Architecture Framework Visualisations

“I really do like your new framework” David Cunningham, Principal Architect

 

This page is published under the terms of the licence summarized in the footnote.

First below, a visualisation of the dimensions used in schemas for architecture description. 

Second, a pragmatic overview of what architects have to think about.

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Dimensions of architecture used in frameworks like Zachman and TOGAF

 

 

 

Architect roles and stakeholders

 

 

 

Enterprise Architect

Solution Architect

Software Architect

Technical Architect

 

Direction

Owner

Manager

Supplier

Buyer

Designer 

Builder

Tester

User

Operator

Maintainer

Operation

 

 

Architecture scope

 

 

Broad

Business-wide

Business division or line

Department

Narrow

Long term

Strategic target

Tactical target

Change to baseline

Short term

High

Business people and process

Software application

Technical infrastructure

Low

 

 

Abstraction in architecture description

 

 

Idealisation

Conceptual model

Logical model

Physical model

Physical material

Realisation

Generalisation

Universal

Fairly generic

Fairly specific

Uniquely configured

Specialisation

Composition

Coarse-grained composite

Mid-grained composite

Fine-grained composite

Elementary part

Decomposition

Omission

Nominal

Sketchy

Elaborate

Complete

Elaboration

 

 

 

The scope of architecture work: a reminder of what needs to be considered

 

 

Business

IS development

IT architecture

IT operations

 

Inputs

Business goals, constraints & standards

Application requirements constraints & standards

SLRs, constraints & standards

SLAs

 

Scope

Human activity systems

Information systems

Infrastructure systems

Infrastructure operations

 

Stakeholders

Customers, employees etc.

Application users, maintainers etc.

IT users, operators etc.

IT users, suppliers etc.

 

Processes

Business processes, use cases & automated services

Development processes, patterns & standards

IT architecture definition

ITIL processes

 

Organisations

Business departments

IS department

IT department

IT services management

 

Locations of

Customers, suppliers & employees

Application users & developers

Data centers & client devices

Data centers & client devices

 

Data

Products, services & information of all kinds

Databases & I/O formats

System management data, thresholds, back up

Change requests, incident logs etc.

 

Components

Business units and functions

Applications & components

Hardware & platform software

Configured environments

 

Technologies

Business environment & equipment

Development & test environments

Production environment & DR environment

System management tools

 

Plans

Business change estimates & plans

IS change estimates & plans

IT change estimates & plans

IT change management

 

 

 

 

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