Decision-Driven Analytics in Smart Factories: Enterprise Architecture Framework for Use Case Specification and Engineering (FUSE)

This paper presents a comprehensive design framework for Enterprise Architecture aimed at facilitating decision-driven analytics in smart factories. The motivation behind this research lies in challenges faced by manufacturing companies, such as skilled labor shortages and increasing global competition, alongside the imperative for sustainable production. This journal provides a novel approach for designing and documenting prescriptive analytics use cases in manufacturing environments. The framework addresses the need for effective integration of advanced data analytics and prescriptive analytics solutions within existing production environments, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making processes. A Design Science Research approach is used to iteratively derive a framework based on stakeholder needs and activities along the prescriptive analytics use case development cycle. The resulting framework is demonstrated and evaluated in an IoT Factory setup in a research facility. From a practical perspective, the framework supports manufacturing companies in systematically designing prescriptive analytics use cases. From a research perspective, it contributes to the body of knowledge on Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) by operationalizing the design of prescriptive analytics use cases in manufacturing contexts. The main contributions of this study include the development of a framework that supports the planning, design, and integration of prescriptive analytics use cases. This framework fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and aids in managing the complexity of data-driven projects.