Modelling the case studies

The current state of the art in representing organisations emphasises that division of labour is a common denominator of all organisations. The “primary tasks” (Rice 1958) of enterprises are divided into smaller, more manageable tasks. The sub-tasks and their relationships give rise to information needs and information flows, and it is these features which define functionality requirements. Consequently, traditional systems analysis techniques concentrate upon capturing these aspects of organisational life. Division of labour is not, however, only concerned with the division of tasks. This division also produces differential responsibilities. The division of responsibilities produces different work roles which staff occupy. Each work role defines the responsibilities laid upon the role holder, the relationships with related roles, and the expectations imposed by related roles. The work role not only defines the task responsibilities, and therefore the functional requirements, but also the rights and obligations of the role-holder, which helps to define many, if not all, of the so-called non-functional requirements. It is this additional incorporation of a work role analysis which is currently lacking, and which the enterprise modelling approach provides.