Contact Center Architecting

Definition

Contact center architecting (a.k.a., call center architecting) is the subclass of architecting during which the architecture of a contact center (a.k.a., call center) is produced.

Goals

The typical goals of the contact center architecting subactivity are to:

• Produce a extensible maintainable architecture for a contact center that will adequately support all associated applications.

Objectives

The typical objectives of the contact center architecting subactivity are to:

• Determine the data components including:
  • Databases
  • Content
• Determine the hardware components including:
  • Server Computers
  • Network Connectivity Devices
  • Support Hardware
• Determine the software components including:
  • Customer Relationship Management software
  • Telephone software
  • Email software
  • Fax software

Examples

Examples of contact center architecting include:

• Architecting a new contact center.
• Rearchitecting an existing contact center.

Preconditions

Contact center architecting typically may begin when the following preconditions hold:

• The initiation phase has started.
• The architecture team is initially staffed and adequately trained in contact center architecting.
• Some architecturally significant requirements regarding user support have been specified.

Completion Criteria

Contact center architecting is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

• The contact center architecture has been documented in the:
  • System Architecture Document (Data Center information)
  • Contact Center Architecture Document
• These deliverable documents in the architecture work product set have:
  • Passed evaluation.
  • Been delivered to the customer organization.
  • Been accepted by the customer representative.

Tasks

Contact center architecting typically involves the following producers performing the following architecting tasks in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and time-boxed:

• Architecture Team, which performs:
  • Architecture Reuse
  • Technology Partner Selection
  • Technology Vendor Selection
  • Architectural Patterns Selection
  • Logical Architecture Production
  • Physical Architecture Production
  • Architectural Mechanism Production
  • Architecture Prototyping
  • Architecture Documentation
  • Architecture Integrity Assurance

Environments

Content center architecting is typically performed using the following environment(s) and associated tools:

• Engineering Environment:
  • Whiteboards
  • Word processing tool
  • Modeling tools

Work Products

Content center architecting results in the production of all or part of the architecture work product set:

• System Architecture Document
• Contact Center Architecture Document

Guidelines

• The contact center architecting subactivity is not needed unless a contact center is to be produced.