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  Application Component is a functionnal unit of software (java class, COBOL Program, Batch) that is  a consistent, indivisible unit of processing of an Application producing and consuming its Information Outcome Events though APIs (Application Interface).

a)  Application Components are assembled and orchestrated in Applications.

b)  Application Components cannot be directly deployed to Computing Systems: they need to be organized in Deployable Application Packages.

 Application Component is a Micro enterprise asset that sits at the lowest level of Business Software System decomposition.

Example: the "Salary and Wage Calculation" component is an  Application Component that is part of the "Payroll" Application.

An  Application Environment Scenario is a story involving the partners of an Application (Partner Application) interacting in order to achieve Information Outcome Events in a specific Eco-System (Application Environment).

This includes:

- A course of events represented by Application Flows depicting the story towards the delivery of expected Information Outcome Events.

- Interacting Partner Applications who participate to the story in the considered Application Environment.

An  Application Scenario is a story involving the components of an Application (Application Component or MicroService), interacting in order to produce Information Outcome Events.

This includes:

1) A course of events represented by Application Flows depicting the story towards the delivery of expected Information Outcome Events.

2) Interacting Application Components who participate to the story.

An  Application System is a Business Software System which is an assembly of multiple Applications or other  Application Systems that, together, fulfill a set of  Macro  Functionality(ies) delivered to Business Operations.

 Application Systems are used in the context of IT Strategic planning to define and evolve other time the hight level structure of the enterprise IT Architecture.

 Application System is a  Macro enterprise asset that sit at the top of Business Software System decomposition hierarchy.

Example: "HR System" is an  Application System whereas "Payroll" is an Application that is part of the "HR system".

An  Application System Environment is an operating context in which an Application System defines its interactions with its partners (Partner System) in the form of API connections (Software Connection).

It also represents End Users that interact with the system.

An  Application System Scenario is a story involving the components of an Application System (Applications), interacting in order to produce Information Outcome Events.

This includes:

1) A course of events represented by Application Flows depicting the story towards the delivery of expected Information Outcome Events.

2) Interacting Applications who participate to the story.

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.

An  Architecture Project project consists in a set of modeling tasks entrusted to a Team Committee in order develop or update architecture artifacts (Asset Blocks) so as to achieve a specific objective.

 Architecture Projects are often sub-initiatives of larger enterprise transformation endeavors.

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 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 Line is a high level classification of the main activities of the enterprise. It corresponds for example to major product segments or to distribution channels.

It can be used to classify Business Processes, Organizational Units or Applications that serve a specific product and/or a specific market.

 Regulatory Frameworks in some industries impose their own list of  Business Lines.

A  Business Partner is a state of a Resource Agent, who acts as a party interacting with the enterprise in the context its operating eco-system (the Resource Operating Ecosystem).

Example : Private Sector Customer, Regulation Authority, Public health Authority.

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 Software System is a Business System used by Business Operations, that represents all granularities of software - ranging from MicroServices to enterprise wide Application Systems - used by Business Operations.

All  Business Software Systems share the following characteristics:

1) They provide  Functionalitys.

2) They expose APIs (Application Interfaces) through which they deliver Information Outcome Events.

3) They handle datastores defined by Physical Data Domains.

4) They perform and participate to System Processes.

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  Business System Environment Sxcenario is a story involving the partners of a Business System (Partner System), interacting in order to achieve Business Outcome Events in a specific Eco-System (Business System Environment).

This includes:

- A course of events represented by Object Flows depicting the story towards the delivery of expected Outcomes.

- Interacting partners who participate to the story in the considered Eco-System.

A  Business System Interaction Process is a black-box behavior involving the components of a Business System, interacting in order to produce Business Outcome Events.

This includes:

1) A course of events represented by Resource Flows depicting the steps towards the delivery of expected Business Outcome Events.

2) Interacting Business Systems who participate to the story.

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

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 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.

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 Configuration is a Mezzo Concrete Hardware System that is an assembly of Hardware Equipments.

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

A  Hardware Equipments are tangible assets (e.g., machinery, tools, IT hardware, vehicles, or production systems) used to execute enterprise operations, deliver services, or produce goods.

a Micro Concrete Hardware System.

Examples:

- Fridge compressor

- Car Engine

A  Hardware Portolio is an Asset Portfolio aimed at developing and maintaining in operational conditions a set of Concrete Hardware Systems delivering  Hardware Capabilitys required by Business Operations.

The purpose of   Hardware Portolios is efficiency of Managed Hardwares, which must provide expected  Hardware Capabilitys in the best cost / performance ratio.

An  Information Outcome Event is a Business Outcome Event that signals the happening of a change in the state of Data Assets, produced by Business Systems for the benefits of an internal or external party.

Example:

- Order received

- Payment rejected

A  Job-to-be-done is a set of Customer Tasks that contribute to the achievement of the Customer duty(ies).
The granularity of  Job-to-be-done is determined by Business Outcome Events experienced at  Touch Points.

The  Job-to-be-done concept was forged by Clayton Christensen who provided the following definitions in an article written for the Harward Business Review (see references).
1. “Job” is shorthand for what an individual really seeks to accomplish in a given circumstance.

2.. The circumstances are more important than customer characteristics, product attributes, new technologies, or trends.

3. Jobs are never simply about function-they have powerful social and emotional dimensions.

A  Management Stage is a past, current or future state of a Management System.

Each  Management Stage represents a Management Initiative comprising a purposeful set of activities whose primary purpose is focused on achieving a set of clearly defined objectives assigned to  Functional Assets managed in the Management System.

The set of all  Management Stages of an Management System defines its Roadmap.

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  MicroService is a small autonomous unit of software, emphasizing self-management and lightweightness as the means to improve software agility, scalability, and autonomy.

1)  MicroServices are automous or assembled and orchestrated as components of Applications.

2)  MicroServices can be directly deployed to Computing Systems.  MicroServices are both a logical unit of software and a Deployable Package.

3)  MicroServices owns their own data store and dot not have any shared stores with other components.

 MicroService is a Micro enterprise asset that sits at the lower level of Business Software System decomposition.

An  Organization is a group of people who share a common purpose and establish a functional division of labor in pursuit of their common purpose.

It is the relationships between its members in the pursuit of their common purpose that give unity and identity to an organization.

An  Organizational Position is a type of position held by people when part of a Department Type.

Examples:

- Sales representative

- Developer

- Storekeeper

- Architect

A  Physical Capability is a Business Resource Capability provided by Physical Business Agents representing their ability to produce Physical Outcome Events.

A  Physical Capability defines WHAT a Physical Business Agent can provide.

 Physical Capabilitys are used to express the need of obtaining Physical Outcome Event that will be utilized by Physical Business Agents (people or some Business Systems ) when performing their job.

For internal users, these jobs correspond to Activitys described in Business Processes (see Instrument).

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

Examples:

- 3D Printing.

-  Automated Parcel Delivery.

- Metal Shaping.

A  Product is a state of  a Resource Asset that represents merchandises offered for sale, either goods (produced as the result of manufacturing) or services (some work done by a Business Agent  which produces Business Outcome Events that benefits another Business Agent).

 Products are defined by their unique Value Propositions.

A  Requirement is a generic statement used in system engineering to constrain what a Business System Asset should or should not be.

The  Requirement concept is kept in  SysFEAT to maintain compatibility with traditional system engineering methodologies.
The preferred approach is to follow capability-based engineering, as promoted by modern enterprise & system architecture (see OMG - UAF - View - Strategic Views) and agile frameworks (see SAFe© - SAFe Requirements Model).

A  Software Module is a Business Software System that is part of an application system.

A  Software Module is either an Application, Application Component or a MicroService.

All share the ability to be composed of sub-Application Components and have dependencies to enabling Software Technology(ies).

A  Software System Environment is an operating context in which a Business Software System defines its interactions with its partners (Partner System) in the form of API connections (Software Connection).

It also represents End Users who interact with the system.

A  System Process is a Action Process that occurs inside Business Systems (software systems or hardware systems). Its performers can only be Business Software Systems or Concrete Hardware Systems.

During its course of action, a  System Process consumes or produces Data Assets:

1) It may memorize or access Data Assets in its Process Store.

2) It may receive Data Assets at its boundary: Consumed Outcome.

3) It may signal the production of Data Assets at its boundary: Delivered Outcome.

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

A  Transformation Program is an Initiative that is a temporary, flexible organisation created to co-ordinate, direct and oversee the implementation of a set of related Projects and Tasks in order to deliver outcomes and benefits related to the organisation’s strategic objectives.

A programme is likely to have a lifespan of several years. During a programme lifecycle, projects are initiated, executed, and closed.  Programmes provide an umbrella under which these projects can be co-ordinated. The programme integrates the projects so that it can deliver an outcome greater than the sum of its parts.

Programs are defined upon a given domain (e.g. Business, Information Technology)

A program domain gathers all the projects managed from the same perspective in terms of portfolio management decisions. Project Portfolios are therefore also attached to programs; by default, one portfolio of each portfolio type is created when creating a new program.

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.