To enable transformation, having an Enterprise Architecture Dossier
at maturity level 1, is key!
What is the EA Dossier Standard?
When an organization wants to work with enterprise architecture effectively or when employees and suppliers create separate architecture documents and visualizations, it is a best practice to start maintaining an Enterprise Architecture Dossier.
The Dragon1 open EA method defines a set of reference architecture documents, models, views, and visualizations that have shown their value over the past 20 years in organizations for working with Enterprise Architecture effectively. These documents and models have been made part of the EA dossier standards.
NOTE: Setting up and publishing a Dragon1 compliant EA dossier takes no more than 1 day!
You can upload or import this ArchiMate XML file in the Visual Designer and tailor it to your Enterprise Architecture dossier. Next, you can use the Architecture Checker to see how compliant your EA dossier is to the standard and what your To-Do list is.
Three Defined Maturity Levels
The EA dossier is divided up into three levels of maturity. On this page, the three different levels of maturity for the EA dossier are outlined:
- Dragon1 Maturity Level 1: Projects & IT Focused - All key stakeholders and projects are aware of, have access to approved architecture products and provide feedback. It is common to make use of the architecture products in projects.
- Dragon1 Maturity Level 2: Business Processes & Capabilities Focused - In all business processes, the stakeholders are aware of and have access to approved architecture products and provide feedback. Using architecture products to design and plan business processes and capabilities is common.
- Dragon1 Maturity Level 3: Product Line & Governance Focused - In all the product lines, the stakeholders are aware of and have access to approved architecture products and provide feedback. Using architecture products in developing new business products and governing organizations is common.
An EA Dossier is Vital in Working with EA Effectively
When a company wants to do, for example, digital transformation, it needs an outside-in-thinking by a CDO, but it also needs an inside-out-thinking by the CIO. That is where Enterprise Architecture supports digital transformation and why every company needs an enterprise architecture dossier at maturity level 1.
Dragon1 as a method promotes the usage of an Enterprise Architecture Dossier (EAD). An EAD is a set of documents, products, and visualizations that provide everyone in the organization insight and overviews of the current and future architecture.
An EAD can have many forms. It can be a folder on a server with documents (Word and PowerPoint), a set of intranet pages linking to files, a physical file or binder with printed documents, or data stored in a repository or architecture tool.
An EAD stimulates the reuse of architectural documents. All stakeholders can quickly use it when placed in a central access point.
Enterprise Architecture and its sub-architectures are not static; therefore, it is also a best practice to structure the EAD for change. If there are change requests for architecture and documents, it can and must be able to process them quickly. This means a printed version of an EAD is less handy than having documents only in PowerPoint or Word. The best option is to have an EA Tool where documents and visualizations can be maintained and generated with data objects and models.
Dragon1 as a method provides for a maturity level focused practice for setting up and maintaining an EAD.
EA Dossier at Dragon1 Maturity Level 1
At this maturity level, the organization often uses architecture in projects; architecture teams create overviews, but there are no architecture working processes or architecture plans yet.
At maturity level 1, we focus on the first management overview per product or model. A product or model can and will have more views over time, but it is important to have a first view that satisfies most stakeholders' needs.
Structure the EA dossier the following way:
- Permanent Document Maintenance Location (Repository, File Server, ...) and Publication Location (Intranet, ...)
- Users list - A document that names which stakeholders, persons, and roles have what kind of access (rights) to the dossier.
- Architecture Assignment / Architecture Statement - This is a document where a director states the mission, vision, ambition, and goals for working with the enterprise architecture in the organization and declares him or herself the owner of the architecture. The architecture manager and architects responsible and accountable for EA are often named. The document describes how working with enterprise architecture standards in the organization can be seen as a success and how that can be measured. Yearly, this document should be updated.
- Strategy Maps
- Business Models
- Enterprise Processes
- Enterprise Applications
- Enterprise IT-Infrastructure Services
- Architecture Concepts (Process, Application, Service)
- Architecture Principles (Process, Application, Service)
- Architecture Decisions (Process, Application, Service)
- Standards (Process, Application, Service)
- Process Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- Application Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- IT-Infrastructure Services Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- Solution Architectures for Projects
- Project Portfolio
- Change log
- Naming Conventions and Language Choices
Architecture directly affects everything when you ensure the current and future standards and principles that should be used are approved by decision-makers and known and available for projects.
If no use is made of an Enterprise Architecture Tool (modeling tool) or repository but of drawing tools only, this has the drawback that no dynamic interactive views can be created or generated for stakeholders.
Dragon1 Architecture Visualization Matrix
If you are a manager of an architecture team or an architect, the matrix below might help you to organize the work and manage priorities and expectations outside and inside the team.
This matrix is called the Dragon1 Architecture Visualization Matrix and shows the most common and important visualizations that stakeholders request and need for decision-making and project guidance.
We have separated this matrix from the non-visualization products, like processes and plans. Dragon1 advises to place these products in a second matrix for optimal management.
EA Dossier at Dragon1 Maturity Level 2
At this level, the organization often uses architecture in projects, has architecture teams creating overviews, and has architecture processes and plans, but no owner at the strategic level. Architecture is not (consistently and continuously) aligned with the strategies or business model
Structure your dossier the following way:
- Architectures
- Architecture Plans
- Architecture Processes
- Architecture Teams
- Architecture Products
- Architecture Services
- Enterprise Solutions
- Enterprise Projects
- Enterprise Functions
- Enterprise Processes
- Enterprise Capabilities
- Enterprise Applications
- Enterprise IT-Infrastructure Services
- Principles (Process, Application, Service)
- Standards (Process, Application, Service)
- Process Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- Application Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- IT-Infrastructure Services Landscapes (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- Enterprise and Business Blueprints (AS-IS, Plateau1, n, TO-BE, Envision)
- Roadmaps
- Heatmaps
- Project Start Architectures
- Concept Designs
- Principle Diagrams
- Solution Architectures (AS-IS, TO-BE)
If there is made use of an Enterprise Architecture Tool (modeling tool) and repository, instead of only drawing tools, this has the benefit that easily dynamic interactive views can be created for any stakeholder. Thus providing them instantly with the decision-supporting visualization they need.
EA Dossier at Dragon1 Maturity Level 3
Structure your dossier the following way:
- Strategies
- Business Models
- Architectures
- Plans
- Processes
- Teams
- Products
- Services
- Solutions
- Projects
- Changes
An Enterprise Architecture Dossier is focused on an era of three to five years. It consists of a permanent enterprise & reference part and a dynamic projects & solutions part.
The EAD contains an Architecture Baseline (the permanent part). It holds the first set of products that should always be created, no matter what.
The permanent part always holds the following products:
- Enterprise Architecture (EA) Baseline
- Enterprise Architecture Framework
- Enterprise Performance Framework
- ERA and Architecture plateau (Horizon) diagram
- Enterprise Architecture Description Document
- Architecture Sketch Book and Architecture Design Book (for EA, GA, BA, IA, TA, SecA and SA) (A3 sized Glossy)
- Atlases
- Architecture Vision Design Sketch
- Structure Vision Drawing
- Concept Design sketch / drawing + maturity view
- Situation sketch / drawing
- Principle details sketch /drawing
- Principles / Patterns / Building Blocks Booklet
- Stakeholder onion diagram
- Requirements analyses diagram (including domain, functions, and services model)
- (layered 3d) Enterprise Architecture blueprint (A0-sized poster)
- Capabilities Map
- Governance Landscape Diagram
- Business Landscape Diagram
- Process Landscape Diagram (A0-sized poster)
- Application Landscape Diagram (A0-sized poster)
- Integral Solution Architecture, Design & Realization Landscape Diagram (A0-sized poster)
- IT Infrastructure Blueprint (A0-sized poster) + report view
- Technology Roadmap (A0-sized poster)
- Enterprise Transformation Roadmap (A0-sized poster)
- Architecture Principles Document
- Storyboard, User Story, Migration Scenario Diagram & Animation
- Glossary of Terms document
- Architecture Team Working Schema
- QAA-list
- IAD-list
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