Case USA89: Why a Government Economic Planning Office Claimed Policy Simulator Tools as Enterprise Architecture Strategy
- Sunil Dutt Jha
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
Overview:
This case is part of a 100-diagnostic series revealing how US economic agencies have mislabeled analytical modeling as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”
In national and state economic planning offices, a recurring pattern is treating policy simulation tools as proof of architectural strategy.
Economic scenarios could be modeled instantly, forecasts looked sophisticated, and presentations impressed stakeholders — yet the enterprise structure linking policy design, data governance, program execution, and impact measurement was never modeled.
P1–P6 Insight Preview:
These six perspectives define how an enterprise connects intent to execution
— P1: Strategy, P2: Business Processes, P3: System Behaviors, P4: Component Governance, P5: Implementation, P6: Business & Technology Operations.
P1 (Strategy): Simulation outputs were treated as policy strategy, but no architecture-led plan tied them to execution pathways or inter-agency delivery mechanisms.
P2 (Process): Modeling workflows were defined, but processes for translating insights into program design and operational action were absent.
P3 (System): Simulation platforms weren’t behaviorally integrated with budgeting, monitoring, or program management systems.
P4 (Component): Data sources, modeling engines, and reporting tools were governed separately, creating version control issues.
P5 (Implementation): Rollouts focused on tool functionality, not embedding it into decision-making and delivery frameworks.
P6 (Operations): Business ops could run and present scenarios, but tech ops spent significant effort reconciling model assumptions with real-world operational data.
Stakeholder Impact Summary:
CEO/Economic Planning Director – accountable for national or state growth objectives: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — simulations inform but don’t drive execution or measurable results.
CIO – manages data infrastructure and analytics platforms: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — disconnected systems cause delays and errors in scenario validation.
Sales Head (Stakeholder Relations Lead) – engages with policymakers, investors, and agencies: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can demonstrate possibilities but not readiness to deliver them.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures economic planning tools align with the broader government architecture: Confronts P1–P6 issues — the modeling environment is isolated from operational execution.
Head of Policy Analysis – manages day-to-day modeling and policy review: Feels P2, P3, & P6 — must manually bridge the gap between simulation outputs and implementation teams.
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