RESEARCH ACTIVITY

1. What are Enterprise Architecture Artifacts?

Enterprise Architecture Artifacts define as the collection of special documents typically

for all practical purposes of Enterprise Architecture. It is a descriptive document providing a
certain view of an organization from the perspective of its business and IT. Various EA
artifacts used in organizations as part of EA practices can be very diverse in nature. EA
artifacts used in established EA practices can be classified into one of the six general types:
Considerations, Standards, Visions, Landscapes, Outlines and Designs (CSVLOD), accurately
defining their practical roles.

2. Enumerate and discuss the 6 general types of EA artifacts.

The six general types of Enterprise Architecture Artifacts are the Considerations,

Standards, Visions, Landscapes, Outlines, and Designs.

 Considerations are business-focused Rules. This general type identified in

organizations includes principles, policies, maxims, core drivers, architecture
strategies, conceptual data models, governance papers, position papers, strategy
papers, and whitepapers. Their purpose is to help achieve the agreement on basic
principles, values, directions, and aims. Considerations lead to improved overall
conceptual consistency.
 Standards are IT-focused Rules. This general type identified in organizations includes
guidelines, standards, patterns, IT principles, data models and reference
architectures, technology, application, infrastructure, platform, and security
reference models. Their purpose is to help achieve technical consistency,
technological homogeneity, and regulatory compliance. The proper use of Standards
leads to reduced costs, risks, and complexity.
 Visions are business-focused Structures. This general type identified in organizations
includes business capability models, value reference models, business context
 diagrams, business reference architectures, business activity models, enterprise
process maps, future state architectures, and all sorts of roadmaps. Their purpose is
to help achieve the alignment between IT investments and business outcomes. The
proper use of Visions leads to improved effectiveness of IT investments.
 Landscapes are IT-focused Structures. This general type identified in organizations
includes platform architectures, relational diagrams, application portfolios,
integration contexts, system interaction diagrams, inventories, asset registers, IT
systems value maps, one-page diagrams, enterprise technology models, and all sorts
of technology roadmaps. Their purpose is to help rationalize the IT landscape,
manage the lifecycle of IT assets and plan IT projects. The proper use of Landscapes
leads to increased reuse and flexibility, reduced duplication, and legacy.
 Outlines are business-focused Changes. This general type identified in organizations
includes conceptual architectures, solution overviews, conceptual designs, solution
briefs, preliminary solution architectures, solution outlines, idea briefs, solution
proposals, initiative summaries, investment cases, options papers, and solution
assessments. Their purpose is to help estimate the overall business value of specific
IT projects. The proper use of Outlines leads to improved efficiency of IT
investments.
 Designs are IT-focused Changes. This general type identified in organizations
includes detailed designs, solution definitions, full solution architectures, high-level
designs, solution specifications, integrated solution designs, physical designs,
solution blueprints, and technical designs. Their purpose is to help implement IT
projects according to business and architectural requirements. The proper use of
Designs leads to improved quality of the project delivery.

3. Briefly define the eight essential EA artifacts and give one example for each artifact?

The eight essential EA artifacts are:

 Principles (sometimes also called maxims) describe high-level policy statements

having significant impact on both business and IT, for instance, that all provided
 services should be available to customers via single sign-on. The list of ~10-20
principles is typically defined and then periodically reviewed collaboratively by
architects and senior business leaders to achieve the agreement on basic rules,
values, directions and aims. All business and IT decisions, as well as architectures
of all IT projects, are evaluated for their compliance with established principles.
Principles are the most ‘classic’ EA artifacts related to the considerations general
type (business-focused rules). Like all EA artifacts related to considerations,
principles represent the overarching context for information systems planning.
 Technology reference models (TRMs) (can be called technology standards or
split into infrastructure, applications, and other more specific reference models)
provide standardized sets of available technologies to be used in all IT projects
structured according to their domains, often with their lifecycle phases color-
coded. TRMs are typically developed by architects and subject-matter experts in
specific technologies and then updated in a periodic manner, often yearly.
Architectures of all IT projects are reviewed by architects to ensure their
alignment to TRMs and thereby achieve overall technological homogeneity and
consistency of the IT landscape.
 Guidelines (often also called standards) define low-level IT-specific prescriptions
or best practices to be followed in all IT projects grouped by their technology
domains, for instance, that certain network protocols should be used for
purposes or certain encryption standards should be used for types of data.
Guidelines are typically developed and periodically updated by architects and
subject-matter experts in specific areas. Architectures, of all IT projects, are
reviewed by architects to ensure their adherence to guidelines and thereby
achieve technical consistency and, in some cases, regulatory compliance as well.
 Business capability models (BCMs) (sometimes also called business capability
maps) provide structured views (‘maps’) of all organizational business
capabilities on a single page, sometimes together with other supporting
information like business strategy, objectives, main customers, partners, etc.
 BCMs are typically developed collaboratively by architects and senior business
leaders and then ‘heat mapped’ to identify best investment opportunities,
priorities future IT spending and ensure the alignment between IT investments
and desirable business outcomes. BCMs are often considered as ‘entry points’
into IT for business executives.
 Roadmaps (which can also be called investment roadmaps, divisional roadmaps,
capability roadmaps, technology roadmaps, etc.) provide structured views of
planned future IT investments with their tentative timelines aligned to different
capabilities or business areas, often outlining their high-level target states after
several years. They usually explain how and when ‘heat mapped’ business
capabilities will be uplifted. Roadmaps are typically developed collaboratively by
architects and senior business leaders and help priorities proposed IT initiatives,
align future IT investments to business plans and initiate IT projects.
 Landscape diagrams (used under very diverse titles, including system interaction
diagrams, relational diagrams, platform architectures, one-page diagrams,
integration contexts, etc.) describe high-level connections between various
applications, databases, platforms, systems and sometimes business processes
covering large parts of the corporate IT landscape, typically in their current
states. Landscape diagrams are usually maintained by architects and updated at
the completion stages of all IT projects modifying the IT landscape. They help
architects optimize the IT landscape and select best implementation options for
new IT projects. Landscape diagrams are seemingly the most common EA
artifacts related to the Landscapes general type (IT-focused structures). Like all
EA artifacts related to landscapes, landscape diagrams represent reference
materials for general technical planning.
 Solution overviews (can be called conceptual architectures, solution outlines,
conceptual designs, preliminary solution architectures, solution briefs, etc.)
describe specific IT projects in a brief business-oriented manner, usually
including their high-level architectures, expected business value, estimated
 costs, risks and timelines. Solution overviews of ~15-30 pages long are typically
developed for all proposed IT projects at their early stages collaboratively by
their business sponsors and architects. They help senior business stakeholders
estimate the overall business impact and value of proposed IT projects and make
informed investment decisions regarding these projects. Solution overviews are
the most common EA artifacts related to the outlines general type (business-
focused changes). Like all EA artifacts related to outlines, solution overviews
represent benefit, time, and price tags for specific IT projects.
 Solution designs (can be called high-level designs, solution definitions, detailed
designs, full solution architectures, project-start architectures, etc.) describe
specific IT projects in a highly technical manner with all the necessary details
required to implement these projects. Solution designs of ~25-50 pages long are
typically developed for all approved IT projects collaboratively by architects,
project teams and business representatives to reflect both business and
architectural requirements. They are used by projects teams during the whole
duration of IT projects and help implement these projects according to the pre-
agreed requirements. Solution designs are the key EA artifacts related to the
designs general type (IT-focused changes). Like all EA artifacts related to designs,
solution designs represent communication interfaces between architects and
project teams.

4. What is CSVLOD Model?

The CSVLOD model is the first research-based model of enterprise architecture
which provides a more accurate, realistic, and explanatory view than any other existing
models. The CSVLOD model is a novel conceptualization of enterprise architecture from
scratch that:
• Emerged from research, not from marketing
• Supported by evidence from real organizations
• Reflects genuine industry EA best practices
 • Accurately describes empirical realities of EA
• Fills the critical gap in the EA discipline

Fig.1: CSVLOD MODEL of

RESOURCES

 BCS -The Chartered Institute for IT. (2019, June 06). Enterprise Architecture
artifacts: facts and decisions. https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-
research/enterprise-architecture-artifacts-facts-and-decisions/
 BCS -The Chartered Institute for IT. (2016, November 24). Six types of enterprise
architecture artifacts. https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/six-types-
of-enterprise-architecture-artifacts/
 BCS -The Chartered Institute for IT. (2017, February 2). Eight essential enterprise
architecture artifacts. https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/eight-
essential-enterprise-architecture-artifacts/
 BCS -The Chartered Institute for IT. (n.d). The CSVLOD Model of Enterprise
Architecture and Its Value for the EA Discipline.
https://www.bcs.org/media/3787/csvlod.pdf