GC Enterprise Architecture/Standards

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The GC Enterprise Architecture standard is part of the Directive on Management of Information Technology. It is listed as Appendix C - Mandatory Procedures for Enterprise Architecture Assessment in the Directive.

To view more detailed info on each point listed below, you can click on the top title for each of the Architecture layer, OR any of the blue link below.

Define program services as business capabilities to establish a common vocabulary between business, development, and operation
Identify capabilities that are common to the GC enterprise and can be shared and reused
Model business processes using Business Process Management Notation (BPMN) to identify common enterprise processes

Design for Users First and Deliver with Multidisciplinary Teams

Focus on the needs of users, using agile, iterative, and user-centred methods
Conform to both accessibility and official languages requirements
Include all skillsets required for delivery, including for requirements, design, development, and operations
Work across the entire application lifecycle, from development and testing to deployment and operations
Ensure quality is considered throughout the Software Development Lifecycle
Ensure accountability for privacy is clear
Encourage and adopt Test Driven Development (TDD) to improve the trust between Business and IT

Design Systems to be Measurable and Accountable

Publish performance expectations for each IT service
Make an audit trail available for all transactions to ensure accountability and non-repudiation
Establish business and IT metrics to enable business outcomes
Apply oversight and lifecycle management to digital investments through governance

Data Collection

Ensure data is collected in a manner that maximizes use and availability of data
Ensure data collected aligns to existing enterprise and international standards
Where enterprise or international standards don't exist, develop Standards in the open with key subject matter experts
Ensure collection of data yields high quality data as per data quality guidelines
Ensure data is collected through ethical practices supporting appropriate citizen and business-centric use
Data should only be purchased once and should align with international standards
Where necessary, ensure collaboration with department/agency data stewards/custodians, other levels of government and indigenous people

Data Management

Demonstrate alignment with enterprise and departmental data governance and strategies
Ensure accountability for data roles and responsibilities
Design to maximize data use and availability
Design data resiliency in accordance with GC policies and standards
Use Master Data Management to provide a single point of reference for appropriate stakeholders

Data Storage

Ensure data is stored in a secure manner in accordance with the National Cyber Security Strategy and the Privacy Act
Follow existing retention and disposition schedules
Ensure data is stored in a way to facilitate easy data discoverability, accessibility and interoperability

Data Sharing

Data should be shared openly by default as per the Directive on Open Government
Ensure government-held data can be combined with data from other sources enabling interoperability and interpretability through for internal and external use
Reduce the collection of redundant data
Reduce existing data where possible
Encourage data sharing and collaboration

Use Open Standards and Solutions by Default

Where possible, use open source standards, and open source software first
- For Guidance, please consult the Open Source Playbook
If an open source option is not available or does not meet user needs, favour platform-agnostic COTS over proprietary COTS, avoiding technology dependency, allowing for substitutability and interoperability
If a custom-built application is the appropriate option, by default any source code written by the government must be released in an open format via Government of Canada website and services designated by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
All open source code must be released under an appropriate open source software license
Expose public data to implement Open Data and Open Information initiatives

Maximize Reuse

Leverage and reuse existing solutions, components, and processes
Select enterprise and cluster solutions over department-specific solutions
Achieve simplification by minimizing duplication of components and adhering to relevant standards
Inform the GC EARB about departmental investments and innovations
Share code publicly when appropriate, and when not, share within the Government of Canada

Expose all functionality as services
Use microservices built around business capabilities. Scope each service to a single purpose
Run each IT service in its own process and have it communicate with other services through a well-defined interface, such as a HTTPS-based application programming interface (API)
Run applications in containers
Leverage the GC Digital Exchange Platform for components such as the API Store, Messaging, and the GC Service Bus

Use Cloud first

Enforce this order of preference: Software as a Service (SaaS) first, then Platform as a Service (PaaS), and lastly Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Enforce this order of preference: Public cloud first, then Hybrid cloud, then Private cloud, and lastly non-cloud (on-premises) solutions
Design for cloud mobility and develop an exit strategy to avoid vendor lock-in

Design for Performance, Availability, and Scalability

Design for resiliency
Ensure response times meet user needs, and critical services are highly available
Support zero-downtime deployments for planned and unplanned maintenance
Use distributed architectures, assume failure will happen, handle errors gracefully, and monitor actively

Design for Security and Privacy

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