DoDAF: An Essential Modeling Standard

The Object Management Group produced the Unified Profile for DoDAF/MODAF (UPDM) to develop a modeling standard that support both the USA?Department of Defense Architecture Framework?(DoDAF) and the UK?Ministry of Defense Architecture Framework?(MODAF).?

The Unified Architecture Framework (UAF), on the other hand, is based on the Unified Profile for DoDAF and MODAF (UPDM).?UAF?defines ways of representing an enterprise architecture that enables stakeholders to focus on specific areas of interest in the enterprise while retaining sight of the big picture.

The best way to understand DoDAF, UPDM and UAF is through education, such as the courses offered by Tonex.

An important aspect of DoDAF is that it enables architectural content that is "Fit-for-Purpose" as an architectural description consistent with specific project or mission objectives.

Fit-for-Purpose Views?are user-defined views of a subset of architectural data created for some specific purpose. While these views are not described or defined in DoDAF, they can be created, as needed, to ensure that presentation of architectural data is easily understood. This enables organizations to use their own established presentation preferences in their deliberations.

Because the techniques of architectural description can be applied at myriad levels of an enterprise, the purpose or use of an architectural description at each level will be different in content, structure and level of detail.

Tailoring the architectural description development to address specific, well-articulated and understood purposes, will help ensure the necessary data is collected at the appropriate level of detail to support specific decisions or objectives.

Visualizing architectural data is accomplished through?models?that can be documents, spreadsheets, dashboards, or other graphical representations and serve as a template for organizing and displaying data in a more easily understood format.

When data is collected and presented as a "filled-in" model, the result is called a?view. Organized collections of views (often representing processes, systems, services, standards, etc.) are referred to as?viewpoints, and with appropriate definitions are collectively called the?Architectural Description.

Want to learn More? Tonex offers more than a dozen courses in DoDAF, UPDM and UAF Training. Enterprise Architecture training helps you with the development of architecture development reference architecture and needed architectural information that can be provided in advance to an enterprise to enable consistent architectural best practices.

Our courses in Enterprise Architecture helps guide business owners to actualize their strategies, vision, objectives and principles.

For more information, questions, comments,?contact us.