Business Architecture can be modelled with small set of diagrams and subset of ArchiMate elements. Here is introduced some typical diagram types, that can be used for business layer modelling, as well as linking business layer to application layer. Most of the diagram types introduced here are variations of the Layered View diagram type.
Business Services View
This is a simplification of layered view of business services. This view introduces how business services are produced and to which business actors they are provided. ArchiMate elements used in the diagram below are as follows: Business Actor, Business Service and Business Process.
Business services are grouped inside a business service element, which visual appearance is changed to rectangle with rounded corners. This is visually practical representation of a business service -area (group), that is higher level abstraction or composition of more fine grained business services.
Note! These variations of Layered View diagrams illustrate how the layers interact. E.g. Customer Groups and Business Services (both of which belong to the Business Layer). These diagrams are kind of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) simplifications, that can be used for more detailed modelling if necessary. For example, the business services can be directly connected with the customer groups. This can be the case if we’d like to specifically illustrate what business service is serving which customer groups exactly.
Business Channels View
Business services can be provided with certain channels, those of which can be introduced between business services and customers. ArchiMate element Business Interface is used in between Business Actor and Business Service elements. The serving relation from business services to customers is not visible in the figure below, but the relation exists in the repository.
Note! Instead of the “Assignment” relationship, the “Serving” can be used between the business services and business interfaces (figure below) – to make the diagram reading direction from “bottom to top”.
Business Service Realization View
This view extends the Business Service View by introducing more detailed how the business services are realized. Business services are typically realized by the business processes. In addition, those business processes use application services that are provided by application components. In the figure below, Application layer elements Application Service and Application Component are added below the Business Process elements.
Business Actor Co-operation View
This view enables business analyst to model interactions between business actors that are relevant in the context. E.g. complex business collaborations or ecosystems.
Business Process Co-operation View
Business process integrations can be modelled with this view.
Overall Co-operation View
You can mix the business actors and -processes with applications into same view for simplicity, if the development target is quite startight forward and not so complicated..
Business Process View
A business process can be modelled more detailed as shown below.
Business Object View
Business objects (a.k.a. Business concepts) can be linked to processes, by modelling how they access the business objects (figure below).
Productized Business Services
Business services can be productized. ArchiMate element Product (link) can be used for composing business services within a product.
The “Product B” above is composed of business services “B-1” and “B-2”, which are nested inside the “Product B” element (composition relations exists in the repository, even though they are not visible).
Layered View
The most useful diagram type, the Layered View, is illustrated below. The classic Layered View covers all the layers and related elements that are relevant for the case. The Layered View can be applied to what is appropriate depending on the case.
Business Architecture Overview
This version of the layered view is an overview diagram that consists of business- and application layer concepts. Technology layer concepts can be added whenever appropriate. This overview can be used e.g. for conceptualizing the context of business change (business transformation) efforts. This example below illustrates the high-level overall Order-to-Cash -end2end process, which typically spans over several units such as Sales- or Production departments. In addition, the overall process utilizes a number of applications such as CRM- or ERP -systems.
Conclusions
Business Architecture can be modelled with small set of diagram types with subset of ArchiMate elements. ArchiMate is powerful standard notation, which covers several layers with multiple elements. As such, ArchiMate enables a business analyst to model diverse of cases of business architecture, and whenever necessary, all the relations to application- and technology architectures, as well as relations to information architecture.
Business Architecture modelling with ArchiMate can utilize Service-Driven Approach (SDA), which focuses on services rather than projects for example. In SDA, a service is crucial concept, to which a value can be associated and which represents the primary unit of design, development and operation…