togaf

Togaf 9.1: What is the difference between Architecture Repository and Enterprise Continuum?


I can understand what is the Architecture Repository and Enterprise Continuum and there is a good explanation on Difference between Enterprise Continuum, the Architecture Repository, and the Architecture Content framework at higher level.

However, I cannot understand exactly that where the structural components(Architecture Metamodel, Architecture Capability, Architecture Landscape, Standards Information Base, Reference Library, Governance Log) of Architecture Repository fits in the classification of Enterprise Continuum?

Does this mean that all the structural components of Architecture Repository like Architecture Metamodel, Architecture Capability etc will gets classified as per Enterprise Continuum; first from Generic to Specific and second they can be part of Architecture Continuum or they can be part of Solutions Continuum?


Solution

  • It's best to think of the Enterprise Continuum as a classification system for classifying artifacts inside the Architecture Repository. So any item of the architecture repository can be classified from general (Foundation Architecture) to specific (Organization Architecture), and whether it is part of the Architecture Building Blocks (ABBs) or Solution Building Blocks (SBBs).

    Basically, the Enterprise Continuum is just a "view" of the documents inside the repository.

    The Standards Information Base, for instance, is very generic and part of Foundation Architecture[1]. The Architecture Landscape covers all views of the architecture from high-level strategic down to low-level capability, and generally fall toward the right side of the Enterprise Continuum (organization specific). But reusable parts of the landscape become more like generic building blocks.

    Similarly each of the other artifacts you mention can be classified according to whether it is specific to the organization or generic and reusable across several different organizations.

    [1] http://pubs.opengroup.org/architecture/togaf8-doc/arch/chap21.html