Business domain

Domain

Domain = A sphere of knowledge, influence, or activity

Domain = A field or industry in which the business operate

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Domain = Represents a problem space from software perspective

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Sub-domains

Each business Domain is composed of Sub-Domains. In an organization there are multiple Subject Matter Experts (SME) that hold intimate knowledge of one or more sub-domains. For example in a banking domain, there are SME’s on retail banking, loan products, credit cards etc.

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Business may not operate in all sub domains in that overarching domain (industry). It depends on the focus of the business.

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Sub-domain categories

Sub-domains are categorized into 3 types based on their complexity & business value:

  1. Core - This is the Differentiator for the business. Core sub-domains give a competitive edge to the business. E.g., Walmart’s supply chain

  2. Supporting - Does not provide business a competitive advantage but core depends on it!! E.g., Amazon’s customer support

  3. Generic - Known solutions exist for such subdomains. E.g., Human Resource functions in an enterprise

Here is a decision flow on assigning a type to the sub-domain.

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Why do we categorize the sub-domains?

Understanding of sub domain types help with the decision making process on to which domain resources should be allocated.

  • Limited Resource; drives prioritization
  • Return on Investments
  • Build Vs. Buy decisions

Here are examples of action taken based on domain category:

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Context

The circumstances or facts that form the setting for a statement, event or idea

For understanding the Business Domain, it is a MUST that IT teams understand the business context

Refer to the illustration below - you are told that a “Customer deposited to the account”. This action has a different meaning in the context of different types of accounts.

  • Credit card - means that customer paid the credit card bill

  • Saving account - means that customer deposited money that will be available for withdrawal

  • Merchant account - it may mean that customer paid some form of merchant fee

For this reason one MUST understand the Context to understand the business domain.

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Understanding the domain

To understand a Domain and IT expert must understand the:

  • Business context
  • Business language