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A006.1 Delivverable – Final Report and Desiggn Recommendaationsstructureed engineerinng methodology for creaating final reecommendattions. The usse of thisstructureed multi-stepp approach maximizes thet likelihoood of successs, while reduucing risk. Prrojectexecutionn is guided by a project plan developped and mainntained by the CIT projeect managemmentteam.For the VDOE Archittectural Dessign and Bestt Practices Project, the process begaan with ananalysis of the informmation and requirementss provided by VDOE andd the identiffication of thheinformation and techhnology areaas to be targeeted for studdy. The seconnd process sttep focused oninitial ressource sourccing by developing a list of candidatee SLDS and large data inntegrationperts in the innformation and technoloogy areas defined for theeprojects and Subject Matter Expproject. This second process prodduced severaal deliverablles focused on Subject Matter Experrtsinterviewws and best practices casse studies thhat were pressented to the Virginia Department ofEducatioon between October 20100 and Decemmber 2010.The Archhitectural Beest Practices Report (A0004) focusedd on initial daata sourcingg, both to devvelopa list of candidate SLLDS and large data integrration projeccts to be anaalyzed and too collectpublished analyses, reports, and case studiess on existingg projects. Thhe set of canndidate projeects,which was documennted in Deliveerable A002-2, was commpiled by acccessing CIT’ss businessnetwork and by searching our daata resourcess to identify candidate companies annd organizattions.This list was delivereed to the Virrginia Department of Eduucation on October 31, 2010.The Consolidated Ouutput from Subject Mattter Expert Innterviews (AA002.4) focuused on initiaalresource sourcing byy developing a list of canddidate Subjeect Matter Experts in thhe informatioon andtechnology areas defiined for the project. CITT researcherss reached ouut to CIT’s buusiness netwworkin additioon to contaccting these iddentified expperts, who were discoveered throughh literaturesearches. The set of candidate Suubject Matteer Experts, which was doocumented in DeliverablleA002.1, was submitteed to the Department off Education on October 31, 2010.For bothh reports, CITT reviewed the sourced materialsmannd developedd a gap analyysis of informmationrequiremments. The gaap analysis was the basiss for the creaation of survvey tools andd an analysisframewoork which thhen were used to guide thhe intervieww process andd the assessmment steps thatfollowedd. The gap annalysis also guided the seelection of leeaders of proojects targeteed for directinterviewws.3 The infoormation prioorities that emergedefromm the gap annalysis were, therefore, usedto classiffy and to priooritize intervview candiddates via a prrocess basedd upon criterria that incluudeddomain relevance to VDOE, cost, complexityy, technical and businesss maturity, and stakehollderconsideraations. The survey questtions and tarrgeted list off candidates for best praactice interviiewswere proovided to thee Departmennt of Educatiion as Deliveerable A002--2 on Octobeer 31, 2010. Thetargeted list of Subjeect Matter Exxperts (Deliverable A0002.1), intervieew schedulee, questiontemplatee (Deliverablle A002.2), and pre-readding materiall (Deliverablle A002.3) were providedd tothe Depaartment of Edducation on October 31, 2010.The subssequent phasses of the proocess focuseed on consullting leaders of similar sttate andcommerccial efforts, synthesizingg and analyziing and orgaanizing theirr feedback annd presentinngthese besst practices to stakeholdders. Step thrree, the longgest phase off the project,, involved3 All of thee projects had potential relevvance to the efffort; however, it would havee been both inffeasible and duplicative to intervieww the leaders oof all of the canndidate projeccts, given this pproject’s short timeline. Archhitectural Designn and Best Practiices Project P a g e 7

A006.1 Delivverable – Final Report and Desiggn Recommendaationsperforming interviewws and synthhesizing andd analyzing thhe informatiion from botth the SubjecctMatter Experts and Best Practicees candidatees. During thhis phase, CIIT researcherrs conductedd nineinterviewws with leadders of large-scale projectts representiing both thee public and private sectors,4and ten Subject Mattter Experts.In step foour, the CIT Connect teaam organizeed and categoorized key leessons learneed from eachh ofthe intervviews and highlighted common themmes and uniqque insightss. The CIT Connect teammpresentedd the best prractice and Subject Matter Expert innterview finndings to VDDOE stakeholderson Decemmber 13, 20100 and integraated feedbacck and guidaance from thhe stakeholdeers to generaatethe reporrts A004 andd A002-4.Step five involved thee presentatioon of the CITT project teaam’s implemmentation arcchitecture anndassociateed physical innfrastructurre to the SLDDS stakeholdders on January 27, 2011. Presentatioonswere madde by the CIIT project team and VLDDS subject matter expertts. The purpose of thisworkshoop was to forrmalize an aggreed upon architecture for the SLDDS.3 Keyy MessaagesThe threee componennts of the VDDOE Architecctural Designn and Best Practices prooject covereddthree diffferent themees and focus. The Best Prractices inteerviews and analysis centered on theeimplemenntation and logistical prrocesses invoolved in largge scale data integration projects. ThheSubject Matter Expeerts interviewws focused oon technical best practicces for an LDDS architectuuraldesign.The folloowing topicss are the key messages annd best practices borne out of the Beest Practicess andSubject Matter Interrviews.Best Practtices InterviiewsStakehollder ManageementData GovvernanceUse of Coommercial SolutionsSLeveraginng Existing SystemsRequiremments Drive System ArchhitectureSubject Maatter Experts InterviewwFederaated Systems Perform PooorlyData GovernanceGUse off Commerciaal SolutionsUse off Multiple HashHKeysClearly Defined Seecurity Policcies3.1 Sttakeholdeer ManaggementWhen emmbarking uppon a systemms integrationn project, nuumerous stakkeholders pllay a part in theplanningg, developmeent, implemeentation, andd maintenannce of the sysstem. Knowiing stakeholders’requiremments, expecttations, and resources arre essential to a project’ss success.During thhe Army Suiicide Mitigattion Project,, Data Strateegies discoveered that maanaging thestakeholdders becamee an overwheelming task when it camme to obtaining memoranndums ofunderstaanding (MOUU) and data sharing agreeements neeeded prior too the integrattion of a datanto the system. Data Straategies also found that clear communnication bettween the prrojectsource inimplemenntation teamm and the staakeholders as well as commmunicatioon among thee stakeholdeerswas best facilitated by the projecct managers. The DLA Data Converggence and QuQuality Projecct4 A list of tthe organizatioons and compaanies with whoom we spoke mmay be found inn Appendix B. Archhitectural Designn and Best Practiices Project P a g e 8

A006.1 Delivverable – Final Report and Desiggn Recommendaationsmanagerss needed to ensure accurrate and timmely communnication of project statuss, feedback, andnext stepps; this creatted a foundation for a poositive collabborative enviironment. Thhis positivecollaboraative environnment amonngst the teamms contributeed to the oveerall successs of the projeect.The Indiaana Departmment of Educcation attemmpted to gathher stakeholdder requiremments througghlarge, moonthly meetings before discovering tthat meetinggs with indivvidual stakehholder grouppsproved too be the morre effective and led to inccreased buy--in.Lastly, ass Illinois is currently in the design sttage of its SLLDS, the Illinnois State Booard of Educcationhas hiredd a consultinng firm to perrform some stakeholderr managemennt. The consuulting groupp is inthe midst of gatherinng the techniical and proggram informmation for eacch of the 13 data systemss thatwill be inntegrated intto the Illinoiis SLDS and this informaation will haave a direct impact on thheSLDS’ finnal architectuure.(Army Suiciide Mitigationn, DLA, Illinoiss State Board of Education, Indiana Department of Education)3.2 Feederated Systemss Performm PoorlyFederated systems suuffer in perfoormance more than a cenntralize dataabase. Requiirements anddqueries should be plaanned prior to building the system to maximize performancce. Usually with adistributted databasee model, dataa converges into a warehhouse for simmpler analysiis. A globalschema is defined thaat allows forr an easier coonvergence of the data. The federateed model for theSLDS cannnot allow foor permanennt convergennce, nor is it likely that a global scheema will bedevelopeed that encommpasses all data sourcess. The disparrate data andd network immpacts on thhedistributtion of the daata can impaact the overaall performannce of the fedderated archhitecture.(Ariyachaandra, Doblerr, Haas)3.3 Daata GoverrnanceThe impoortance of daata governannce was a common message throughhout the courrse of this efffort.Data govvernance ofteen is viewed as a large innitial effort foor many data integrationn projects. Forsystems that continuue to expandd and to add data sourcess, however, it will be an ongoing effoort,one that,, our intervieewees notedd, is often undderestimatedd. In most caases, an SLDDS effort musstaccommoodate a nummber of disparrate stakehoolders and soources and, thus, requirees a higher thhannormal leevel of effortt to identify data ownersship and oveersight to enssure its accuuracy andsecurity. The fact thaat each data source will have its ownn data governnance createes an additioonallayer of complexity when attemppting to creaate and manaage data governance. Prior toimplemennting a stateewide systemm, it is critical for the staakeholders to agree on who owns thhedata in thhe system, who will overrsee and maiintain the syystem and who will apprrove output andrequests for access.The Nortth Dakota Department of Public Instruction andd the Washinngton Reseaarch and DattaCenter arre two projeects that are in the early stages of building their data integraation systems.Both of thhese projectts have had difficulties mmoving forwaard with thee implementaation of thesystem due because of stakeholdders’ inabilityy to agree uppon the ruless of the LDS’’ data governnance.The Armmy Suicide Mitigation andd the DLA Data Converggence and Quality Projeccts were proojectsthat stresssed the impportance of data governaance during the early plaanning stages prior toimplemenntation and continue to emphasize these elemennts as data sources are added. With theArchhitectural Designn and Best Practiices Project P a g e 9

A006.1 Delivverable – Final Report and Desiggn Recommendaationsaddition of a new datta source, thhe project maanagers musst understand the new soource’sgovernannce and howw its integratiion will affecct the LDS’ overarching governance.Appropriiate data govvernance, paarticularly inn a federatedd model, is keey to ensurinng that the data,the linkaages of data, and performmance of the system are optimized. Once the SLDDS architectuure isimplemennted and operational, it is important to monitorr the types of queries exeecuting in thhesystem. This monitorring allows for tuning off the system to improve its performaance, and tounderstaand how the security moodel is enforccing the rulees. It is not unncommon thhat rules willlneed to be tweaked as data goverrnance contiinues to evollve.Althoughh the Virginiia SLDS’ stakkeholders haave a strong understandiing of the syystem’s basellinedata goveernance, a nuumber of facctors will inffluence the need for upfrront and onggoing efforts. TheVirginia SLDS will addd future sources and thhis will requiire both a riggorous upfroont effort tominimizee rework andd redesign annd will neceessitate ongooing efforts when changees are made to theexisting data sourcess or when neew data sourrces are addeed.(Army Suuicide Mitigattion, DLA, North Dakota SLLDS, Texas Edducation Agency, Washingtoon Research annd DataCenter)3.4 Leeveragingg Existingg SystemmsSome SLDDS projects were able too leverage exxisting systemms to becomme the founddation of the SLDSsystem; this saved timme and resouurces duringg the design and implemmentation staages of the prroject.Indiana was able to leverage an existing systtem, Learning Connectioon, and expaand on itscapabilitties. Initially, Indiana hadd not planneed to expandd its Learninng Connectioon portal, as itwas builtt primarily ffor teacher netw

The Architectural Best Practices Report (A0 a list of candidate SLDS and large data integr published analyses, reports, and case studies ber 2010. 004) focused on initial data sourcing, both to develop ration projects to be analyzed and to colle