Login
Register
Dawn Bushaus
ODA explained: Tools for business and information systems
At the end of March, TM Forum’s Research & Media team will publish its first Benchmark report about the Open Digital Architecture (ODA). As an introduction to that report, this is the first article in a three-part series highlighting one of the sections: ODA explained. Here, we discuss why TM Forum members have developed ODA and look at some of its tools for business and information systems. Subsequent articles will look at tools for implementation and deployment and the role of governance and AI.
In simple terms, ODA is a toolkit to plan, design, build and operate a cloud-native telco. It replaces traditional operational and business support systems (OSS/BSS) with simpler IT solutions that are easier and less costly to deploy, integrate and upgrade.
A primary goal of ODA is to “kill the RFP” and replace it with a model that focuses on experimentation through proofs of concept. The idea is to establish a market for Lego-like OSS/BSS components that CSPs can plug into their own operations environments and manage autonomously.
The result will be much faster service innovation, according to Dr. Lester Thomas, Head of New Technologies and Innovation at Vodafone Group, and an ODA pioneer. Indeed, Vodafone is targeting a ten-fold improvement in operational efficiency and time-to-market for new services as it implements its ODA-based Telco-as-a-Service (TaaS) cloud-native platform.
ODA provides an evolutionary path to a plug-and-play architecture. It builds on a foundation of work that TM Forum members have already carried out to develop the Business Process Framework (eTOM), Information Framework (SID), Open APIs and Business Architecture, plus work in projects focusing on data analytics and AI, customer experience management, digital ecosystem management and most recently the ODA Components and Canvas. An evolutionary approach is necessary because of the huge number of legacy support systems still in use within CSPs’ IT operations.
ODA provides tools for teams across a CSP’s business including product developers and managers in multiple business units; the IT architects and software engineers responsible for the applications that support products and services; and the IT operations teams responsible for running all the systems. Increasingly, as networks become more software-centric, CSPs’ network teams are also turning to ODA.
The image below shows the ODA and the various TM Forum projects that are working on tools in each area. Brief descriptions of the key tools for business and information systems follow.
“Whenever you want to turn an idea into value – whether it’s developing a new customer experience, a new product or service, or improving efficiency through automation – you need to change systems and processes,” explains TM Forum’s Andy Tiller, EVP, Member Products & Services. “We used to make these changes in silos, where teams would plan, design, build and operate separately. Now, we do it in a much more joined up way, which is [achieved through] DevOps.”
But because telco operations typically include support systems built by dozens of different parties, the industry must agree on common processes, language, and information and data models so that the systems can interoperate. “We all need to use the tools in the same way, which is what ODA is about,” says Tiller.
ODA’s Business Architecture improves strategic decision-making, communication between business and IT teams, and the alignment of stakeholders and implementation strategies. It includes capability and value-stream frameworks, plus a capability map to help organizations facilitate communication between business and technical teams.
The Business Process Framework provides a comprehensive, industry-agreed view of important telco processes such as ordering a product. By using a common language across departments, systems, partners and suppliers, CSPs can reduce the cost and risk of procuring, implementing and integrating OSS/BSS.
TechCo Organizational Design (TCOD) focuses on the human aspects of digital transformation. And a Digital Talent Maturity Model (DTMM) is available to help CSPs determine a base level of maturity when it comes to transforming their organization’s talent and culture.
“The ODA consists of the platforms and capabilities that need to be put in place and the governance to enable a telco to run, but we have to look at the people side of how this is going towork,” says MTN Group’s Ayedime Amadi, who co-chairs the TCOD Project. “This is where the challenges are now: to put all that into organizational change management. How are you going to drive the change? How are you going to communicate the strategy? How are you going to make sure that you can upskill people? How are you going to make sure that there is a clear strategy around rolling it out within the organization?”
Read this report to learn more about TCOD
The Information Systems Architecture provides the systems and data view within ODA. It contains a functional architecture and framework, plus the Information Framework.
The Information Framework provides an information reference model along with a common vocabulary for implementing business processes. It also provides the basis for a common data model and a common data dictionary, laying the foundation for application, component and API development.
New work in this area includes the development of a modern data architecture so that telco operations can evolve to better support AI. This will be the subject of an upcoming TM Forum survey and report.
“We are still working through what it means to make ODA AI-native,” says Tiller, noting that this will be an important focus of ODA development going forward. “Data architecture is a key area – for example, looking at how to represent data in knowledge graphs and how to implement event streaming.”
