From Generic to Organization-Specific Architecture: Classifying Architecture Descriptions Using the TOGAF Enterprise Continuum

Previously I wrote about digital transformation capabilities and how enterprise architecture can deliver value, as well as how to categorize architecture descriptions at different abstraction levels. One aspect I have not explored in depth is how conceptual or concrete an architecture description is relative to an organization.

Over the past decade, many reference architectures have been developed and published. They are a useful starting point for describing enterprises, though each architecture is more or less specific to a particular organization. To avoid getting lost in academic classification, I will focus on the underlying ideas.

From Generic Architecture to Organization‑Specific Architecture

The spectrum shown in the diagram starts on the left with the most generic type of architecture, the Foundation Architectures . Generic or foundational architectures typically include technology reference models such as the Technical Reference Model (TRM) in the TOGAF 9.1 specification, where we often find descriptions of technologies or platforms.

Moving to the right, Common Architectures can be built on top of Foundation Architectures. These are more specific to an organization but can still be applied across industries. Examples include enterprise‑resource‑planning (ERP) reference architectures that can be used in various sectors.

If an architecture is more specific yet still reusable across multiple organizations within the same industry, it falls under Industry Architectures , such as an ERP reference model for the automotive sector or a solution for the energy and water industries that must cope with constantly changing regulations.

Organization‑Specific Architectures are the most concrete descriptions, created to support a particular program or project within a single enterprise.

TOGAF calls these architecture descriptions “artifacts,” which are work products that describe aspects of an architecture and can be represented as tables, matrices, or diagrams (TOGAF 9.1, 2.5). The TOGAF standard provides more detail on how the categories in the spectrum relate to each other, but I will focus on the most practical aspects.

What Do You Use in Practice?

In practice I often see both organization‑specific and industry‑specific architectures. If you cannot find a reference architecture that fits your industry, you may need to look for a more generic one—either a generic architecture or a foundation architecture. These reference models exist across many domains, such as functional, business‑process (e.g., ITIL), application, technology, or risk and security.

You can now classify architecture descriptions based on their function/solution and specificity. The following examples illustrate how to apply this classification in practice.

Examples of Architecture Classification

To achieve this, you can use a technology taxonomy provided by companies such as Flexera BDNA Technopedia, which offers information on technology lifecycles and serves as a good starting point, an alternative to the older TOGAF TRM. Remember TOGAF’s advice to “customize the reference model to your needs” if you miss any categories.

The table below shows examples within the enterprise continuum.

Now you can classify architecture descriptions using this method. To make EA a value proposition for an adaptive enterprise, study the architecture and solution building blocks carefully, which helps you avoid getting lost when managing all deployed EA instances.

In the next blog post of this series I will outline how to describe these architectures with ArchiMate using globally‑standard symbols, helping you standardize communication about architecture descriptions to support strategic change.

For a brief overview of ArchiMate and its positioning alongside BPMN, UML, and other notations, read the article on combining ArchiMate 3.0 with other standards.

Source: https://architect.pub/enterprise-architecture-using-togaf-enterprise-continuum-classify-architecture-descriptions