Description and documentation of the enterprise architecture

One of the key outputs of enterprise architecture work is a description of the current state and target state of the architecture.

These descriptions can, for example

• be used as tools for communication and reporting
• be included in the information management model that an authority uses to define and guide its information management.

Descriptions can also form a basis for

• architectural analysis, such as the change impacts therein
• production of alternative structures that can minimise the dependencies between systems or processes.

Architectures must be clearly described with the enterprise and solution architecture levels being separate.

The main areas of basic architectural descriptions are

• principles of operation, which guide business architecture, information architecture, application architecture, and technology architecture
• digital security
• interoperability
• requirements of the Act on Information Management in Public Administration.

Picture: Key areas of the basic architecture descriptions

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The scope and accuracy of the descriptions must be optimised

• for the strategic intent of the organisation’s management and experts
• at the level of preparation and maintenance of the descriptions made possible by the available resources.

 Your organisation must determine the sufficient level of accuracy of resources and intent.

Architecture descriptions must at least include the following regarding the organisation’s operation and information management:

• essential requirements
• supporting guidelines of the requirements.

Industry-specific, national and EU-level security and data protection regulations must be taken into account in the descriptions and documentation of the enterprise architecture.

Architecture descriptions should be presented in an easily accessible format, such as:

• tables
• matrices
• diagrams
• text.

Use different notations (e.g. BPMN, UML, ArchiMate) when necessary. Read more about international reference frameworks for enterprise architecture.

Here's how you get familiar with practical enterprise architecture work:

1. Familiarise yourself with your organisation’s operating environment, strategy, architecture principles and existing documentation, such as the information management model.  
2. Also familiarise yourself with enterprise architecture frameworks other than those used by the organisation, the frameworks and models of your own field and reference architectures. Understand their relationship with each other and look for best practices. 
3. Learn about the organisation’s business, information, application and technology architecture practices.