Academic Handbook Course Descriptors and Programme Specifications
LISYS7250A Digital Business and Enterprise Systems Architecture Capstone Project Course Descriptor
| Course Code | LISYS7250A | Discipline | Information Systems |
| UK Credit | 60 | ||
| FHEQ level | 7 | ||
| Pre-requisites | None | ||
| Co-requisites | None | ||
Course Overview
The culminating capstone project is conceived and executed by the learner in the workplace. The project will be a business-related project based on the learner’s job role in enterprise systems architecture. Business and change management, professional competencies, leadership, technology management, and digital business skills will be assessed. Projects may encompass the following topics: strategic planning for IT change, IT architecture and software platforms, and system implementation plans. The project will culminate with a written dissertation and viva voce exam as per the Digital Technology Solutions Specialist Assessment Plan.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
| K1di | Comprehensively understand the principles of business transformation and how organisations integrate different management functions in the context of technological change. |
| K1dii | Understand own employer’s business objectives and strategy, its position in the market and how own employer adds value to its clients through the services and/or products they provide. |
| K1diii | Comprehensively understand the need for different models, views and representations of enterprise architectures to describe the structure and behaviour of applications, how they interact with each other, the data consumed and produced, and the interactions with business users. |
| K1div | Systematically understand the relationship between business strategy, business goals, and an enterprise architecture, including the importance of usability, reliability, performance, maintainability, and security in architectural development. |
| K1dv | Critically evaluate enterprise architectures for relevance and review their suitability in supporting the enterprise. |
| K2di | Systematically understand the strategic importance of technology enabled business processes, and how they are designed and managed to determine a firm’s ability to compete effectively. |
| K2dii | Justify the value of technology investments and apply benefits management and realisation. |
| K2diii | Systematically understand how to monitor technology-related market trends and research and collect competitive intelligence. |
| K2div | Comprehensively understand technology road-mapping concepts and methods and how to apply them. |
| K2dv | Systematically understand hardware and software platforms relevant to the business context, and the applications hosted by these. |
| K3di | Systematically understand the relevant standards, tools, approaches and processes for developing and communicating enterprise architectures, optimising architectural solutions and mitigating risks. |
| K3dii | Understand how to create architecture descriptions and designs, using industry standard tools and techniques to build a coherent representation of an enterprise architecture consisting deployed business services, applications and technology. |
| K4di | Understand the role of learning and talent management in successful business operations. |
| K4dii | Comprehensively understand the role of leadership in contemporary technology based organisations. |
| K4diii | Understand the personal leadership qualities that are required to establish and maintain an organisation’s technical reputation. |
| K4div | Comprehensively understand the role of leaders as change agents and identify contributors to successful implementation. |
Subject Specific Skills
| S1di | Identify, document, review and design complex IT-enabled business processes that define a set of activities that will accomplish specific organisational goals and provides a systematic approach to improving those processes. |
| S1dii | Evaluate the significance of human factors to leadership in the effective implementation and management of technology-enabled business processes. |
| S1diii | Be competent at negotiating and closing techniques in a range of interactions and engagements, both with senior internal and external stakeholders. |
| S1div | Recommend optimal delivery roadmaps and develop system implementation plans for enabling the proposed architecture, maintaining operational stability whilst delivering enterprise architecture-led change initiatives to improve business performance. |
| S2di | Deliver workplace transformations through planning and implementing technology based business change programmes including setting objectives, priorities and responsibilities with others in an area of technology specialism. |
| S2dii | Apply broader technical knowledge combined with an understanding of the business context, and how it is changing, to deliver to the company’s business strategy. |
| S2diii | Create and implement innovative technological strategies to support the development of new products, processes and services that align with the company’s business strategy, and develop and communicate compelling business proposals to support these. |
| S2div | Design and maintain digital systems architectures for online, cloud or mobile platforms. Evaluate alternative architectural solutions, ensuring the architecture is optimal for the business context in terms of deployment, operation and continuous enhancements. |
| S2dv | Produce logical and physical architectural designs, mapping architectural principles and constraints onto the architectural solution. Evaluate and recommend products and services from software and solution providers in support of the architecture designs. |
| S3di | Design and develop technology roadmaps, implementation strategies and transformation plans focused on digital technologies to achieve improved productivity, functionality and end user experience in an area of technology specialism. |
| S3dii | Professionally present digital and technology solution specialism plans and solutions in a well-structured business report. |
| S3diii | Demonstrate self-direction and originality in solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing digital and technology solutions specialist tasks at a professional level. |
| S3div | Develop their own leadership style and professional values that contribute to building high performing teams. |
| S3dv | Implement architectural design governance frameworks that include risk mitigation strategies associated with the architecture. Define, develop and maintain operating models, technical design principles and enterprise architecture artefact guidelines. |
| S4di | Negotiate and agree digital and technology specialism delivery budgets with those with decision-making responsibility. |
| S4dii | Develop and deliver management level presentations which resonate with senior stakeholders, both business and technical. |
| S4diii | Demonstrate effective technology leadership and change management skills for managing technology-driven change and continuous improvement. |
| S4div | Document architectures and roadmaps that enable the logical and physical system to be defined, to the detail appropriate to the audience and communicate the solutions and their importance and value to stakeholders. |
| S4dv | Work with implementation teams to support the delivery of new or improved architectures, managing stakeholder expectations to reconcile conflicting business requirements. |
Transferable, Employability or Professional Skills
| T1di | Establish high levels of performance in digital and technology solutions activities. |
| T1dii | Be results and outcomes driven to achieve high key performance outcomes for digital and technology solutions objectives. |
| T2di | Inspire and motivate others to deliver excellent technical solutions and outcomes. |
| T2dii | Promote a high level of cooperation between own work group and other groups to establish a technology change led culture. |
| T2diii | Develop and support others in developing an appropriate balance of leadership and technical skills. |
| T2div | Create strong positive relationships with team members to produce high performing technical teams. |
| T2dv | Consistently display an excellent level of technical proficiency in written English and command of scholarly terminology, so as to be able to deal with complex issues in a sophisticated and systematic way. |
Teaching and Learning
The contact hours on this course are formed predominantly of supervisory meetings, typically 4 x 1 hour.
Learners are expected to carry out independent research into the topic.
Readings should include a mix of books, journal articles, policy papers and other relevant documents, depending on the topic and the approach taken in the dissertation.
Course information and supplementary materials are available on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Learners are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Learners are also expected to manage their directed learning and independent study in support of the course.
The course learning and teaching hours will be structured as follows:
- Off-the-job learning (24 days x 7 hours) = 168 hours (e.g. 1 day per week for 24 weeks)
- On-the-job learning (48 days x 7 hours) = 336 hours (e.g. 2 days per week for 24 weeks)
- Private study (4 hours per week for 24 weeks) = 96 hours
Total 600 hours
Assessment
Formative
Students will be formatively assessed during the course by means of set assignments. These will not count towards the final degree but will provide students with developmental feedback.
Summative
| AE | Assessment Type | Weighting | Duration | Length |
| 1 | Dissertation | 50% | 10 days | 10,000 words +/- 10% |
| 2 | Viva Voce exam | 50% | 90 minutes +/- 10% |
Feedback
Learners will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Learners will also attend a formal meeting with their Academic Mentor (and for apprentices, including their Line Manager). These bi or tri-partite reviews will monitor and evaluate the learner’s progress.
Feedback is provided on summative assessment and is made available to the student either via email, the VLE or another appropriate method.
Indicative Reading
Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.
Books
Preece, R., 1994. Starting Research : An Introduction to Academic Research and Dissertation Writing. London, New York : Pinter Publishers
Stephan F. M., and Smith, I., 2019. A Practical Guide to Dissertation and Thesis Writing. Newcastle upon Tyne, England : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Banger, D. R., 2022. Enterprise Systems Architecture: Aligning Business Operating Models to Technology Landscapes. Apress L. P.
Indicative Topics
Students will study the following topics:
- Digital business and enterprise systems architecture
- The professional context of digital business and enterprise systems architecture
- Research skills
Version History
| Title: LISYS7250A Digital Business and Enterprise Systems Architecture Capstone Project
Approved by: Academic Board Location: Academic Handbook/Programme specifications and Handbooks/ Postgraduate Apprenticeship Programmes/ |
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| Version number | Date approved | Date published | Owner | Proposed next review date | Modification (As per AQF4) & category number |
| 1.1 | August 2024 | August 2024 | Dr Alexandros Koliousis | July 2029 | Category 1: Corrections/clarifications to documents which do not change approved content or learning outcomes |
| 1.0 | July 2024 | July 2024 | Dr Alexandros Koliousis | July 2029 | |