The Treasury Information System Architecture Framework (TISAF) is an early 1990s Enterprise Architecture framework to assist US Treasury Bureaus to develop their Enterprise Information System Architectures (EISAs).
The TISAF was developed by the US Department of the Treasury in 1997, and let to the development of the Treasury Enterprise Architecture Framework, released in 2000. The TEAF represents the second-generation framework for Treasury. TISAF was the first-generation framework.
Overview
The Treasury Information System Architecture Framework (TISAF) consists of a list of goals and objectives for planning Treasury information technology a set of architectural principles for developing information systems, an EISA model for describing distinct views of enterprise information systems, and a set of standards for guiding specific product selection.
The EISA model provides four architectural views to organize, plan, and build enterprise information systems, consisting of the Information, Functional, and Work architectures and the Infrastructure.
History
TISAF incorporated elements from the C4ISR Architecture Framework, which was developed by the Mitre Corporation from 1994 on. In January 1997, US Department of the Treasury issued TISAF Version 1, consisting of three volumes: the Treasury Information Systems Architecture Framework, Treasury Architecture Development Guidance, and the Treasury Architecture Development Process. In July 1997, the Treasury issued additional guidance to complement Treasury Information System Architecture Framework (TISAF). This guidance, which was finalized in September 1997, provides "how to" processes for developing an information systems architecture in accordance with TISAF. In 1989 US congress granted $200,000 for the department-wide implementation of the Treasury Information System Architecture Framework.
Further developments in the US Department of the Treasury let to the development of the Treasury Enterprise Architecture Framework, first published in July 2000. The TEAF represents a revision to TISAF and incorporated elements of FEAF. It was the result of an evaluation of Department and bureau experiences in applying and using the TISAF, and emerging best practices from other government organizations and industry.
TEAF is intended to emphasize the broader scope of the architecture framework, which includes both business and technical vantage points within an enterprise-wide perspective. The TEAF includes descriptions of a common suite of work products for documenting and modeling EAs. These work products align with FEAF models and with Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) products.
TISAF building blocks
Departmentwide architecture framework
According to TISAF, a complete architecture has the following four components, each representing a different perspective or view of the agency: Functional: A representation of what the organization does (i.e., its mission and business processes) and how the organization can use information systems to support its business operations. Work: A description of where and by whom information systems are to be used throughout the agency. Information: A description of what information is needed to support business operations. Infrastructure: A description of the hardware and "services" (e.g., software and telecommunications) needed to implement information systems across the agency. TISAF's functional, work, and information components together form the logical view of the architecture, while its infrastructure represents the technical view of the architecture.
Top-down approach
To develop and evolve systems that effectively support business functions, a top-down process must be followed. The logical architecture (e.g., business functions and information flows) is defined first and then used to specify supporting systems (e.g., interfaces, standards, and protocols).