Standards Development

Scope

This document specifies the foundational vocabulary, concepts and principles associated with an architecture and used within the architecting practice for various entities, including software, systems, enterprises, missions, systems of systems, families of systems, infrastructures, products (goods or services), product lines, service lines, technologies and business domains. The vocabulary, concepts and principles apply to:

— organizations that develop architectures;

— organizations seeking sustained success through the implementation of architecture practices;

— organizations and interested parties seeking to improve communication through a common understanding of the vocabulary, concepts and principles used in architecture description;

— organizations performing conformity assessments against the requirements of architecture-related standards and specifications;

— providers of architecture descriptions, guidelines, training, education, evaluation or recommendations in architecture practices;

— developers of architecture-related standards, architecture description languages, architecture modelling languages, reference architectures, reference models related to architecture, architecture frameworks and architecture-related tools/technologies.

The application areas of this document include, but are not limited to, the following: artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data, smart cities, smart manufacturing, cybersecurity, digital twin, telecommunications, aerospace, defense, banking, finance, insurance, energy, automotive, hospitality, healthcare, supply chain, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, production, and infrastructure.

This document addresses generic architecture-related terms and definitions and does not address domain-specific terms and definitions. This document does not address concepts and principles related to architecture competencies.

The proposed deliverable is another document in the existing group of architecture related standards (e.g. ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42020, ISO/IEC/IEEE 42030).

Purpose

Today, usage of architecture has evolved into a state-of-the-art practice for commercial, civilian, and military domains. The value proposition of architecture is increasingly being acknowledged in the enterprise, systems and software fields of application. Architecting is more often being considered as a strategic activity by organizations and projects. In such a situation, a common basis for harmonizing architecture concepts and principles across various application areas can improve the interoperability of standards and the resulting work products of practitioners.

This document specifies the foundational vocabulary, concepts and principles associated with an architecture and used within the architecting practices for various entities. This document provides a foundation for other architecture-related standards. This document is intended to help the reader understand the terms, definitions and vocabulary relevant to the architecting practice in order to realize greater value from, more uniformity of, and better integration between, architecture-related standards.

The adoption of an architecture is a strategic decision for an organization that can help improve its overall value to a variety of stakeholders. Developing and using architectures in any domain has major benefits, because a well-developed architecture:

- frames development and usage of solutions (including products, services and systems),

- fosters stakeholder decision making, engagement and cooperation,

- meets consumer demand in the evolving landscape,

- drives development of technologies for the future, - promotes uniformity of products and services delivered,

- improves interoperability between systems and technologies,

- increases the efficiency and effectiveness of transformation or modernization initiatives.

Currently, foundational architecture concepts exist in multiple standards and are not unified and harmonized. Consequently, no single source or reference for these architecture concepts, principles, terms and definitions exists, which leads to misunderstanding within the standards community and contributes to less effective standards as a result.

This document is beneficial to its readers since it serves as a single source for understanding architecture concepts, principles, terms and definitions, and it promotes consistency and adherence to common practices that align with industry best practices.

This document is beneficial to architects as it provides a common language and framework to communicate and share ideas effectively. The concepts, principles and vocabulary enable architects to convey their architectures, and their recommendations more clearly to stakeholders, downstream developers and other collaborators.

This document is beneficial to educators as it establishes a foundation of core concepts and principles, which can then be built upon and refined over time. This document will help professional development since learners can stay more current with architectural trends, developments and best practices in the field.

This document is beneficial to businesses since architecture concepts can be better understood across the organization. As a result, architectural decisions can be better aligned with the overarching goals and strategies of the business, agility can be promoted in architecting new product and service offerings, collaboration and knowledge sharing can be enhanced, decision-making can be improved, and innovation can be increased.