Category Archives: Archimate

SOA Reference Architectures

For all my customers, I try to map their environment into a SOA Reference architecture. This forces me to understand how their connect with customers, what applications they use, how they integrate them and most importantly what are their business processes.

There are several representations of a SOA architecture that I have worked with. For the moment I  tend to use the representation of the Open Group SOA RA  :

Image

Using Archimate this can be represented like this:

…

How DiCoDE can be translated into an eReading Solution Architecture (eRRA)

Recently, at a Mobile Monday event, I heard about DiCoDE, a framework developed by Fabian Tilmant.
I immediately noticed some similiarities between DiCoDE and my eReading Reference Architecture (eRRA) method. The “eReading content life cycle” can be mapped to the DiCoDE model. In the eRRA methodology we also work on 2 additional topics: the Business Goals and the Entreprise/ICT Architecture.
DiCoDE complements the architecture by providing a kind of “Generic Media Business Process Template”.
I might sound a little bit “Chinese” but it isn’t. These are just techniques to make sure your new Media initiatives will succeed

  • Achieve your business goals as a Media company
  • Make sure you will reach the Consumer by a set of channels
  • Develop a plan in terms of resources (IT Systems, People, Data, Entreprise/IT Architecture…)

Combinig DiCoDE and eRRA could achieve great results. Here would be a possible modus-operandi :

  1. Defining the business goals (eRRA Methodology, KAOS or GOESIR Method)
  2. Analysing the future Content Value Chain with DiCoDE
  3. Determine the architecture required to implement the value chain (ex: new Portal, new Production Process…) and document them over the 4 eReading Tiers (Archimate Notation). This provides a TO-BE Architectural overview.
  4. Compare the TO-BE Architectural overview with the AS-IS (what elements of the value chain do we have today ?) to provide a project plan

(Note the eRRA methodology can be applied on all kind of Media, not only on eReading. If the “eReader” is a Tablet, there is much more to do than just “read” on the “eReader Tier”.)

In order to illustrate a litle bit step 3 I have taken the DiCoDE building blocks and drawn them in an Architectural Overview over the 4 eRRA tiers.

How DiCoDE can be translated into the 4 Tiers of the eReading Architecturehttp://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=dicode-erra-110610090910-phpapp02&stripped_title=how-dicode-can-be-translated-into-the-4-tiers-of-the-ereading-architecture&userName=jfdeclercq
View more presentations from jfdeclercq.

If you want to give it a try (DiCoDE and/or eRRA), just contact us:

If you immediately want to know mode about the eRRA, you can get the eBook here :
http://www.appepaper.com/ereading
The DiCoDE ebook is not ready yet, so you’ll have to point your browser here :
http://dicodethebook.wordpress.com/dicode-the-model/…

Motivation/Principles/Requirements extensions to Archimate ? Archi User forum

Motivation/Principles/Requirements extensions to Archimate – Archi User forum:

“(ArchiMate® Extension for Modeling and Managing Motivation, Principles
and Requirements in TOGAF
A White Paper by: Dick Quartel, Wilco Engelsman, Henk Jonkers)

specifies a Motivation aspect, and adds the following objects:
Stakeholder, Concern, Assessment, Goal, Principle, Requirement, as
well as some new relations. This would make a great addon. ”

Great ! If such an extension is added, that would allow me to use only one method instead of combining KAOS and Archimate in the eRRA methodology.…

Innovation and Questions in the eReading Reference Architecture

When you draw an architecture, you sometimes identify spots where you have a question.  At some other places, you detect some space for innovation.

The eRRA meta-model is based on two meta-models : KAOS and Archimate. I than extend the model with my own concepts : iPad, eReader, Desktop, Entreprise, SmartPhone…

The eRRA meta-model was extended this week to include two new stereotypes:

  • Question
  • Innovation

I should describe those meta-model extensions in my eBook : http://erra.appepaper.com/…