EA and the Cloud: Design for Dramatic Business Value

Analysis of Alternatives (AoA)—Key to Successful Programs

In 2009, the GAO studied 32 Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition projects and found that 69% of the projects with weak AoA studies had major cost and schedule overruns, while only 22% of those with strong AoA efforts missed their targets. AoA success goes beyond the acquisition of weapon systems and shows similar results for any new project, program, process, policy, or other organizational change. AoA is a process that begins with the development of multiple competing alternatives. The goal is to not only find which alternative is strongest; but what areas need improvement and which risks need mitigation to ensure project budget and schedule success.

Panel: Developing Analyses of Alternatives for Cloud Computing

Dr. Brand Niemann, Speaker at the March 23^rd AOGEA-WMA event will organize this particularly timely and important topic. Everyone is talking about Cloud Computing, but who really knows how to conduct an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) regarding a related initiative? Do you (really)? If you do, can you explain to a layman? There are a lot of risks in embracing a Cloud Computing approach/project without a mature and systematic way to consider alternatives. Brand, working with Dr. Steve Else, Co-Chair of the AOGEA-WMA, will be a top-tier, highly interactive panel session. Please come and be a part of this critical discussion!

Download the event brochure at:

http://eaprincipals.com/docs/AOGEA-WMA_Event_April_26_2011.pdf

A nominal fee of $30.00 is required (or $20.00 — if pre-paid by April 5th via PayPal@AOGEA-WMA.org). Refreshments will be served starting at 5:45. Join the Networking! Presentations start at 6:15. The raffle will be at 8:45.

Speaker and Presenter Information

Dr. David Ullman, Ph.D., President, Robust Decisions, Inc. Dr. David Ullman is the President of Robust Decisions. In the 1990s, while teaching engineering design at Oregon State University, he became aware of the importance of using structured methods to analyze alternatives. By 2002 he had developed tools specifically designed to support the analysis of alternatives when information is uncertain, incomplete, conflicting and evolving (see www.robustdecisions.com and www.accordmanager.com). Ullman is the author of �Making Robust Decisions� (2006 Trafford), �The Mechanical Design Process� (2009, 4th edition, McGraw Hill), and over 50 technical papers on product design and decision making. He holds a PhD from The Ohio State University, is an Emeritus Professor of Engineering (Oregon State University), is a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has served in the USAF. He has six patents and has founded two companies. Ullman is an engaging workshop leader who has taught in an interactive style for over 30 years in both industry and academia. He consistently receives very high ratings from participants in his workshops. No one goes to sleep because they are part of the process. Brand Niemann, Ph.D., Director and Senior Data Scientist of the Semantic Community and former Senior Enterprise Architect and Data Scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Along with being faculty for EA Principals, Inc., Dr. Niemann is also a founding Board member, Lecturer, and Practicum Mentor for the new Enterprise & Solution Architecture Institute (ESAI). Brand has also written an online book "A New Enterprise Information Architecture and Data Management Strategy for the U.S. EPA and the Federal Government" and implemented A Gov 2.0 Platform for Open Government in a Data Science Library.