SSC Artifacts and Diagrams
In addition to a content metamodel, SSC has established a set of specific artifacts (catalogs, matrices, diagrams) that are required. In general, these artifacts follow the recommended viewpoints established in the ArchiMate 3.0.1 Specification. However, in some instances we have chosen diagrams that better suit our particular needs, particularly in respect to project and service governance. The following are the required and recommended artifacts for architecture at SSC.
SSC Key EA Artifacts Diagram
Strategic Architecture
This portion of enterprise architecture contains artifacts that define the scope of the enterprise, break it down into useful portions (segments), describe the strategic current/target states, drivers and motivations.
Strategic Motivation Diagram
Based on ArchiMate Viewpoint: Motivation Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects, business analysts, strategic planning, benefits realization, SSC executives.
Purpose/Value: Used to identify and related the strategic drivers, goals, outcomes of the organization, and the key strategic stakeholders. Provides links to identify what existing and planned architecture are supporting the enterprise's desired target direction. All solution architectures should link (directly or indirectly) to a strategic goal or outcome.
Business Capability Map
Based on ArchiMate Viewpoint: Capability Map
Scope/Constraints: Generally limited to identifying capabilities/sub-capabilities, and their association with enterprise strategic outcomes, goals, drivers.
Key Stakeholders: Senior executives, branches, business managers, enterprise and business architects. Investment prioritization.
Purpose/Value: A primary communication mechanism with SSC executives on the state of the architecture, activities, and progress towards desired target direction. Helps ensure alignment between current/target activities and the strategic direction/capabilities of the organization. Investment prioritization.
Segment Diagram
Based on ArchiMate Viewpoint: Business Process Cooperation Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: Uses only business roles, business actors, and business functions with categories "SSC Segment", "SSC Client-facing Service", and "SSC Supporting Service". It may begin to associate key high-level roles, information, applications - but generally, it leaves details of architecture to dedicated lower-level diagrams. One diagram per defined segment.
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects/Enterprise Architecture management/executives.
Purpose/Value: Enables EA to organize, prioritize and assign architecture work/activities. In particular, it identifies the segments that will be used to organize EA work, and distributes the key services/functions among them. Every identified SSC service should belong to a segment.
Strategic Service Diagram
Based on ArchiMate Viewpoint: Layered Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: This diagram defines, at a high level, an SSC service. It links the SSC Service to Business Capabilities (1 or more), and to other key business functions/services, and to the key foundational/supporting technologies. The diagram may expose some of the key sub-functions/processes that are performed in that SSC service (down 1 level of conception). Detailed business, application, information and technology diagrams for a particular service are to be detailed in other (solution-level) diagrams.
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects/Enterprise Architecture management/executives, Service architects.
Purpose/Value: Provides a conceptual view of SSC Services, key inter-service linkages, strategic linkages, and links to enabling technologies. Answers the questions: 1) What services/functions need which services to operate?, 2) What technologies are required by a particular SSC Service?
Service Roadmap Diagram
Based on ArchiMate Viewpoint: Layered Viewpoint
Scope/constraints: Uses Implementation and Migration elements, and Motivation elements (goal/outcome).
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise Architects, Service Architects, Solution Architects, Service leads/teams.
Purpose/Value: Defines/describes the different architectures for a particular service in defined states (n-2, n-1, n, n+1, n+2) and plateaus (current, target, target+), and what work packages (projects) will satisfy which identified architecture gaps.
Reference Library
Reference Architecture Catalog
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, engineers/implementers.
Purpose/Value: Provides a list of the reference architecture documents available, informing architects of the standard patterns and considerations for preparing architecture in particular defined circumstances.
Reference Architecture Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Layered Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, engineers/implementers.
Purpose/Value: Diagrams of reference architecture patterns/options, to illustrate patterns and considerations for preparing new architectures under particular defined conditions/circumstances. Used to ensure alignment/compliance and consistency of implementations.
IT Standard Catalog
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, engineers/implementers.
Purpose/Value: Provides a list of IT Standards to be applied to architectures, designs and implementations at SSC. Used to ensure alignment/compliance and consistency of implementations.
Content Metamodel Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Layered Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, engineers/implementers.
Purpose/Value: Illustrates the valid relationships amongst all types of architecture objects, and the rules to be applied for their use in architecture models. The model of the model for architecture.
Lexicon Catalog
Key Stakeholders: All users and practitioners of architecture.
Purpose/Value: Provides definitions of terms/nomenclature used for architecture.
SSC Project Catalog
Key Stakeholders: Executives, project managers/leads, project teams, enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, governance bodies, engineers.
Purpose/Value: Used to associate objects, artifacts, deliverables to particular projects/initiatives.
Service/Solution Architecture
These diagrams are for service or solution architectures for initiatives to be reviewed/aligned by EA.
Project Definition
Requirements Catalog
Key Stakeholders: Project managers, project teams, business analyst, business architects, service architects, solution architects, engineers.
Purpose/Value: List and definitions of the requirements for a project/initiative. .
Motivation (Benefits Realization) Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Motivation Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Project manager/lead, project team, business analyst, benefits realization team, governance bodies, management.
Purpose/Value: Identify the benefits of a projects/initiative, identifying key performance metrics, help ensure alignment with enterprise outcomes, identify and link requirements to tactical and strategic outcomes.
Conceptual Architecture
Solution Context Diagram
moved - and integrated with the Solution Conceptual Diagram.
Solution Conceptual Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Non-Standard (SSC specific)
Scope/Constraints: Show no sequence/flow, and generally no associations. Limited to actors, roles, business functions (key high-level), business information, KPI's.
Key Stakeholders: Governance bodies (particularly AC and ESSARB), project teams/leads/managers, executives, enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects.
Purpose/Value: Identifies what, at a high/conceptual level, this project/initiative intends to do (key/main functions), for which clients (roles/actors), and what key information will be required/managed, and what key performance indicators/benefits will be provided by doing the effort.
Logical/Physical Architecture
Business Process Cooperation Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Business Process Cooperation Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: May only use application components from the application layer.
Key Stakeholders: Governance bodies (particularly AC and ESSARB), project teams/leads/managers, enterprise architects, service architects, solution architects, business leads, business architects, business analists, business process practicioners.
Purpose/Value: Identifies/defines the business (functions, processes, roles, actors, etc...) of the project/initiative/SSC service, and links to application/data/information layers.
Implementation and Deployment Diagram (optional)
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Implementation and Deployment Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Application managers, application architects, service architects, solution architects, CIO office, project team, application developers.
Purpose/Value: Optional. Used if more details on application or inter/intra-application and technology interactions are required than is provided in the Technology Usage Diagram (below).
Application Cooperation Diagram (optional)
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Application Cooperation Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Application managers, application architects, service architects, solution architects, CIO office, project team, application developers.
Purpose/Value: Optional. Used if more details on application or inter/intra-application are required. Focus on application development/components specifically.
Technology Usage Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Technology Usage Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Service architects, solution architects, engineers, designers, implementers, operations staff, application support staff and management.
Purpose/Value: Maps applications/application systems to required (generic/high level) technology implementations.
Technology Diagram
ArchiMate Viewpoint: Technology Viewpoint
Scope/Constraints: None.
Key Stakeholders: Service architects, solution architects, engineers, designers, implementers, operations staff.
Purpose/Value: Identifies/defines the required technology components, positioning/placement/location, relationships, network, network zoning required for the initiative.