Samenvatting

IT architects in practice have a difficult task in extending and adapting enterprise information systems. Mastering complexity is a priority. This is still more art than craftsmanship in spite of many years of academic research in IT architecture. We will explore by a series of case studies how to support IT architects in practice, with their work of improving the consistency and completeness of emerging architectures. In this process, IT architects should be capable of discussing conflicting, incomplete, highly abstract, or overly detailed requirements with stakeholders and developers, while keeping an overview of all priorities and constraints. In this research paper, we first discuss the research strategy, Design research combined with case study research, to address this question. Next, we discuss Ampersand and its tool, a rule-based modeling language, and an engine developed in high-level IT consultancy. Ampersand seems promising for flexible modeling of IT architecture, and its rule engine can help IT architects manage consistency between requirements and IT solutions. An empirical exploration in developing the IT architecture for a new specialized child oncology hospital is used to check the premises of our research and the usefulness of Ampersand in this context. The conclusions of this exploration have led to hypotheses for testing in further research. The hypotheses concern applying the Ampersand approach to effectively support IT architects’ work.