Using enterprise architecture analysis and interview data to estimate service response time

Insights into service response time is important for service-oriented architectures and service management. However, directly measuring the service response time is not always feasible or can be very costly. This paper extends an analytical modeling method which uses enterprise architecture modeling to support the analysis. The extensions consist of (i) a formalization using the Hybrid Probabilistic Relational Model formalism, (ii) an implementation in an analysis tool for enterprise architecture and (iii) a data collection approach using expert assessments collected via interviews and questionnaires. The accuracy and cost effectiveness of the method was tested empirically by comparing it with direct performance measurements of five services of a geographical information system at a Swedish utility company. The tests indicate that the proposed method can be a viable option for rapid service response time estimates when a moderate accuracy within 15% is sufficient.

► We design and evaluate an analytical method for modeling and estimating service response times.
► Enterprise architecture analysis enables rapid and cost-effectively insights into service response times.
► The analysis was formalized to allow for tool implementation.
► The method was evaluated by comparing response time assessments provided using the method with direct measurements.
► Results indicate that the method provides moderate accuracy at a lowcost.