The Defense Messaging System (DMS) in the Navy Regional Enterprise Messaging System (NREMS) environment evidence that size does matter in DoD business process engineering

Abstract

Since the migration of DOD messaging to the DMS has been mandated, implementation has been less than ideal and otherwise unsuccessful. DMS users have reported dissatisfaction with the systems maintenance and security support burdens in the current client-server model. NREMS introduces a networked environment capable of push technology and centralized database and security management which should significantly reduce the DMS shortfalls that have made the system lack appeal to the end user. As the DOD seeks to solve these issues, other potential issues are introduced that must be reviewed and addressed to ensure a successful implementation of the NREMS. The Architecture Trade-off Analysis Method (ATAM) and user surveys formed the basis for analysis, conclusions, and recommendations. The goal of the ATAM is to understand the consequences of architectural decisions with respect to the quality attribute requirements of the system. User surveys provided the data to characterize the current naval messaging business process for each naval command and across the Navy with the prospect of properly defining future NREMS users. Combined analysis provided a clear understanding of the alternative architecture to the existing DMS architecture.