About Federal Segment Architecture Methodology
History and Background
In January 2008, the Federal Segment Architecture Working Group (FSAWG) was formed as a sub-team of the Federal CIO Council's Architecture and Infrastructure Committee (AIC). The FSAWG consists of federal agency architects who volunteered to leverage existing enterprise architecture (EA) best practices to develop a standard methodology for creating and using segment architectures. The FSAWG developed the Federal Segment Architecture Methodology (FSAM), a step-by-step process that includes best practices from across the federal EA community. The FSAM features easy-to-use templates that expedite architecture development and maximize architecture use. The FSAM includes step by step guidance based on business-driven, results-oriented architecture.
What is FSAM?
According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Practice Guidance, segment architecture is a "detailed results-oriented architecture (baseline and target) and a transition strategy for a portion or segment of the enterprise." The FSAM supports all three segment types as defined in the OMB FEA Practice Guidance: core mission area, business service, and enterprise service segments. According to the OMB FEA Practice Guidance:
A core mission area segment represents a unique service area defining the mission or purpose of the agency. Core mission areas are defined by the agency business model (e.g., tactical defense, air transportation, energy supply, pollution prevention and control, and emergency response).
A business service segment includes common or shared business services supporting the core mission areas. Business services are defined by the agency business model and include the foundational mechanisms and back office services used to achieve the purpose of the agency (e.g., inspections and auditing, program monitoring, human resource management, and financial management).
An enterprise service segment includes common or shared IT services supporting core mission areas and business services. Enterprise services are defined by the agency service model and include the applications and service components used to achieve the purpose of the agency (e.g., knowledge management, records management, mapping/GIS, business intelligence, and reporting).
The FSAM consists of process steps for developing a core mission area segment architecture. The FSAM also includes guidance for tailoring the approach to develop business service and enterprise service segment architectures.
The FSAM is based on the principle that segment architecture development should be driven by segment leadership . FSAM is a scalable and repeatable process designed to help architects engage segment leaders to deliver value-added plans for improved mission delivery. Specifically, FSAM includes guidance to help architects establish clear relationships among strategic goals, detailed business / information management requirements, and measurable performance improvements within the segment. The FSAM helps architects ensure that a well constructed and defensible plan of action is developed in partnership with segment leaders.
The FSAWG members recognized that differences between individual segments and organizations would require FSAM to be flexible and extensible. The FSAWG members were careful to consider types of architectures as well as the need for agencies to develop and implement segment architectures that reflect their unique mission requirements and organizational cultures. Although the FSAM is prescriptive, it has been designed to allow organization and segment specific adaptations. For example, although templates are included in the FSAM, these templates can be modified or tailored to the specific needs of the organization or segment using the FSAM guidance. As a further benefit to architects, the FSAM provides suggested analytical techniques designed to conform to segment reporting requirements as identified by the OMB FEA Program Management Office (PMO).
Contributing Agencies and Assessed Best Practices:
The Federal Segment Architecture Methodology (FSAM) was produced by the Federal Segment Architecture Working Group (FSAWG). The FSAWG was formed in January 2008 as a sub-team to the Architecture and Infrastructure Committee (AIC), a committee that reports to the Federal CIO Council. The FSAWG was formed at the request of the Chief Architect, from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Over 50 volunteers representing government and industry contributed to the collaboration that produced the FSAM. This methodology represents a significant accomplishment in moving segment architecture development towards a repeatable process in support of improving federal agencys' mission execution and service delivery to our citizens and business partners. The FSAWG consisted of the following voting members:
| Government Core Team Member | Agency |
|---|---|
| Colleen Coggins (FSAWG Chair) | Department of the Interior (DOI) |
| Kshemendra Paul | Office of Management and Budget (OMB) |
| Rich VonBostel | Department of Justice (DOJ) |
| David Prompovitch | Department of Transportation (DOT) |
| Janet Gentry | Department of the Treasury (Treasury) |
| Walt Okon | Department of Defense (DoD) |
| Ken Clark | Representative from Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) |
| Ylanda Ford | Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
| Marlene Howze | Department of Labor (DOL) |
| Lisa Jenkins | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
| Kunal Suryavanshi (contractor) | Office of Personnel Management — Human Resources Line of Business (HR-LOB) |
| John Teeter | Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
| Donna Roy | Department of Homeland Security (DHS) |
In addition to the FSAWG Core Team, a larger working team of staff members was established under the direction of the FSAM Core Team and met on a weekly basis. The FSAWG Sub-Team consisted of the following members:
| Sub-Team Member | Agency | Contractor? |
|---|---|---|
| Suzanne Acar | DOI | |
| John Antlitz | HHS | |
| Graham Barrowman | HUD | Yes |
| Scott Bernard | DOT — Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) | |
| Emile Beshai | Treasury | |
| Tim Biggert | HR-LOB | Yes |
| Carrie Boyle | DOJ | Yes |
| Thomas Charuhas | DOI — National Park Service (NPS) | Yes |
| Kristi Coney | DoD | |
| Margot Delapp | DISA DoD | Yes |
| Cynthia Dittmar | DHS | Yes |
| Mark Gust | EPA | Yes |
| Adel Harris | DOI | Yes |
| Beverly Hacker | DOI | Yes |
| Ryan Kobb | HR-LOB | Yes |
| Shankar Krishnan | DOJ | Yes |
| Samuel Lampert | DOJ | Yes |
| Viesturs Lenss | DOI | Yes |
| Candyce Love | PM-ISE | Yes |
| Tinisha McMillan | DoD | |
| Pat McNaughton | DOL | Yes |
| Heather Miller | DOI | Yes |
| James Minier | Treasury | Yes |
| Mohan Prabandham | HR-LOB | Yes |
| John Reed | DOL | Yes |
| Diane Reeves | DOI | |
| Gail Reid | PM-ISE | Yes |
| Barbara Rice | DISA DoD | |
| Kenya Savage | PM-ISE | Yes |
| Kevin Schmitt | DOI | Yes |
| Quinise Sherman | DISA DoD | |
| Tom Smialowicz | OMB | Yes |
| Jerad Speigel | DOI | Yes |
| Rick Tucker | DoD | Yes |
| Laura Turbe | DOI | Yes |
| Todd Werts | DOL | Yes |
| Katrinia Whittington | Treasury |
In addition, 18 assessed best practices were considered in the development of the FSAM. These best practices are considered the best of the best throughout the federal-government:
- HUD — Segment Architecture Development Guidance / Work Product and Decision Templates
- DoD — DoDAF Version 2.0 (Draft)
- DOI — Methodology for Business Transformation (MBT)
- DOJ — Information Sharing Segment Architecture (ISSA)
- PM-ISE — Information Sharing Environment EA Framework
- PM-ISE — FEA Information Sharing Environment Profile
- DHS — Information Sharing Environment
- DOL — EA Quick Reference Guide
- DOL — IT Investment Management Quick Reference Guide
- DOL — STREAMLine Methodology
- Treasury — Segment Architecture Analysis Guide
- Treasury — Segment Architecture Process Guide
- Treasury — Segment Architecture Roadmap
- HRLOB — Segment Architecture Approach
- EPA — OSWER Segment Architecture Line-of-Sight: From Architecture through Implementation
- HHS — HHS Architecture Development Methodology (ADM)
- FEA — Security and Privacy Profile (v2) (Draft)
- FEA — Records Management Profile
