Integrating information architecture and process management: experiences from the development of a digital safe by the Dutch Inland Revenue Service

The creation of integrated service delivery requires the design of complex information architectures and involves stakeholders having different objectives and various degrees of technological readiness. In this paper we derive experiences from the development of the digital safe facility by the Dutch Inland Revenue Service. This facility will become part of the infrastructure supporting a joined-up government. We present the design process of the information architecture of this facility to highlight a number of architectural and process management experiences. Overall, we found that information architecture is multifaceted and a negotiated artefact. Specifically, architecture should not only provide an overview of the dependencies between systems, but also act as communication instrument to support decision making. Process management arrangements defining clear responsibilities and the positioning of organisations as follower or as leader can significantly speed up the design process.