Original Date: 11/03/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Oak Ridge Y-12 Computer Integrated Enterprise Program was initiated in 1984 to facilitate needed modernization efforts, improve basic business processes, and leverage technology resources. This program manages limited resources available for investments in business improvements and information technologies to ensure investments directly support business goals, priorities and plans. Business system project managers from plant line organizations representing functional areas lead modernization planning and implementation activities. This provides the interface between the users and the service providers. Technology support is provided from the Computing, Telecommunications, Engineering, and Development Divisions at Y-12.

Specific strategies for business modernization included strategic planning, business area analysis efforts, use of commercial off-the-shelf software, and a standardized methodology based on information engineering. The information strategy plan defined a set of architectures providing common conceptual models of requirements for planning and control purposes and specified a long range implementation plan to define and sequence the initiatives required to realize the target architectures. A FY91 strategy plan project updated the architectures to reflect recent changes to the Plant’s business objectives and priorities. Common business activities and information needs are periodically redefined. The architectural information is reformatted into the form required by the information engineering methodology and the automated Integrated Computer Aided Software Engineering (I-CASE) tool.

In implementation of the strategic plan, limited success was achieved on separate business system projects. The primary focus for integration shifted from individual business systems to business areas. A business area represents a large portion of business functions within the plant which have common information requirements and typically include several highly integrated business systems. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of commercial off-the-shelf software that is implemented without changes or modifications. Large comprehensive packages that cover the entire business area requirements are preferred. Current initiatives are underway in the health, safety, environment, and waste services; production management; facilities and equipment utilization; compliance management; and finance.

Many projects have been completed and quantifiable benefits have been realized. These include business systems providing better understanding of the business, better information systems and stable and more reliable databases. Standardized systems, common training for users, application of information engineering tools, reusable code, and sharable data are resulting in faster development and more reliable systems. These systems are providing more flexibility in adapting business needs and returning real dollar savings. Future efforts will include construction of modular information systems and increased reliance on model based applications.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.