How can you create and manage business architecture artifacts like a pro?

1 Define the purpose and scope

Before you start creating any business architecture artifact, it is important to have a clear understanding of the purpose, scope, level of detail, and content. To help document this information, you can use a template or checklist that includes the name and description of the artifact, the business problem or opportunity it addresses, the target audience and stakeholders, key questions or objectives it answers or supports, sources of information and data used or referenced, and how it relates to other artifacts in the business architecture.

2 Choose the right formats and standards

Once you have defined the purpose and scope of your artifact, it's time to choose the right format and standard for presentation and communication. Depending on the type and complexity of your artifact, you may use various formats, such as text, tables, charts, diagrams, matrices, or models. It is also important to adhere to the relevant standards and conventions for your format, such as notation, terminology, symbols, colors, and layout. Some of the popular standards and frameworks for business architecture artifacts include the Business Architecture Guild's Business Architecture Body of Knowledge (BIZBOK), The Open Group's ArchiMate, Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), Business Motivation Model (BMM), and Value Stream Mapping (VSM).

3 Use business architecture tools

Creating and editing business architecture artifacts can be a difficult and time-consuming task, particularly when there are multiple formats, standards, and versions to consider. Fortunately, there are several business architecture tools available to simplify and automate the process. Business architecture tools are software applications that allow you to create, modify, visualize, analyze, and manage your artifacts in a consistent and efficient way. For instance, these tools offer templates and libraries of predefined formats, standards, and elements; drag-and-drop and editing functions for creating and modifying artifacts; import and export functions for integration with other tools and data sources; validation and verification functions to check the quality and accuracy of artifacts; visualization and reporting functions to generate and share artifacts in different formats; as well as collaboration and governance functions to control access and changes to artifacts. Examples of business architecture tools include Sparx Systems' Enterprise Architect, BiZZdesign's Enterprise Studio, Orbus Software's iServer, Software AG's ARIS, or Avolution's ABACUS.

4 Organize and store your artifacts in a repository

Organizing and storing your artifacts in a repository is essential for easy access and reuse. A repository can be a physical or digital place, such as a folder, a database, a cloud service, or a dedicated tool. This will help ensure consistency and coherence of your artifacts, while avoiding duplication and redundancy. Furthermore, it will enhance the traceability and transparency of your artifacts, facilitate the search and retrieval of them, and enable versioning and backup.

5 Share and collaborate on your artifacts with stakeholders

Creating and managing business architecture artifacts is not a task solely for one person. You should share and collaborate on your artifacts with stakeholders, such as business owners, managers, analysts, architects, designers, developers, and users. Doing so can help to solicit feedback and input from stakeholders, align your artifacts with their needs and expectations, communicate the value of your artifacts, engage and involve stakeholders in the process, and foster a culture of learning and improvement. To make the most of sharing and collaborating on artifacts, consider the format, level of detail, frequency of updates, method of delivery, and feedback mechanism.

6 Review and update your artifacts regularly

Creating and managing business architecture artifacts is not a one-time event. Rather, you should review and update them regularly to ensure that they reflect the current and future state of your business architecture. This can help you monitor and measure the performance and impact of your artifacts, identify and address any gaps, issues, or risks, incorporate changes or enhancements, maintain relevance and usefulness, and continuously improve the quality and value of your artifacts. To review and update your artifacts effectively, you should establish a schedule and criteria for reviewing them, assign roles for reviewing and updating them, use business architecture tools to track changes and versions, communicate and document changes to stakeholders, and celebrate and reward achievements.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?