An increasing number of organizations are adopting the ArchiMate modeling language and body of knowledge in order to support their enterprise architecture function. After all, modeling is such a significant component of an EA practice’s life that it’s entirely reasonable to opt for something tried and tested. What’s more, there’s hardly any way to get it wrong with a mainstream framework, right? The reality is any practice can hit an obstacle that greatly slows down its progress. This holds true for implementing ArchiMate, too. However, the good news is most of the problems the architecture team may face when attempting this are resolved by setting up an ArchiMate modeling repository.
Benefits of an ArchiMate Model Repository
Let’s face it. Traditional modeling is a slow and error-prone process that needs painstaking attention to detail, as well as a large amount of time and energy to replicate and maintain models. Using a platform that supports a model repository allows architects to be a lot more efficient. That’s because it enables the reuse of content such as objects, relationships and attributes. As such, instead of starting from zero every time you have to create a view of the enterprise, you can simply use components that already exist, which depending on the situation may reduce the total work required by an order of magnitude!
Another great benefit is the standardization of deliverables. With an ArchiMate model repository in place, an EA practice eliminates the risk of producing content of varying quality and design as a result of users not adhering to a set convention. Because everyone uses the same components the end result is always up to par. This has positive reverberations down the line as the landscape that is built enables team members to use one another’s work with ease. Additionally, it also facilitates the onboarding of new team members since they aren’t constantly encountering models of differing levels of detail throughout the different layers of the architecture.
Moving on, we also need to acknowledge the fantastic source of enterprise knowledge that such a repository offers the more mature the practice becomes. As the landscape turns increasingly more established it accumulates information from different areas of the organization such as strategy, motivation, or process. With the right analytical tools at hand, this is a treasure trove of insights and information that can be used to make any enterprise more efficient. A clear image of the goals, the capabilities that are in place, the plans put forward for improvement, all these elements will enable management to make educated decisions with far-reaching benefits.
The Right Platform
I mentioned above that any EA practice may encounter obstacles on their path to maturity. These can occur due to a variety of reasons and affect any aspect of the architecture team’s roadmap – including implementing ArchiMate. So far, the focus has been on seeing how a model repository helps architects increase the likelihood of a successful implementation. But what if we wanted to actually approach this with the uttermost degree of seriousness and sense of responsibility?
iServer offers such an option for organizations who seek to base their architecture around ArchiMate. The platform’s ArchiMate Accelerator is a package that offers users all the guidance and support they need to make a success of their initiative. Purchasing the accelerator means iServer is delivered to you preconfigured with the ArchiMate meta-model. No configuring work to do, no time wasted trying to build something from scratch. What’s more, you have the entire ArchiMate notation included out-of-the-box, beautifully designed and ready for you to start modeling.
In order for you and your team to hit the ground running the package also contains a complete set of ArchiMate viewpoints to guide your efforts, as well as a validation rules engine. Thanks to these features your modeling is guaranteed to be compliant with the framework specifications and avoid users develop individual styles, which maintains a standardized level of work for all content. These features along with iServer's mature functionality and access to our comprehensive Learning Ecosystem will greatly expedite your EA initiative. Indeed, it will ensure you build and manage your architecture on top of a strong, reliable foundation that supports your efforts well into the future.