to Souza (2001), the BSP Methodology
has served as a basis for different methodologies and
references, such as the Adapted BSP Methodology,
Zachman’s Framework and the Enterprise Architec-
ture Planning Methodology.
Adapted BSP Methodology
Despite being based on the BSP Methodology devel-
oped by IBM, this Adapted BSP Methodology can be
considered a reorganized BSP. As with the original
BSP Methodology, its main goal is to provide an IS
plan that supports the information needs of the orga-
nization, integrating this plan in the organization’s
plan.
The authors of this methodology advocate that it
meets the critical success factors when planning, devel-
oping and implementing an information architecture
that effectively supports the goals of the organization,
such as: ‘‘Top down planning; Bottom up implementa-
tion; Information management as an organizational
process; Organizational process-oriented approach;
Implementation of a validated and easily understood
methodology’’ (Amaral and Varaja
˜o 2007).
Contrary to the original BSP Methodology, this
methodology involves six steps:
1. Preliminary Activities
2. Study Preparation
3. Study Beginning
4. Information System Characterization
5. Construction of Alternative Scenarios for the
Prospective Information System
6. Negotiation, Implementation and Control of
Solutions.
We can clearly see and confirm that, despite the exis-
tence of a theoretical difference between the two meth-
odologies (the BSP and the Adapted BSP) which has to
do with the twelve steps in the original model and the six
steps in the adapted model, the later is indeed an adapted
BSP as opposed to a compressed version.
That is, the first three steps are shared by both meth-
odologies (Preliminary Activities, Study Preparation
and Study Beginning). The fourth step, Information
System Characterization, is far more comprehensive
than the original BSP, to the extent that it can include
the: i) Process Definition; ii) Data Requirement Identi-
fication; iii) Information Architecture Definition; iv)
Current IS Support Analysis; v) Interviewing; and vi)
Information Systematization. The remaining steps of
this adapted methodology correspond to the original
BSP.
Business Goals
Business Organization
Business Processes
Business Data
Information Architecture
Business Goals
Business Processes
Applications
Database
Planning Implementing
Figure 1. IS planning and implementation based on BSP methodology.
Rocha and Sa
´: Planning the information architecture in a local public administration organization 225
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
The organization of this Adapted BSP Methodol-
ogy into six steps increases the accuracy of the study
and renders its goals more tangible, while discriminat-
ing and highlighting six fundamental moments in the
planning process:
a first moment, when the planning is prepared
and the preliminary information concerning the
organization and the IS is collected
a second moment, when the information archi-
tecture is characterized and defined and the
current/planned IS support is analyzed
a third moment, when the alternative scenarios
of the prospective IS are identified and its
implementation recommendations are drafted
finally, a fourth moment, when the implemen-
tation and the control of the selected IS solu-
tions are studied.
Moreover, the available documentation and the
success cases of implementation registered in Portu-
gal make this Adapted BSP Methodology a feasible
solution for the Portuguese reality, having been
already successfully implemented in several planning
processes developed in organizations (Amaral and
Varaja
˜o, 2007; Mesquita, 2007).
Zackman’s Framework
Zachman’s Framework was officially published in
1987 by IBM (Zachman, 1987), and at the time it was
considered a reference when describing the architec-
ture of information systems (Zachman, Inmon and
Geiger, 1997; Zachman, 1996).
In the words of Rocha and Santos (2010), Zach-
man’s Framework guarantees the existence of norms
and their proper integration when the information
environment is created. Song and Song (2010) add
that Zachman’s Framework helps to identify the goals
and the purpose of building a business architecture.
Zachman, Inmon and Geiger (1997) contend that
Zachman’s Framework provides a systemic approach
for the creation of a product, from the moment it is
thought, planned and designed until it is concluded.
As with any other systemic approach, a set of rules
must be followed in order to preserve its integrity.
As stated by Zachman, Inmon and Geiger (1997),
Zachman’s Framework acknowledges that computer
systems must be connected to the business world. In
the business world, people hold different perspec-
tives and play different roles, according to their infor-
mation needs and use. The needs pertaining to each
perspective should be expressed in line with the under-
standing of each person, in a series of dimensions or
information.
Accordingly, the model is organized into perspec-
tives (matrix rows) and views (matrix columns). This
structure displays in its vertical axis five different per-
spectives, which encompass all the necessary views for
a good architecture definition: contextual business view
(the planner’s and the owner’s view), the designer’s
view (for the development of a logical model), the
builder’s view (responsible for the development of the
physical model), and the subcontractor view (responsi-
ble for the construction of specific parts of a product).
On the horizontal axis we find the dimensions or
abstractions, pertaining to data, processes and networks,
and they answer the six fundamentalquestions underly-
ing any problem solving: the entities or things (what?),
the developed activities (how?), the people involved
(who?), the considered locations (where?), the moment
or the opportunity for the event (when?), and the neces-
sary motivations (why?) (Rocha and Santos, 2010;
Casagrande, 2005; Tome´, 2004).
Enterprise Architecture Planning Methodology
The Enterprise Architecture Planning (EAP) Metho-
dology was developed by Spewak and Hill (1995) for
the development of organizational architectures. Costa
(2002) contends that the EAP Methodology is intended
as a modern approach for quality data planning, favour-
ing the task developed by the information system of an
organization. According to Souza (2001), it is the pro-
cess of defining information use architectures to support
the operations of the organization and the very imple-
mentation plan of these architectures. It is based on the
first two rows of Zachman’s referential: the planner’s
and the owner’ view (Casagrande, 2005; Tome´, 2004).
Within the EAP Methodology, in a first stage, the
architectures are defined before the design of the sys-
tem, the database or the communication network.
Subsequently, while the architecture defines what is
to be done, the implementation plan describes when
these architectures are to be implemented. Lastly, the
design and the implementation work are developed by
the IS (Casagrande, 2005).
This methodology involves seven steps, organized
into four levels, as shown in Figure 2.
Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework
The Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FE-
AF) was an effort developed by the United States of
226 Information Development 30(3)
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
America to align its great number of agencies and
respective tasks under a single universal business archi-
tecture (Chief Information Officers Council, 2001).
According to Sayles (2003), the FEAF is a reference
that any organization can use to manage and control the
development and maintenance of its own architecture.
It also provides a structure to organize the resources of
the government, describing and regulating activities
within its architecture. Additionally, this Framework
organizes information pertaining to the organization
into different levels. The top level, level 1, is the high-
est level of the company. The bottom level, level 4,
contains the most detailed information pertaining to the
company.
The FEAF organizes the architecture of the company
into businesses, data, applications and technology. This
Framework borrows some elements from Zachman’s
Framework and it is also based on the planning metho-
dology developed by Spewak and Hill (1995).
Abbas et al. (2010) state that the goal of the FEAF is
to promote the easy development of shared processes
and information amongst US Federal Agencies and
other governmental agencies. Notwithstanding, this
Framework can be equally adapted to other govern-
mental applications, as well as non-governmental and
for-profit organizations.
Selected methodology in our case study
In the present case study we selected and decided to
implement the Adapted BSP Methodology developed
by Amaral and Varaja
˜o (2007).
Our choice was based on the following factors:
it was substantially documented
it was inspired by the original BSP Methodology
but offered new details and a different organiza-
tion of activities, suited to the present context
it met the critical key factors underlying the suc-
cessful planning, development and implementa-
tion of an Information Architecture
its different steps were easily adapted to fit the
reality of the Private Construction Works
Department in Penacova Municipality
the matrices describing the Information Archi-
tecture enabled a clear and effective analysis of
processes and data classes, as well as an infor-
mation flow analysis, promoting a greater
understanding of the study as a whole
the Application/Data Classes Matrix, the
Application/Processes Matrix and Applica-
tion/Organization Matrix, led to a clear and
unmistakable identification of the current and
prospective IS support to the Information
Architecture of the Private Construction
Works Department in Penacova Municipality.
Case study: the Private Construction
Works Department of Penacova
Municipality
In this section of the paper we describe a study devel-
oped in the Private Construction Works Department
of Penacova Municipality. This study included an
Information Architecture Planning based on the
Adapted BSP Methodology, developed by Amaral
and Varaja
˜o (2007). This methodology was adapted
to the reality of the context and the size of the study.
Characterization of the Private Construction Works
Department
Penacova Municipality belongs to the District of Coim-
bra. The municipality covers an area 220 Km
2
and has
Planning Initiation
Business Modeling Current Systems &
Technologies
Data
Architecture
Applications
Architecture
Technology
Architecture
Implementation/ Migration Plans
Figure 2. EAP Methodology Levels [Adapted from Spewak and Hill, 1995].
Rocha and Sa
´: Planning the information architecture in a local public administration organization 227
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
15,251 inhabitants – 2011 census – spread over 11
parishes.
Penacova Municipality is, therefore, a local public
administration organization. By the end of 2010 it had
149 employees. Its Private Construction Works
Department belongs to the Environment, Urban Ser-
vices and Municipal Construction Works Department,
which may delegate tasks to town councillors or
someone from its office. It is composed of the follow-
ing organic subunits: Service Planning; Spatial Plan-
ning; Urban and Construction Works Management;
Municipal Inspection Services; and Administrative
Department. The General Division has 74 employees,
17 of which working full time in the Private Construc-
tion Works Department.
Generally speaking, the purpose of this Private
Construction Works Department is to licence and reg-
ulate all the construction works developed within
Penacova Municipality. Some of the processes result
in construction projects, subdivision plans, certifi-
cates, correspondence, issuance of permits, fee collec-
tion, water-related processes, sanitation, etc.
Despite being an internal department, the treat-
ment of its processes implies an interaction with
other internal departments, such as, for instance, the
Treasury or Accounting departments. There are also
external interactions, both with town residents and
other entities, involving licensing, authorizations or
requests for opinions.
This Department is responsible for receiving and
running all matters connected with private construc-
tion works.
Implementing the Adapted BSP Methodology
In this section we describe how the Adapted BSP
Methodology, developed by Amaral and Varaja
˜o
(2007), was implemented with the purpose of creating
an Information Architecture Planning for the Private
Construction Works Department of Penacova Munici-
pality. The complete absence of a study or any official
ISP document involving this Municipality Depart-
ment, and also the need to rethink its entire IS, justi-
fied this implementation.
Consequently, we implemented the steps of the
selected methodology, adjusting them to the reality
of the object of study and to the scope of our investiga-
tion. The scope and the objective of the study were thus
defined, as well as the project team and the logistics.
We identified the information to be collected, concern-
ing human resources, financial resources, services and
clients. We identified the installed hardware and soft-
ware, and the information systems. We identified the
mission, vision, strategic goals and objectives of the
Private Construction Works Department of Penacova
Municipality. We also defined its entities. Based on the
meetings we held with the Head of the Construction
Works Department and the President of the City Coun-
cil, we identified the following entities: President;
Head of the Department; Technicians; Administrative
Staff; Town Supervisor; Inspection Committee; and
Citizens. This group of entities is responsible for all the
elements that intervene in the processes of the Depart-
ment. Finally, we defined the processes and the data
classes.
Processes. In the words of Amaral and Varaja
˜o(2007)
the organizational processes can be defined as ‘‘logi-
cally connected decision groups’’ or ‘‘the activities that
are necessary to manage the resources of an organiza-
tion’’. Still according to the same authors, defining the
organizational processes will lead to:
an IS that is independent of the organizational
structure
an understanding of how the organization
achieves its mission
a basis for the Information Architecture Plan-
ning, that identifies its scope, renders it modu-
lar and determines its development priorities
a basis for the identification of key requirements
pertaining to data.
Bearing in mind the rules for the identification of
processes, based on the meetings we held, we drafted
a first scheme containing all the procedures and exist-
ing processes in the Private Construction Works
Department. After this survey the processes were org-
anized in a ‘Dictionary of Processes’. Finally, the pro-
cesses were validated.
We identified and described 37 processes. ‘Prepare
Plan of Activities’ (P1), for instance, was one of the
processes we identified, and its definition was:
‘‘Set of actions and decisions concerning the prepara-
tion of a Plan of Activities for the Private Construction
Works Department, defining goals, responsibilities
and identifying the means to achieve it.’’
Data classes. Amaral and Varaja
˜o (2007) state: ‘‘A
data class is a cluster of data pertaining to aspects
(or entities) that are relevant for the information. Data
classes should represent data that needs to be available
228 Information Development 30(3)
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
to complete the activities of the organization’’. Based
on this assumption, and after the dictionary of pro-
cesses had been completed, we were able to identity
and define the existing data classes in the Department
and prepare a dictionary of data classes.
We identified and described 42 data classes. ‘Site
Journal’ (C30), for instance, was one of the data
classes we identified, and its definition was:
‘‘Document containing the entire history of the con-
struction work, including information of the responsi-
ble technicians, daily summaries of the construction
works progress, amendments to the project, inspec-
tions from Town Supervisors and inspection-related
files’’.
After identifying and describing the dictionary of
processes and the dictionary of data classes, we deter-
mined which data was created and used by each pro-
cess. Figure 3 illustrates the process P1 (Prepare Plan
of Activities).
Defining the Information Architecture. After identifying,
describing and validating each process and the respec-
tive data classes, we needed to establish a connection
amongst them in order to define an Information Archi-
tecture that allowed us to assess the situation of the orga-
nizationand build a structured diagnosis of the existing,
as well as the future, constraints and difficulties.
Accordingly, we built a matrix displaying the pro-
cesses on the vertical axis and the data classes on the
horizontal axis. In the cells we used the ‘C’ (create) let-
ter to designate the data classes created by processes,
and the ‘U’ (use) letter to designate the processes that
used data classes.
In order to determine the Information Architecture
flow chart we organized the processes by grouping
those that shared a great deal of data. Afterwards, we
reorganized data classes as follows: the data class that
was closest to the process axis was created by the first
listed process, the next one (the following) by the sec-
ond process, and so on.
After reorganizing the rows and the columns in the
matrix we were able to define groups of processes.
When those groups were identified, we were able to
identify the data flow amongst them, based on the
data classes that each process used.
Figure 4 displays the Processes/Data Classes Matrix,
and the groups of processes were named according to
their role:
Administration – Group of processes and data
classes concerning the Construction Works
Department management and policy
Service – Group of processes and data classes
concerning Costumer Service and preliminary
processing
Sanitation – Group of processes and data
classes concerning the preparation of a prelim-
inary construction work process analysis by the
Administrative Service
Licensing – Group of processes and data
classes concerning the technical analysis of a
construction work process
Construction Work Monitoring – Group of pro-
cesses and data classes concerning the monitor-
ing and the inspection of the construction work
carried out by a town resident;
Utilization Permit – Group of processes and
data classes concerning the issuing of an utili-
zation permit;
Archive – Group of processes and data classes
concerning the management of the construction
works archive.
The data flow amongst the groups of processes is
displayed in Figure 4. These flows happened each
time a process belonging to a group of processes used
a data class created by a different process belonging to
another group of processes.
IT support to the Information Architecture analysis. After
the new Information Architecture was defined we
analyzed the support it currently receives from com-
puter applications/Information Technologies (IT).
To do so we prepared three matrices:
1. Applications/Entities Matrix (Figure 5), dis-
playing the computer applications that support
users from the Construction Works Department
2. Applications/Processes Matrix, displaying the
applications that support existing processes;
3. Applications/Data Classes Matrix, displaying
the applications that support data classes, in
order to understand which applications are
P1 – Prepare Plan of Activities
Create Use
C1 – Activities Plan C3 – Goals Sheet
C5 – Holidays Sheet
C4 – HR Assessment Form
Figure 3. Creation and use of data classes by process.
Rocha and Sa
´: Planning the information architecture in a local public administration organization 229
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
currently automated and which applications
maintain the data.
Problems. After validating the previous steps we needed
to identify and define the main problems emerging
from the analysis of the computer applications support
to the defined Information Architecture, and conse-
quently to the processes and the data classes.
In the course of this analysis, which included a
number of meetings with the team members, and dur-
ing the interviewing we identified and validated the
main problems. To summarize them we created a
table with the following columns: group of processes,
cause, problem, significance, originating process, ori-
ginating data class and proposed solution.
Despite emerging in different processes, most of
the problems revealed a common source. The main
problems were:
1. Lack of available information in the system
(paper-based data in some cases) – The Con-
struction Works Department mainly resorts to
an OPS (Operations Processing System) appli-
cation to deal with the construction work pro-
cesses and a DMS (Document Management
System) application for mail registration.
These two systems should be completely inte-
grated. At the same time, both the OPS and the
DMS should enable the electronic scanning of
every document, giving way to fully electronic
processing and process analysis.
2. Excess of useless information – Without the
electronic scanning the applications cannot track
the information, leading to the storage of infor-
mation that is irrelevant for the process analysis.
3. Communication gaps with the town resi-
dents – The communication with the town res-
idents is still paper-based, which interferes with
deadlines and an accurate document processing.
The OPS and DMS applications should allow
the electronic notification and communication
with town residents.
4. Several applications use the same informa-
tion, without being shared or scanned –
Again, the OPS and the DMS must be integrated
to access the same information.
5. No control over external requests –Thecur-
rent applications do not support automated
requests for information or opinions from exter-
nal entities. Since these requests are a part of
licensing processes the OPS must be altered to
allow automated requests.
6. Access to information from the outside –
Supervising teams and inspection committees,
when performing external services, need to have
access to updated information from the con-
struction work processes under supervision/
inspection, and this calls for the implementation
of a remote and real time system that allows
access to existing processes in the OPS system.
Priorities and recommendations. Considering the col-
lected and validated information, the identified prob-
lems, and the validation of current needs, defining
development priorities and recommendations becomes
mandatory. In order to identify the priorities we adopted
a method that involves the identification and clustering
of criteria into four categories (Figure 6):
1. potential benefits
2. impact on the organization
3. probability of success
4. demand.
In each category the relevance was rated in a scale
of 1 to 10. The sum of the ratings determined the best
computer application development sequence.
Considering the previous analysis, the list of prio-
rities for future development involves solving the fol-
lowing issues:
1. lack of available information in the system
(paper-based data in some cases)
2. communication gaps with the town residents
3. several applications use the same data, without
being shared or scanned
Figure 5. Applications/Entities Matrix.
Rocha and Sa
´: Planning the information architecture in a local public administration organization 231
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
4. excess of useless information
5. access to information from the outside
6. no control over external requests.
Despite the definition of a preliminary list of devel-
opment priorities, this list should be subjected to a
new evaluation after each implementation. For
instance, the implementation of the first item (Lack
of available information in the system) must be fol-
lowed by a new identification of development priori-
ties that includes the remaining items.
Discussion and conclusion
Contributions
The main purpose of this work was to plan an Informa-
tion Architecture for the Private Construction Works
Department of Penacova Municipality. Our goal was
motivated by a strategic decision from Penacova Muni-
cipality, of conforming the IS to the new demands of
town residents – who needed greater and quicker
access to information – and legal demands for increas-
ingly effective and efficient answers.
However, we observed that one of the greatest prob-
lems faced by municipalities is the misuse of the available
computer systems, as well as their lack of alignment with
implemented and intended policies. Another problem
has to do with the vision of the political power when faced
with a number of changes. Change is frequently perceived
as an obstacle, as opposed to a means for success.
Fortunately, organizations and new human resources
departments are starting to perceive IS and IT not only as
technology but as a means to achieve their goals and stra-
tegies. This change allowed us to involve a small team
from Penacova Municipality in the implementation of
the Adapted BSP Methodology, developed by Amaral
and Varaja
˜o (2007), in the Private Construction Works
Department.
As such, specific goals have reached significant
degrees of specialization inside information systems,
and that is why we performed a literature review
involving multiple themes in this field, and several
Information Architecture Planning methodologies.
By defining the Information Architecture we were
able to characterize the information system and verify
the existing computer applications as well as the support
they provide to the implemented Information Architec-
ture, and to identify and define eight groups of processes
(Administration, Services, Sanitation, Licensing, Per-
mits, Construction Works Monitoring, Utilization Per-
mit and Archive) and 43 data classes.
In a later stage, we identified the main problems as
well as the development priorities and recommenda-
tions for the future. The excess of useless information
and the lack of an integrated document management
system in Penacova Municipality are the main obsta-
cles to the Information Architecture implementation
and improvement.
Regarding the methodology used, the Adapted BSP
Methodology proved to be sufficiently flexible and
suited to the context where it was applied. In short,
we reached all the goals proposed when we started
this investigation.
Limitations and possibilities of future works
Our work does not end with the results presented in this
paper, which is a part of a preliminary information sys-
tem planning for Penacova Municipality, particularly
the Private Construction Works Department. This work
Figure 6. Defining development priorities.
232 Information Development 30(3)
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
can be improved and completed, should the municipal-
ity be interested in exploring the full potential of the
current information systems, in a comprehensive and
groundbreaking manner.
Despite being a tangible work, time restraints and
other limitations made it impossible to explore in
greater detail the multiple areas developed, and in a sub-
sequent period we intend to improve and study in greater
detail the final steps of the selected methodology.
During the final implementation step we will nego-
tiate a solution and confirm if it meets the goals
defined by the Public Construction Works Depart-
ment of this municipality.
Should the municipality be unable to develop a new
IS capable of supporting the new Information Architec-
ture in a comprehensive manner, we suggest that the
existing applications are made available for change
in the near future, especially the OPS and the DMS
applications, according to the new Information Archi-
tecture. The municipality should therefore contact the
company that developed the applications to request
their integration. The DMS should be improved in
order to allow the electronic scanning of documents,
the treatment and the control of processes and the com-
munication with external bodies.
References
Abbas A, Mir S and Fereydon S (2010) A method for
benchmarking application in the enterprise architecture
planning process based on Federal Enterprise Architec-
ture Framework. Computer Engineering Department,
Shahid Beheshti University, Iran.
Almeida FB (2011) E-government – ana
´lise e avaliac¸a˜o dos
Municı
´
pios no Distrito de Viseu. Dissertac¸a
˜odeMes-
trado, Instituto Polite´cnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal.
Amaral L and Varaja
˜o J (2007) Planeamento de sistemas
de informac¸a˜o. 4th ed, FCA, Editora de Informa´tica,
Lisboa, Portugal.
Casagrande NG (2005) Metodologia para modelagem de
Arquitetura de Informac¸a˜o estrate
´gica para pequenas
empresas: Uma aplicac¸a˜o no setor de turismo rural.
Tese de Doutorado em Administrac¸a
˜o, Universidade
Federal de Santa Catarina, Floriano´ polis, Brasil.
Chief Information Officers Council (2001) Federal Enter-
prise Architecture Framework. Version 1.0, Chief Infor-
mation Officers Council, USA.
Costa P (2002) A func¸a˜o produc¸a˜o de SI/TI – Modelo infor-
macional. Dissertac¸a
˜o de Mestrado, Universidade do
Minho, Guimara
˜es, Portugal.
Ho¨ st M and Runeson P (2007) Checklists for software engi-
neering case study. Software Engineering Research
Group, Lund University, Sweden.
Ho¨ st M and Runeson P (2008) Guidelines for conducting
and reporting case study. Software Engineering
Research Group, Lund University, Sweden.
Huang S and Wang X (2010) Research on methods of inte-
grated information systems based on BSP. Proceedings
of The 2010 Fourth International Conference on
Genetic and Evolutionary Computing, pp. 546–549.
IEEE Computer Society.
IBM (1984) Business Systems Planning: information sys-
tems planning guide. 4th Ed. International Business
Machines Corporation, USA.
Mesquita A (2007) Tecnologias e sistemas de informac¸a˜o
para a indu
´stria da panificac¸a˜o e pastelaria: proposta
de uma arquitectura de informac¸a˜o. Dissertac¸a
˜ode
Mestrado, Universidade de Tra´s-os-Montes e Alto
Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
Mohammad D (2009) A new methodology for developing
the MIS master plan. Review of Business Information
Systems 13(1): 15–24.
Rocha A
´(2011) Evolution of information systems and tech-
nologies maturity in healthcare. International Journal of
Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics 6(2):
28–37. DOI: 10.4018/jhisi.2011040103.
Rocha A and Santos P (2010) Introduc¸a˜o ao Framework de
Zachman. Apontamentos de planeamento de sistemas de
Informac¸a˜o . Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Porto,
Portugal.
Rocha A
´, Silva C, Lamas M, Castro R. and Silva S (2005)
Governo electro
´nico nas Juntas de Freguesia: Situac¸a˜o
na Regia˜o do Minho. Actas da 6
a
Confereˆncia da Asso-
ciac¸a
˜o Portuguesa de Sistemas de Informac¸a
˜o. Brag-
anc¸a, Portugal.
Rocha A
´(2002) O essencial dos sistemas de informac¸a˜o.
Apontamentos de sistemas de Informac¸a˜o. Universidade
Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.
Sakamoto JG and Ball F. W (1982) Supporting Business
Systems Planning studies with the DWDC Data Diction-
ary. IBM System Journal 21(1): 54–80.
Sayles A (2003) Development of Federal Enterprise Archi-
tecture Framework using the IBM Rational Unified Pro-
cess and the Unified Modeling Language. Software
Group, IBM, USA.
Song H and Song Y (2010) Enterprise Architecture institu-
tionalization and assessment. In Proceedings of the 2010
IEEE/ACIS 9th International Conference on Computer
and Information Science (ICIS’10) pp. 870–875.
Souza JB (2001) Uma metodologia para planejamento de
arquitetura de informac¸o˜es. Dissertac¸a
˜o de Mestrado,
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Floriano´ polis,
Brasil.
Spewak SH and Hill SC (1995) Enterprise Architecture
Planning: Developing a blueprint for data, applications,
and technology. John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA.
Teixeira P, Branda
˜o PL and Rocha A
´(2012) Promoting suc-
cess in the introduction of health information systems.
Rocha and Sa
´: Planning the information architecture in a local public administration organization 233
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems
8(1): 17–27. DOI: 10.4018/jeis.2012010102.
Tome´ P (2004) Modelo de desenvolvimento de Arquitecturas
de Sistemas de Informac¸a˜o . Tese de Doutoramento, Uni-
versidade do Minho, Guimara
˜es, Portugal.
Torres A (2009) Poder local: Como potenciar a participa-
c¸a˜o dos cidada˜os na vida do municı
´
pio de Montijo. Dis-
sertac¸a
˜o de Mestrado, ISCTE – Instituto Universita´rio
de Lisboa, Portugal.
Zachman J (1987) A Framework for Information Systems
Architecture. IBM Systems Journal 26(3): 276–292.
Zachman J (1996) The Framework for Enterprise Architec-
ture: Background, description and utility. Zachman
International, USA.
Zachman J, Inmon W and Geiger J (1997) Data stores, data
warehousing and the Zachman Framework: Managing
enterprise knowledge. 1st Edition, McGraw-Hill, New
York, USA.
About the authors
A
´lvaro Rocha holds a ScD in Information Science, a PhD in
Information Systems and Technologies, and a MSc in Man-
agement of Information Systems. He is an Invited Professor
at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and an
Invited Professor at the ISMAI – Maia Higher Institute,
Portugal. He is a Researcher in the LIACC – Artificial Intel-
ligence and Computer Science Lab, at the University of
Porto, Portugal. He is teaching and researching subjects on
Software Engineering, Management of Information Systems
and Healthcare Information Systems. He is co-founder and
Presidentof AISTI (Iberian Association for Information Sys-
tems and Technologies). And he is the Editor-in-Chief for
the Software Engineering journal and the Editor-in-Chief for
the RISTI (Iberian Journal of Information Systems and
Technologies). Contact: LIACC, Universidadedo Porto, Rua
David Correia da Silva, 407–5 T, 4435-200 Rio Tinto, Por-
tugal. Email: amrrocha@gmail.com
Filipe Sa
´is a PhD candidate in Intelligent and Adaptable
Software Systems applied to e-govermment. He has also stud-
ied a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering with a Specia-
lization in Information Systems and a Degree in Management
of Information Systems. He works as a Computer Specialist
(IT) at Penacova’s City Council; in particular he is in charge
of the coordination and management of the Computer Center
and the administrative modernization. He is also working as
a teacher of Information Systems Project at the Enginee-
ring Higher Institute of Coimbra (ISEC) and Modules Data-
base and Computer Security at the Miguel Torga Higher
Institute in Coimbra (ISMT). He does research in several mat-
ters as e-government, software engineering and management
of information systems. Contact: Bairro do Loreto N47,
3025-031 Coimbra, Portugal. Email: filipe@cm-penacova.pt
234 Information Development 30(3)
by guest on July 23, 2014idv.sagepub.comDownloaded from
