An  Application is a Business Software System that provides a set of  Functionality(ies) that End Users see as a single unit.

Essentially  Applications are architectural constructions resulting from the combinaison of the following four criteria:

1) A group of  Functionality that End Users see as a single unit.

2) A managed asset (Managed Application) associated with a budget line in the context of an Application Portfolio.

3) A body of code that is seen by developers as a single unit.

4) A group of deployable software units (Deployable Application Packages) that must be installed together on one or multiple execution nodes (Computing System).

 Application is a Mezzo enterprise asset  that sits between Application System and Application Component in the decomposition of Business Software Systems.

Example: " Payroll" is an  Application that is part an " HR System" which is an Application System.

The "Payroll"  Application includes, among other things, the "Salary and Wage Calculation" Application Component.

An  Architecture Governance Committee is an organization of resources and people (persons and committees) who make up a body for the purpose of administering an Enterprise.

Enterprise stakeholders draw up the rules that govern the actions and conduct of an enterprise and ensure that these rules are followed.

An  Architecture Governance Committee includes sets of dedicated resources and activities that support interactions and decision-making among the stakeholders involved in architecting the Enterprise.

A  Business Capability is a conceptual Capability that benefits to Customers (internal or external) of the enterprise. It expresses an ability to produce Conceptual Outcome Events.

A  Business Capability is defined by its intended Enterprise Outcome Events and the conditions (Condition Property) under which the production of the Enterprise Outcome Events shall be proceeded.

The actual Condition Scale Values for a given Business Capability at different stages of Enterprise Initiatives is given by their exhibition (Exhibited Capability).

A  Control Directive is a kind of Policy that provides recommendations on how to comply with Regulation Articles.

Once implemented,  Control Directives enforces any  Regulatory Framework your enterprise has to comply with.

A  Customer is a Business Partner who orders and/or uses Products (goods or services) produced by enterprises.

A  Customer is part of an ecosystem and has the ability to choose between different Products.

A  Department Type is a Mezzo Org-Unit which serves as an administrative unit template in both government and business Organizations.

Examples:

- Sales department;

- Finance department;

- Logistics department..

An  Enterprise is a macro Enduring Initiative that delivers added-value Products (goods & services) to its target  Customers.

It requires a formal organization of groups of people and resources to achieve its purposes.

An  Enterprise Stage is a past, current or future state of the Enterprise.

Each stage represents an initiative comprising a purposeful set of activities whose primary purpose is focused on achieving a set of clearly defined objectives that may transcend organisational boundaries and consequently require integrated team working under the direction of an Architecture Governance Committee.

A  Functionality is a Business Resource Capability offered by Business System Assets (software or hardware) and aimed at delivering Information Outcomes.

A  Functionality describes WHAT a software or hardware system can provide.

 Functionality(ies) are used to express the Business System features required by people when performing their job (see Job-to-be-done).

For internal customers, these jobs correspond to Business-Process Steps described in Business Process (see Instrument)

For enterprise Customers, these jobs correspond to Job-to-be-done in the context of Customer Journeys.

A  Hardware Technology is an elementary Technology System  used as an enabler by Concrete Hardware Systems (as Required Hardware Technology).

 Hardware Technologys fulfill  Hardware Technology Capabilitys.

Examples:

- Oxford Anor Spectrographs (NMR).

- Spectral Data Services (NMR).

- Valeo Powertrain Systems.

- Joyson Electronics Powertrain Systems.

A  Skill is an ability of a human resource to produce Business Outcome Events.

 Skills are acquired and refined through training and practice.

A  Software Technology is an elementary Software Technology System  used as an enabler by Software Modules.

Examples :

- Application server,

- Message server,

- Storage,

- Business information sharing,

- Operating systems,

- Navigators, etc

A  Value Proposition is a distinctive Asset Property that outlines a set of specific benefits a Product (whether goods or services) delivers to its Customers, emphasizing how it satisfies their needs and offers value. It is essentially a promise made by the Enterprise to its target Customers that its Product will fit their need when performing their Job-to-be-done.

A  Value Proposition is a characteristic of a Products (a  Product Characteristic) and is defined by:

1) its Functional Value expressed as qualified and quantified  Business Capabilitys and their Business Outcome Events,

2) its Non Functional Value expressed by Condition Propertys.

 Value Streams are used to frame the Conceptual Operating Model of the enterprise: they describe how the enterprise shall operate, at the conceptual level, and helps chunking responsibilities between Conceptual Agents (Operating Domain or Business Function) .

In the EA context, a  Value Stream is a conceptual Action Process that represents an overarching perspective of the organization's processes aiming at producing Conceptual Outcome Events. The focus is on shaping and understanding the functional relationships and roles within the enterprise : its functional division of labor.

This is not to be confused with Value Stream Mapping (VSM) which is focused on Lean optimization and is addressed with the concept of  Business Process (see the Organization & Processes domain).

A  Value Stream is performed by Conceptual Agents who produce Conceptual Outcome Events. It is depicted as a sequence of Value Stream Stages, controlled by events and conditions.

 Value Stream Activitys are carried out by the involvment of Conceptual Agents as participants in the  Value Stream.

During its course of action, a  Value Stream consumes, produces or stores  Business Objects.

1) It may read or write Domain Assets in its Business Object Store.

2) It may receive Domain Assets at its boundary:  reacted to Business Outcome Events.

3) It may produce Domain Assets at its boundary:  produced Business Outcome Events.

The course of actions of a  Value Stream is constrained by the application of rules ( Conceptual Rule Enforcement) that define what is allowed and not allowed to do.

There are traditionnaly two kinds of  Value Streams:

1) Development development  Value Streams define all of the actions, both value-creating and nonvalue-creating, required to bring a Product from concept to launch.
2)  Operational  Value Streams define define all of the actions, both value-creating and nonvalue-creating, required from order to delivery. These include actions to process information from the  Customer and actions to transform the product on its way to the Customer.

An  Asset Portfolio is a Management System aimed at developing and maintaining in operational conditions a set of Mezzo Resource Operating Assets, delivering Resource Capabilitys required by Business Operations.

The purpose of  Asset Portfolios is efficiency: Managed Resource Assets must provide expected Resource Capabilitys in the best cost / performance ratio.

An  Asset Portfolio Stage is a past, current or future state of an Asset Portfolio.

Each Asset Portfolio represents an initiative comprising a purposeful set of activities whose primary purpose is focused on achieving a set of clearly defined objectives assigned to assets managed in the Asset Portfolio.

It may transcend organisational boundaries and consequently require integrated team working under the direction of a Management Team.

An  Assurance Case is a claim that a particular enterprise asset or group of Functional Asset adequately mitigates certain identified Risk Types by means of appropriated Control Measures.

An  Assurance Case shall provide confidence that the concerned assets will function as intended in their environment of use.

Privacy Processing Activity(ies), Data Lineages are examples of  Assurance Cases .

An  Assurance Instrument is a resource or course of actions used by an Assurance System to achieve its objectives.

For instance:

Actions plans are course of actions aimed at solving incidents.

Data Controls are mechanisms used to ensure data quality and data integrity

Privacy Representatives are used to identify national entities in charge of privacy.

An  Assurance System is a Management System aimed at ensuring enterprise compliance, resilience, and risk mitigation against both internal and external Policys and threats. It encompasses processes, Directives and technologies that work in concert to validate enterprise adherence to policy requirements, industry standards, and internal policies while simultaneously bolstering the enterprise's ability to withstand and adapt to various challenges and disruptions.
ensuring enterprise compliance and resilience against internal and external constraints:

a. Regulation constraints: they defined what is allowed and not allowed by the law (See  Regulation Article).

b. Internal policies and rules constraints: they defined what is allowed and not allowed by the enterprise (see Business Policy).

c. Operational constraints: they maintain operational capacities of the company (maintain ability to produce, maintain quality, ensure product development , ability to hire, to train, etc, see Business Rule).

d. Architectural constraints: they guide design decisions and shape the overall structure of a system (see  Architecture principle).

A  Business Process is a set of Business-Process Steps performed by Org-Units and/or by automated systems (Business Systems) to produce a Business Outcome Event. It is depicted as a series of Business-Process Steps, controlled by Business Events and conditions.

Business-Process Steps are carried out by the involvment of Org-Units and system resources (often Applications) as participants in the process (Participant Business Agents).

During its course of action, a  Business Process consumes or produces  Business Objects.

1) It may memorize or access  Business Objects from its Process Store.

2) It may receive  Business Objects at its boundary: Business Outcome Consumption.

3) It may signal the production of  Business Objects at its boundary: Business Outcome Production.

The course of actions of a  Business Process is constrained by the application of rules ( Business Rule Enforcement) that define how to react to what is allowed and not allowed to do,

A  Business System is a man made artifact (Concrete Hardware System or Business Software System) which exposes  Functionalityies and can produce Business Outcome Events.

A  Business System performs System Processes and participates to System Processes or to Business Processes.

In System Processes, a  Business System is always an active participant (System Process Participant).

In Business Processes, a  Business System is either an active participant (Automated Participant) or an Instrument used by Org-Units.

A  Conceptual Agent is an abstract type of Agent that depicts a functional division of labor within an enterprise, influencing the formation of its business operating model.

The concrete specializations of  Conceptual Agent follow the systemic level pattern and come in the form of Operating Domain (a Macro  Conceptual Agent) and Business Function (a Mezzo  Conceptual Agent).

A  Conceptual Operating Asset is an Operating Asset  used to describe the Conceptual Operating Model of the enterprise.

It includes Value Streams, Operating Domains and Business Functions and the way they contribute to the delivery of Business Outcome Events.

A  Concrete Hardware System is a man made tangible artifact which exposes  Hardware Capability(ies) and can produce and react to Physical Outcome Events.

A  Concrete Hardware System performs System Processes and participates to System Processes or to Business Processes.

A  Concrete Hardware System can embed Computing Systems. Together with its embedded Computing Systems, a  Concrete Hardware System can also produce and react to Information Outcome Events.

A  Concrete Hardware System may be based on a set of Hardware Technology(ies).

Examples:

- Connected Drone with Online Payment App.

- 3D printer.

- Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)

- Connected fridge providing an ordering  Functionality and of course a freezing  Hardware Capability.

- Production equipment in an assembly line (metal forging machine)

- Car

An  Enterprise Initiative is a past, current or future state of the enterprise.

Each stage represents an initiative comprising a purposeful set of activities whose primary purpose is focused on achieving a set of clearly defined objectives that may transcend organisational boundaries and consequently require integrated team working under the direction of an Architecture Governance Committee.

 Functional Assets encompasse all  Architecture Asset Types used to describe why and how systems operate/function. This includes the Operating Eco-System where system operates to fulfill these purposes (Agents and their  Behaviors).

 Functional Assets include:

1. Blocks defining results of Behaviors of the enterprise or its sub-systems, that benefit to it internal or external customers : Outcome Event,

2. Blocks used to describe information: Information Asset.

3. Blocks used to describe how the enterprise operates: Operating Assets (Agent, Behavior, Service Interface).

All  Functional Assets are constrained by Policys and are exposed to Risk Types.

An  Information Asset  represents anything that can be communicated or memorized by an Agent to produce and react to Outcome Events.

An  Information Asset is either an Information Entity or an  Information Property.
The difference lies in their relationship to change and to time. Information Entity(ies) can change over time and have a lifeycle while  Information Propertys are immutable characteristics.

A  Management System is a mezzo Enduring Initiative within an Enterprise, aimed at creating, maintaining, evaluating, evolving, and operating a collection of essential  Functional Architecture Assets of the Enterprise.

A  Management System may transcend organisational boundaries and consequently requires an integrated team working under the direction of a Management Initiative Committee.

A  Risk Type is a distinct category or classification of risk based on its origin, nature, or potential impact. It helps in organizing and addressing different sources of uncertainty or potential harm that an individual, organization, or system might face. By categorizing risks into different types, entities can develop more targeted mitigation strategies and response plans.

Common risk types include Operational Risk Type, Privacy Risk Type, and Compliance Risk Type, among others,