Exploring the AHP-AgileITS-ArchDesign: An AHP Model and Tool for Evaluating IT Service Architectural Agile Designs in SMBs

Abstract

The design of IT services—including the architectural design—is considered a core activity to obtain a cost-effective IT service. Consequently, the main extant IT service frameworks and standards—rigorous and lightweight-agile types—aim to provide guidance for this purpose. However, some of them are reported at a coarse-grain conceptual level, and others are practically null. Consequently, their utilization—in the best case for large businesses—demands additional ad hoc organizational efforts. In the worst case, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are practically blocked from performing these relevant IT service activities by their limited resources. In this research, we are interested in supporting IT service design activities for SMBs, and thus introduce the AHP-AgileITS-ArchDesign model. This AHP-AgileITS-ArchDesign model was elaborated with a Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), and aims to provide theoretically valid, systematic, agile and usable fine-grain guidance to support the design and evaluation of IT service architectural agile designs. The AHP-AgileITS-ArchDesign model uses a three-Layer AHP model derived from the main lightweight-agile IT service design literature, and its utilization is illustrated with an Academic Data Science Analytics Platform IT Service case. Then, its conceptual validity and its usability are evaluated, respectively, by a Panel of 16 Experts and an Exploratory Pilot Sample of 62 ITSM academics and practitioners. The evaluation results indicate that the AHP-AgileITS-ArchDesign model has a valid theoretical conceptualization and satisfactory usability, and thus can be used by practitioners and academics in SMBs.