Working with Architecture
The open Dragon1 EA Method was developed to provide an alternative way for architects, managers, and executives to work with architecture within organizations.
The demand for an alternative way of working with architecture stems from practical experience, where the current use of enterprise architecture within companies often falls short of fully meeting expectations.
Dragon1 has adopted the visualization of architecture as a starting point to enable everyone to participate in, for example, designing large IT systems, digitizing services for consumers and citizens, and implementing new technologies such as AI in the enterprise.
Visual Enterprise Architecture
Today, Visual Enterprise Architecture is increasingly being utilized in companies as a management tool to facilitate better coordination among the various components of a company.
This is primarily focused on improving the alignment between business processes, as the most critical business component, and information systems, as the most essential IT component. This improved alignment is achieved by utilizing various architectural products, including guiding statements, standards, guidelines, and models, to support change, design, and implementation activities.
Worldwide, many companies operate, supplying goods, products, and services to their internal businesses, as well as to consumers and other businesses. These companies operating on a national scale can consist of as many as five to ten entities. These entities, in turn, comprise thousands of different components, including products and services, employees, business processes and activities, information, and IT, such as information systems, software applications, computers, and networks. All these components must be well-coordinated to ensure optimal collaboration.
Dragon1 Open EA Method
A method is easiest to learn through a structure. That's why the Dragon1 open method is divided into six parts.
Framework Core Concepts
'Dragon1 at a Glance' is the first part of the method. It provides a conceptual framework of the entire Dragon1 visual enterprise architecture method. It introduces the key Dragon1 concepts and their associated sub-concepts, along with the models and definitions that support them.
The conceptual framework outlines how Dragon1 focuses on visualizing the challenges in organizations through the application of concepts and principles with Enterprise Architecture visualizations, making the impact and conflicting design requirements visible to everyone.
Way of Thinking
The 'Dragon1 Way of Thinking' focuses on the second part of the open method. The way of thinking focuses on the theoretical foundations of the method: how can architects use Dragon1 to view architecture and enterprises differently, thus demonstrating the inherent value of architecture?
The premise is that Dragon1 offers a way of thinking that allows architects to focus on creating architectures, such as reference architectures, with the ultimate goal of solving the challenges within the enterprise.
The architect can then commission an architectural design for a structure within the enterprise, ensuring that the structure is realized with high quality and meets performance requirements.
Way of Working
The 'Dragon1 Way of Working' addresses the third part of the method. The way of working provides various tools to facilitate optimal collaboration among architects and other stakeholders on visual enterprise architecture within the organization.
What is expected of each participant? Dragon1 also proposes how an organization can best structure its work with visual enterprise architecture.
For example, where should a company begin working with visual enterprise architecture? And how can a company grow to the next level of maturity in working with visual enterprise architecture?
Way of Representing
The 'Dragon1 Way of Representing' addresses the fourth part of the method. The way of representing focuses on visualizing architecture. Using models and various perspectives, the architect develops multiple perspectives of a building to illustrate the possible elaborations of the requirements set by the client, stakeholders, and users.
For this purpose, architects have various types of architecture visualizations at their disposal. Visual enterprise architecture emphasizes collaboration between the client, architect, and stakeholders.
Way of Supporting
The 'Dragon1 Way of Supporting' addresses the fifth part of the method. The way of supporting focuses on tools that accelerate and simplify understanding and working with visual enterprise architecture.
The icing on the cake is that an innovative EA/BPM software platform has been developed for all kinds of users to create and maintain EA products efficiently.
Glossary of EA Terms
The Dragon1 Glossary of Terms provides an overview and definitions of the over 200 key architecture terms used in this book, drawn from the more than 2,000 concepts in the Dragon1 method.
Everyone will recognize the importance of a common glossary, but it should be sufficiently original, consistent, and mature, and not restrictive.
Dragon1 Architecture Foundation
A standard specification document has been developed, and an Architecture Foundation organization has been established to ensure the transparency of the 'open' method and management processes, allowing anyone with suggestions for improvements to the method to contribute.
Open Standard documents, templates, checklists, and best practice examples are used to lay the foundation for the new way of working with visual enterprise architecture within companies.
Getting Started
Visual enterprise architecture is the process, as well as the art and skill, of creating enterprise-wide architecture products.
In other words, a new way of working on enterprise architecture, business architecture, information architecture, security architecture, solution architecture, chain architecture, and technical/IT architecture within the organization.