Tmfmanager Guides Informationframework
Tmfmanager Guides Informationframework
Tmfmanager Guides Informationframework
March 2010
The Information Framework
1. Executive Summary
The Information Framework is one of the major components that make up TM Forum
Frameworx, an Integrated Business Architecture. The Information Framework is the
successor of the well-established NGOSS (Solution Frameworks). The other key
elements of Frameworx are the Business Process Framework (eTOM), the Application
Framework (TAM) and the Integration Framework.
The Information Framework is one of the most widely supported models in the history of
TM Forum and it has been approved by the ITU-T. The Information Framework provides
an information reference model and a common vocabulary from a business perspective.
Its scope covers all of the information required to implement business processes in a
service provider’s operations.
Clarify project information needs: used by Software and Application Vendors across
a range of projects, distribution across systems and for the definition of information
exchanged across interfaces. Its use across multiple projects results in a single,
organized view of information across a range of products.
Reduce integration risk and cost: Integrators and Service Providers use it as a
starting point to define generic reusable APIs, message formats between software
application components that leverage prior implementation experience and tools, such
as testing.
The Information Framework has supported many operators, system integrators and
vendors in achieving their projects.
For example, Telekom Slovenije wanted to reduce billing costs and consolidate
postpaid fixed-line and broadband (internet, VOIP, IPTV) services on a single billing
platform. Marand, a Slovenian software development company, successfully used the
Information Framework, together with the Business Process Framework, to develop its
new billing system. The information framework (IF) was used to design billing and
invoicing models, by using and applying IF areas/domains including customer billing
rate, customer bill, customer bill collection, and customer bill inquiry. To design the
rating model, the IF service usage area was used. Marand also used customer, product,
product specification, and product offering IF areas to integrate product lifecycle
management and customer relationship management applications.
The Information Framework (also known as SID) is part of the TM Forum Frameworx,
complementing the Business Process framework (also known as eTOM), The Information
Framework focuses on the key elements that are involved in business processes, people,
assets, products, and services.
The Information Framework can be used in many varying roles to support various business
activities, from complete business transformation to simple application interface
specification.
The Information Framework usage for the different players in the industry:
- Business-wide view and common terminology
Many Service Providers build a robust information model that spans the complete data
requirements in the converged world. The Framework delivers data definitions and
models to support the complete range of business information in fast-moving business
environments.
- Starting point to define generic API message formats between software components
System Integrators map requirements to processes, information, interfaces and to the
Business Services, supported by owned applications, or commercially available
applications.
The Information Framework has many specific uses for Service Providers’ project
lifecycle:
- Procurement
• It creates unambiguous RFx documents and supports analysis of the
responses by eliminating errors and delays through the use of industry-
standard definitions and vocabulary.
• It provides industry structures for the creation, identification and cataloging
requirements on impacted businesses.
• It provides a mapping of processes and existing or potential applications to these
business entities to confirm procurement scope.
• It aides understanding of business relationships and dependencies.
- Integration
• It provides identification of interface information requirements.
• It provides an industry-standard method of structuring information exchanged
across interfaces.
• It acts as a framework for application integration and integration tooling.
- Development
• It provides an industry starting point for the development of interoperable
information models.
• It provides a best practice structure for the integration of new businesses.
• It provides an industry starting point for database design, techniques for
enhancing existing entities and ongoing process improvement.
- Operating
• It defines a single structured and harmonized view of data, process and
application across an enterprise.
• It supports management change and risk assessment for business continuity.
• It reduces the risk of system development failures due to inconsistent and
incompatible systems information models.
The Information Framework is one of the most widely supported models – by all of the
industry’s players – in the history of the TM Forum. Additionally, other industry forums
through TM Forum’s Industry Liaison Program have adopted its principles. Further
validation came with the approved ITU-T standard M.3190.
The Information Framework focuses on what are called “business entity” definitions and
associated attribute definitions. A business entity is a thing of interest to the business,
such as a customer, product, service, or network, while its attributes are facts that
describe the entity. Together, the definitions provide a business-oriented perspective of
the information and data required. In short, the Information Framework provides the
model that represents business concepts and their characteristics and relationships,
described in an implementation-independent manner.
Within each domain, there is a high degree of cohesion among the organizations, yet
loose coupling remains among the domains. This arrangement enables segmentation of
the overall problem into manageable sections, allowing resources to be focused on a
particular area of interest. For a particular Business Process Framework that is being
automated, it is possible to identify the shared information and data that is needed to
support that process.
As an example, the figure below shows level 2 ABEs identified within the Service domain.
Each of these levels can, in turn, be sub-divided into even smaller levels.
The ABE content and structure within each domain is consistent. To ensure this, each ABE
is aligned with a categorization pattern (Strategy and Plan, Managed Entity, Managed Entity
The Information Framework business entities and models are packaged in a series of
documents and modeled in a consolidated Unified Modeling Language-based model.
4. Benefits
The industry receives a number of benefits from using a common Information
Framework:
This section demonstrates how a TM Forum member implemented the Framework and
the results it has achieved. For a full version and more case studies, visit:
http://www.tmforum.org/casestudies
Business problem:
In 2007, Telekom Slovenije experienced issues with their postpaid fixed-line retail billing
system. Due to a lack of flexibility and expired support, the system did not allow them to
offer new and competitive product offerings, which resulted in lost market share. At the
same time, Telekom Slovenije wanted to reduce billing costs and consolidate postpaid
fixed-line and broadband (internet, VOIP, IPTV) services into a single billing platform.
To solve Telekom Slovenije’s needs, Marand used the TM Forum Business Process
Framework to: define the business process elements that a billing system should
support, define functional and non-functional requirements and define system
boundaries and interfaces among the business support systems communicating with
the billing system.
Marand used the Information Framework to: develop the new billing system, design
billing and invoicing models, by using and applying customer billing rate, customer bill,
customer bill collection, and customer bill inquiry.
Marand also used customer, product, product specification, and product offering
Information Framework areas to integrate with the product lifecycle management and
customer relationship management applications.
Results
The new platform executes 3,000 transactions (CDRs) per second and invoices 1million
customer accounts in less than five hours. This reduces total billing time from a couple
of days to a couple of hours. Increased flexibility of business rules enabled Telekom
Slovenije to significantly reduce time to market for new product offerings based on
advanced rating and billing rules.
Find out how the TM Forum can support your projects at:
Catalyst Program:
http://www.tmforum.org/BestPracticesStandards/CatalystProgram/786/Home.html