Scope

The NAF v4 methodology provides the strategy that outlines the way and the environment in which architecture related activities are performed and architectures are governed, managed, defined and evaluated. This methodology has to be structured into applicable processes, methods and means compliant with the organisation where the activities take place.

This methodology and the formalism described in Chapters 3 and 4 are to be considered as a constructive generic framework.

The NAF v4 methodology does not intend to define precisely what “Enterprise”, “Organisation” and “Project” terms are because the literature provides a lot of meaning for them. However, in this document the meaning is:

  • Enterprise is where the considered activities take place.

  • Organisation is how the enterprise is organised.

  • Project is the organisational structure of a considered activity.

The methodology addresses various stakeholders (Users, acquirers, providers, builders, etc.) to either develop or use architectures.

3 main methodological areas
3 main methodological areas

Three main methodological areas are currently identified:

  • The enterprise architecture area addresses how a group of people or organisations can work collaboratively on a portfolio of architectures with an enterprise vision. It provides explanation on the architecture landscape with workspace, libraries, and repositories in the enterprise. It also explains how activities can be performed with regards to the enterprise motivation and how activities can be used to govern the enterprise projects.

  • The project architecture area covers the architectural environment, activities and artefacts in a project or a programme. A project is associated to any architecture within the enterprise. Note: This architecture can express the problem space and/or the solution space related to the entity being architected. In both cases, this architecture is defined to orient acquisition, development or exploitation program and projects.

  • Foundation for architecting provides prerequisites and value factors to allow the viability of the architectures and their related activities at both the enterprise and the projects.