Section 6 : Chapter 1

The Layered Architectural Approach

The layered approach attempts to overcome the disadvantages of

the traditional approach. This system consists of multiple, flexi-
ble and interchangeable layers and modules of activity. Building up
solutions one layer at a time creates the opportunity to deliver an
architecture that is:
• Infinitely more flexible
• Easily leveraged for multiple purposes
• Developed to provide support for many business applica-
tions at little (if any) additional cost

As we consider the best approach to developing revenue assur-

ance applications, we will continually refer to and compare these
approaches to identify the best combination of methods to meet the
organization’s unique needs.

STEP ONE: ARCHITECTURE

DESIGN – DETERMINING THE
INFORMATION SOURCES
To understand the best way to deliver information to the revenue
assurance team, the first step is to identify the source of the infor-
mation it needs.

At the highest level, the revenue assurance group can get informa-
tion from only three general areas:
1. Operational systems themselves
2. A collection of custom-built RA applications and capabili-
ties
3. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) applications

Operational Systems

Each link of the revenue generation chain is managed by one or

more computer systems. These include:

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