5. Dragon1 EA Method: Glossary of Terms

This page presents the full Glossary of Terms of the Dragon1 open EA Method. This is the official source. In Dragon1 definitions of concepts are taken very seriously. All the terms are related in the Dragon1 Meta Model. An EA Glossary with the top 50 most important terms can be found here.

The Dragon1 Glossary becomes available in 2019 in the following languages: English, Chinese / Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Bahasa Indonesia, Japanese and Korean. To participate, please read the Contribution and Revision History here. They also contain the icon design guidelines.

Ability - An ability (being able) is what a person, system or organization can do, all by itself.

Abstraction - Abstraction is a general idea or removing something from a source.

Accountability - The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

Action - The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.

Activity - An activity is the behavior or action, of a particular kind, done as work or for pleasure, alone or in a group by humans, animals, robots, or systems. This term is considered to be most important in the context of an organization, company, business or enterprise.

Actor - An actor is an entity that is a participant in a process, like a person, animal, plant, robot, application, organization, or system. An actor can be internal or external to the system interacting with other entities.

Agreement - An arrangement that is accepted by all parties to a transaction.

Aim - To strive for something.

Alignment - Arrangement or adjustment.

10.

Alternative - Another possibility or choice.

11.

Ambition - Ambition is what you or an organization try to achieve in the mid-long term.

12.

Animal - A living organism which feeds on organic matter. An animal typically has specialized sense organs and a nervous system and is able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

13.

Application - An application is a shortened term for a software application or hardware application. In most cases, software applications or application software is meant.

14.

Application Architecture - Application architecture is the total application concept, the coherent set of application concept.

15.

Approval - Approval is the action of approving something.

16.

Architect - An architect is a designer of structures and systems and total concepts for structures and systems and supervisor of the realization of structures and systems.

17.

Architecture - An architecture of a structure is a total concept of a structure, containing a coherent set of constructional concepts, operative concepts, and decorative concepts.

18.

Architecture Canvas (View Layout) -

19.

Architecture Diagram - An architecture diagram is a graphical representation of a set of concepts, that are part of an architecture, including their principles, elements, and components.

20.

Architecture Framework -

21.

Architecture Plateau -

22.

Architecture Principle - An architecture principle is the principle of a concept that is made part of the architecture (total concept) of a structure or system. An architecture principle is the way a concept, being part of an architecture, works producing results.

23.

Architecture Study -

24.

Architecture Visualization - An Architecture Visualization is the graphical representation of an architecture model or an architecture view of a model.

25.

Area -

26.

Artifact - A (unique) structure, tool, object, element, or component, that is defined, designed or created by man requiring craftmanship.

27.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the ability of a system, such as a computer, hardware, software or other devices, to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

28.

Artist Impression -

29.

Aspect - A particular part or feature of a system

30.

Assignment -

31.

Assortiment -

32.

Assumption -

33.

Attribute - A Property of a Class

34.

Audit - Conduction of an official inspection of a company.

35.

Augmented Reality -

36.

Automation -

37.

Baseline -

38.

Behavior -

39.

Big Data Analytics -

40.

Blog -

41.

Blueprint -

42.

Book -

43.

Broker -

44.

Building Block -

45.

Building Permit -

46.

Business -

47.

Business / IT Alignment -

48.

Business Architecture - Business Architecture is a coherent set of business concepts of a business structure or business system. It is a total concept containing constructive, operative, and decorative business concepts.

49.

Business Blueprint -

50.

Business Development -

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

Business Model Generation -

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

Cable -

62.

Capability - A capability is defined as a set of tasks that a system is potentially able to perform (acquired skills) at a certain performance level (available capacity). Often only with the use of external resources.

63.

Case -

64.

Catalog -

65.

Change - A change is an adjustment, alteration, modification, or replacement of one or more persons or objects within a system. A change is smaller in scope and impact than a transformation.

66.

Channel -

67.

Chatbot - A chatbot is a software application or computer program, designed to simulate the conversation with human users, especially over the internet. On average a chatbot provides more consistent answers than humans.

68.

Choice -

69.

Claim -

70.

Class -

71.

Client (I) -

72.

Client (II) -

73.

Client Server -

74.

Cloud -

75.

Collaboration -

76.

Color -

77.

Color Scheme -

78.

Communication -

79.

Communication Message -

80.

Company -

81.

Competence -

82.

Complexity -

83.

Complexity Reduction -

84.

Component - A physical replaceable part of a larger whole. A physical entity of a system. Especially a part of a software application, a machine, or a vehicle. Typically providing behavior via interfaces and requires interfaces to function.

85.

Computer - A computer is an electronic device which is capable of receiving information (data) in a particular form and of performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of procedural instructions (program) to produce a result in the form of information or signals.

86.

Concept - A concept is an approach, a way of working, an abstraction of an implementation, or an idea.

87.

Conceptual -

88.

Concern -

89.

Configuration -

90.

Configuration Item -

91.

Connection -

92.

Constraint -

93.

Construction -

94.

Constructive Concept -

95.

Consumer - (Service) consumer

96.

Content -

97.

Context -

98.

Context Model -

99.

Contract -

100.

Control -

101.

Controller -

102.

Cost -

103.

Creative Thinking - Creative thinking is a concept focused on improving the ability to be creative, that is: generating valuable original ideas.

104.

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking is a concept focused on the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue to form a judgment.

105.

Culture -

106.

Customer -

107.

Customer Journey - The act or instance of traveling by potential customers (like leads and suspects), actual customers, and ex-customers (from your company and other companies), by going from one place to another place (real world and online), visiting touch points of organizations, exposing and showing their needs and requirements, buying, using and experiencing propositions, offerings, products, and services, doing complaints and recommendations to organizations.

108.

Customer Orientation -

109.

Cycle -

110.

Dark Store -

111.

Data -

112.

Data Base -

113.

Data Lake - A data lake is a governed storage repository architecture holding a large amount of raw data (i.e. data in its native format) that is only defined and structured upon usage.

114.

Data Store -

115.

Database -

116.

Deal -

117.

Decision -

118.

Decoration -

119.

Decorative Concept -

120.

Definition for Sustainability -

121.

Deliverable -

122.

Dependency -

123.

Design -

124.

Design Pattern -

125.

Design Principle -

126.

Design Sketch -

127.

Designer -

128.

Device -

129.

Diagram -

130.

Digital Transformation - Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to fundamentally change how businesses operate and create - new or modify existing - business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements to deliver value to customers. This reimagining of business in the digital era is digital transformation.

131.

Disability - A disability is what you can't do as person, system or organization.

132.

DNA -

133.

Document -

134.

Documentation -

135.

Domain - A Domain is an area of responsibility and the grouping of items in an architecture or architecture layer.

136.

Drone -

137.

EA Method -

138.

Ecosystems - Ecosystems are complex communities of organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, interacting with each other and their physical environment, such as water, air, and soil.

139.

Element -

140.

Enable / Enabling -

141.

Energy -

142.

Engineering -

143.

Enterprise - An Enterprise is defined as an undertaking, a journey, or a project that is complex and has many risks involved in realizing ambitious goals. The risks are constantly calculated, evaluated, justified, and controlled. The undertaking is done by individuals or organizations.

144.

Enterprise Architecture - Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a total concept for an enterprise structure consisting of coherent constructive, operative, and decorative concepts (and their principles) for areas such as governance, business, information, applications, data and technology. EA is often used in organizations employing a method, framework and dossier with products (like blueprints and landscapes).

145.

Enterprise Architecture Framework - An Enterprise Architecture Framework is a basic structure (like a method) filled with a set of tools, such as reference models, which can be used for developing a broad range of different architectures as part of enterprise architecture.

146.

147.

Enterprise Architecture Software - Enterprise Architecture Software supports organizations in designing the organization in a holistic way and in creating a conceptual blueprint of the current and future state of the organization, based on and continuously aligned to the business strategy.

148.

Enterprise Domain -

149.

Enterprise Function -

150.

Enterprise Visualization -

151.

Entity - An entity is something, like an object, that can be measured or identified in the real physical world.

152.

ERA -

153.

ERD -

154.

ESG - ESG, short for Environmental, Social, and Governance, is a term used to describe a set of criteria that investors use to evaluate the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment in a company.

155.

Expert -

156.

Eyecatcher -

157.

Falsification -

158.

Figure -

159.

Fingerprint (Kennzeichen) -

160.

Form -

161.

Formula -

162.

Framework -

163.

Function -

164.

GAP -

165.

Generalization -

166.

Goal -

167.

Goods -

168.

GRC - GRC is the integrated collection of capabilities to achieve Principled Performance in an organization. GRC integrates governance, management, and assurance of performance, risk, and compliance activities.

169.

Hardware -

170.

Holistic -

171.

Human -

172.

Human Behavior -

173.

Hypothesis -

174.

Idea -

175.

Identity - What you as a person, a thing, or an organization are. Not what you want, do, or can do. Your identity is not your mission or your vision.

176.

IEEE -

177.

Infographic - An infographic is a graphic visual representation of information, data, or knowledge intended to present and communicate information quickly and clearly.

178.

Inform -

179.

Information -

180.

Information Architecture -

181.

Information Domain -

182.

Information Facilities -

183.

Information Service -

184.

Information Technology - The usage or application of information, data, software, and hardware (especially devices equipped with microprocessors), such as computers and smartphones.

185.

Information Value -

186.

Innovation - Innovation is the fundamental redesign of a product, system, process or service.

187.

Inspiration -

188.

Inspire -

189.

Instance -

190.

Interface -

191.

Interview -

192.

ISO -

193.

IT -

194.

IT Architecture -

195.

IT Management - A set of activities that are carried out by an organization to plan, deliver, operate, and control IT resources that are offered to the internal customers of the organization.

196.

IT Strategy -

197.

IT-Infrastructure -

198.

Key Figure -

199.

Key Performance Indicator -

200.

Knowledge - Knowledge is an obtained set of demonstrable and measurable facts, conditions, truths and laws of nature. If you show it, you can know it. If you can't show it, you can't know it.

201.

Landscape -

202.

Language -

203.

Law -

204.

Layer -

205.

Layout -

206.

LEAN -

207.

LEAN Six Sigma -

208.

Legend -

209.

Legislation -

210.

Level of Abstraction -

211.

Library -

212.

Literature Reference -

213.

Logical -

214.

Logo -

215.

Machine -

216.

Management -

217.

Manual -

218.

Material -

219.

Matrix -

220.

Memory -

221.

Meta Model -

222.

Milestone -

223.

Mission -

224.

Mobile -

225.

Mobile Device -

226.

Model - In short, a model is a set of related entities representing a concept or an object. More precise, a model is a set of related entities with characteristics that represents a part of the real world, phenomenon, object, process, system, or concept in order to be able to study better and communicate better about that part of the real world, phenomenon, object, process, system, or concept. A model is often a perception and simplification of what is observed. A model is a data copy of something.

227.

Modeling -

228.

Modeling Language -

229.

Model-View-Controller -

230.

Module -

231.

Motivation -

232.

Nano Technology -

233.

Need -

234.

Objective -

235.

Open -

236.

Open Source -

237.

Open Standard -

238.

Operation -

239.

Operative Concept -

240.

Organization -

241.

Out of Scope -

242.

Owner -

243.

Owner/Client -

244.

Ownership -

245.

Package -

246.

Pattern -

247.

Pay Off -

248.

Payment -

249.

Performance -

250.

Performance Indicator -

251.

Permit -

252.

Phase -

253.

Phone -

254.

Physical -

255.

Plant -

256.

Plateau -

257.

Policy -

258.

Portfolio -

259.

Presentation -

260.

Principle - A principle is the enforced way a system or concept works, producing results.

261.

Principle Details Diagram -

262.

Probability -

263.

Process -

264.

Process Orientation -

265.

Product -

266.

Product Introduction -

267.

Profile -

268.

Program -

269.

Program of Requirements -

270.

Progress -

271.

Progress Report -

272.

Project - A project is a temporary organization focused on producing a predefined and unique product, service or result

273.

Project Management -

274.

Proof -

275.

Proof of Concept -

276.

Proportion -

277.

Quality -

278.

Quality Aspect -

279.

Question -

280.

Ratio -

281.

Rationale -

282.

Reaction -

283.

Reality -

284.

Realization -

285.

Re-Design -

286.

Re-Engineering -

287.

Reference Architecture -

288.

Reference Model -

289.

Reference Solution -

290.

Reflex -

291.

Report -

292.

Requirement -

293.

Response -

294.

Re-Use -

295.

Revenue -

296.

Revenue Model -

297.

Review -

298.

Roadmap -

299.

Robot - A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer. A robot is not an organism and does not feed on organic matter, but needs an alternative energy source to function.

300.

Robotics -

301.

Role - A role is a position that an actor has in a process. According to their role, actors are expected to perform certain tasks (their responsibilities). Example: Shopper is a common process role in the process of buying items on a webshop. The Actor, in this case, is f.i. the anonymous website visitor or identified target client group member.

302.

Rule -

303.

Scenario -

304.

Schema -

305.

Scope -

306.

Security -

307.

Security Architecture -

308.

Security Breach -

309.

Security Leak -

310.

Sequence -

311.

Server -

312.

Service -

313.

Single Source of Truth - Maintaining data consistency by preventing inconsistent duplicates in databases or data stores.

314.

Software Application -

315.

Software Application Architecture -

316.

Software Application Domain -

317.

Software Application Function -

318.

Software Application Interface -

319.

Software Application Landscape -

320.

Software Application Module -

321.

Software Application Rationalization -

322.

Software as a Service - Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing service model that delivers software applications over the internet to users on a subscription basis.

323.

Software Interface -

324.

Software Module -

325.

Solution -

326.

Solution Architecture -

327.

Specialization -

328.

Stage -

329.

Stakeholder - A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization that is affected by, has an effect on, has an interest in or has concerns about something, for instance, an organization.

330.

Standard - A technical standard is an established norm or requirement for a repeatable technical task. It is usually a formal document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes, and practices

331.

Storage -

332.

Strategic Starting Point -

333.

Strategy -

334.

Stream -

335.

Structure - A structure is an arrangement of the relations between the entities or parts of a complex system. At the logical level, the entities of a system are called elements and at the physical level, they are called components. Bridges, churches, buildings, enterprises, and information systems can be seen as structures each having architectures.

336.

Study -

337.

Style Element -

338.

Supervisor -

339.

Supplier -

340.

Sustainability - The practice of conducting business or activities in a way that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It encompasses three main pillars: environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

341.

Switch -

342.

Symmetry -

343.

System - A system is a set of collaborating entities realizing common goals. A system can be viewed at different levels of abstraction: conceptual, logical, physical and implementational.

344.

Target -

345.

Target Operating Model - A representation of how a company can be best organized to deliver and execute the strategy of the organization more efficiently and effectively.

346.

Task -

347.

Team -

348.

Technical Product -

349.

Technology -

350.

Template -

351.

Test -

352.

Testing -

353.

Time -

354.

Title -

355.

Tool -

356.

Total Cost of Ownership -

357.

Transaction -

358.

Transition -

359.

Trigger -

360.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) -

361.

Unit -

362.

Unknown -

363.

Use -

364.

Use Case -

365.

User -

366.

User Interface -

367.

User Model -

368.

User Requirements -

369.

Value -

370.

Value Stream - A value stream is the series of activities (the how) creating a flow of value (realizing the value [product/service] that the customer gets).

371.

VEA - VEA which stands for 'Visual Enterprise Architecture,' or 'Visualizing Enterprise Architecture,' refers to the Dragon1 methodology and approach used in the field of enterprise architecture.

372.

Vendor -

373.

Vendor Lock-In -

374.

View - A view is what a viewer sees from one or more certain viewpoints. A view is a representation of a model, where certain entities, patterns, or situations are emphasized or highlighted.

375.

Viewer - A viewer is a person, for example, a stakeholder, looking at a visualization (a diagram, blueprint, landscape, or roadmap) and therefore seeing a view of a model.

376.

Viewpoint - A viewpoint, or point of view, is the position or place a viewer as a stakeholder has in a space and from where he sees, understands, or experiences the world. It is what he sees, understands, or experiences because of being sensitive, interested, or knowledgeable about certain aspects.

377.

Viewpoint Library -

378.

Virtual Reality -

379.

Virtue -

380.

Vision - A vision is the image of the future of something, that someone, like a stakeholder, has.

381.

Visualization -

382.

Website -

383.

Work -

384.

Work Package -

385.

Workplace -

Writing Good Definitions

Writing good definitions is a hard task. In Dragon1 we stay close to three rules for good definitions: Does the definition only uses previously defined terms?, Does the definition quantify and qualify?, Are there any counter examples for the definition?

If you have comments or remarks about terms or definitions, please mail to specs@dragon1.com.