From Generic to Organization‑Specific Architecture: Classification and Practical Guidance

Previously I wrote about digital transformation and how enterprise architecture can add value, as well as how to categorize architecture descriptions at different abstraction levels; here I focus on the conceptual versus concrete nature of those descriptions for an organization.

The spectrum shown starts on the left with the most generic type, Foundation Architectures , such as the Technology Reference Model (TRM) defined in the TOGAF 9.1 specification, which describe generic technologies or platforms.

Moving right, Common Architectures are built on foundation architectures; they are more specific to an organization but can still be applied across industries, for example a reference ERP architecture usable in many sectors.

If an architecture is more specific yet reusable across multiple organizations within the same industry, it is classified as an Industry Architecture , such as an ERP reference model for the automotive sector or a solution for energy and water utilities facing regulatory changes.

Organization‑Specific Architectures are the most concrete descriptions, created to support particular programs or projects within a single enterprise.

TOGAF calls these architecture descriptions “artifacts,” which are work products that can be represented as tables, matrices, or diagrams (TOGAF 9.1, 2.5).

What Do You Use in Practice?

In practice I often see both organization‑specific and industry‑specific architectures. When a suitable industry reference is unavailable, you may need to fall back to a more generic foundation or common architecture. Reference models exist for functions, business processes (e.g., ITIL), applications, technology, risk, and security.

Now you can classify architecture descriptions by their specificity and the solutions they support; the following examples illustrate how to apply this classification.

Examples of Architecture Classification

One practical taxonomy is provided by Flexera BDNA Technopedia, which offers technology lifecycle information and can serve as a modern alternative to the older TOGAF TRM. Remember TOGAF’s advice to “customize reference models to your needs.”

Below is a table that shows sample architecture categories across the enterprise continuum.

Using this method, you can classify architecture descriptions to help Enterprise Architecture become a driver of an adaptive enterprise, by carefully managing architecture and solution building blocks and avoiding loss of direction when handling many deployed instances.

In the next blog of this series I will outline how to describe these architectures with ArchiMate using globally‑standard symbols, which will help standardize communication about architecture descriptions to support strategic change.

For a brief overview of ArchiMate and its relationship to BPMN, UML, and other notations, read the article “Combining ArchiMate 3.0 with Other Standards.”

Source: http://jiagoushi.pro/node/382