Enterprise Architecture as a living practice.

An EA platform only realizes its full value when it is used in everyday practice. We design the operating model, the metamodel, and the associated governance framework so that architecture becomes a reliable component of your planning and decision-making processes.

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TOGAF & IT4IT Metamodel Design

Why Methodology Matters

Whether an architectural practice is successful depends on its business model, metamodel, and data quality—long before the question of which tool to use even arises.

Architecture that is incorporated

When architecture is part of portfolio planning, project proposals, and lifecycle decisions, teams incorporate it on their own initiative because it leads to better decisions more quickly.

A model you can maintain

We deliberately model less than typical tools would allow. Every object type, every relationship, and every attribute must answer a specific question and be maintained by a designated person.

Data You Can Trust

Clear responsibilities, defined update cycles, automation, and measurable data quality ensure that the inventory remains reliable long after the go-live.

Decisions That Remain Transparent

Documented principles, defined decision-making processes, and time-limited exceptions make architectural decisions verifiable—for auditors, for successors, and, increasingly, for AI systems as well.

What We Do

From the "
" framework to real-world practice.

We address the five elements that determine the viability of an architectural practice: its position within the organization, its methodology, its model, the quality of its data, and the way it makes decisions.

01EA Operating Model

A clear role within the organization.

We define what your architecture function is responsible for—and what it is not: the roles of enterprise, domain, and solution architects; decision-making authority; the Architecture Board’s mandate; and the interfaces with portfolio planning, demand management, project execution, and operations. Whether the structure is centralized, federated, or a hybrid model, it must align with the way your organization actually operates.

How You Benefit: Anarchitecture function with a clear mandate and defined interfaces that is involved early on, rather than only after the fact.

Roles & Decision-Making Authority
Architecture Board
Centralized vs. Decentralized
Process Interfaces

Operating ModelCharter

Where architecture is rooted.

MandateAdvise and Decide

RolesEnterprise · Domain · Solution

BoardMonthly, with decision-making authority

InterfacesPortfolio · Projects · Operations

CuttingFederated, centralized standards

02Methods & Frameworks

Frameworks used with a sense of proportion.

TOGAF, IT4IT, and ArchiMate provide a proven structure and a common vocabulary, but they are not intended to be implemented in their entirety. We select the elements that address your specific needs and document the result as a methodology that your architects can follow: notation conventions, templates for the types of deliverables, and the level of modeling detail for each level.

What You Get: Adocumented, teachable method that is tailored to the size and maturity of your organization and will continue to be used even after the training is complete.

TOGAF
IT4IT
ArchiMate Notation
Methodology Documentation

Our Methodv1.0

Derived from TOGAF, IT4IT, and ArchiMate.

Notation: Defined ArchiMate section
Output Types: Standard Templates, One Page Each
Modeling depth agreed upon for each level
Written in the working language
~~Each element that defines the frameworks~~

03Metamodel & Data Design

A metamodel for your research questions.

The metamodel determines what your practice can address and what it costs to keep the data up to date. We derive it from the questions you need to answer: what types of objects exist; how business capabilities, applications, technologies, data objects, and processes are related; which attributes are required; and how detailed the taxonomies need to be. We then implement the model in your platform and document it for the architects who will be working with it.

How You Benefit: A model that answers your actual questions, with a level of maintenance that your team can sustain over the long term.

Object & Relationship Design
Attributes & Lifecycles
Taxonomies
Question-Driven Customization

04Data Responsibility & Quality

Data quality with clear accountability.

Architectural data loses accuracy if it is not actively maintained. We assign responsibilities by object type, define the data collection processes, and set up data collection and review cycles that prompt the responsible person with a brief, specific question at the right time. Data quality is measured using clear metrics: completeness by domain, overdue confirmations, orphaned objects, and discrepancies with connected source systems.

How You Benefit: An inventory that remains accurate even after the implementation project is complete, with quality metrics that you can verify at any time.

Accountability Model
Survey & Review Cycles
Quality Rules
Quality KPIs
Reconciliation with Source Systems

SurveyQ3 Cycle

Three Questions for the Application Manager.

Is the Sales & Service application still in use?
Is the lifecycle status still "Active"?
Are you still responsible?

Time required90 seconds

Response rate94% in this cycle

05Architecture Governance

Documented architectural decisions.

We document architectural principles, standards, and reference architectures, and establish procedures for handling changes: when a review is required, who makes the decision, what evidence is needed, and how exceptions are approved on a temporary basis. This governance also includes lifecycle and roadmap management to ensure that end-of-life decisions are identified in a timely manner before they lead to disruptions.

How You Benefit: Quickdecisions and traceability, ensuring that no permanent exceptions take root in the standardized environment.

Principles & Standards
Decision-Making Processes
Temporary Exceptions
Lifecycle & Roadmaps

Decision RecordNo. 041

Exception: The legacy ESB remains in place for the order process.

DecisionApproved, with an expiration date

ExpiresQ2 2027

SuccessorIntegration platform

Decided byArchitecture Board

Challenging Scenarios

Where putting EA into practice
creates value.

Certain situations place particular pressure on the architecture: corporate transactions, regulation, certifications, and transformation programs with fixed deadlines. In all cases, the key factor is whether the EA inventory is up to date and the methodology is sound.

Transactions

Mergers, Carve-outs, and Divestitures

Integrations and spin-offs depend on knowing which applications, interfaces, and data belong to which part of the company. We map both landscapes onto a capability model, analyze dependencies prior to the spin-off, and support the transition out of transitional service agreements.

EU Regulation

Regulatory Resilience

Regulations such as NIS2 and DORA make maintaining a well-organized architecture inventory a regulatory requirement, ranging from asset inventories to a registry of third-party ICT service providers. We structure the metamodel so that these reports are generated directly from the repository.

Certification

Certifications and Audit Readiness

Certifications such as ISO 27001 or TISAX require documented processes, asset inventories that identify responsible parties, and verifiable controls. We integrate these requirements with your repositories so that audit evidence is generated from up-to-date data.

Transformation

ERP Transformation with a Fixed Deadline

Programs such as the migration to SAP S/4HANA involve both process decisions and technology decisions. We provide the repositories for interfaces and ERP add-ons, as well as the process foundation on which such programs rely.

Consolidation

Streamlining the Application Portfolio

Rationalization fails if it remains a one-time exercise. We combine a capability-based assessment of the portfolio with the responsibilities and review cycles that keep decisions up-to-date and transparent.

AI Regulation

AI Governance Under the EU AI Act

The EU AI Act requires an understanding of which AI systems are in use and which processes they affect. We map AI systems in your metamodel along with their risk class, responsibility, and process relevance, and the same governance framework guides AI-driven development.

One Practice, Three Specialties

's methodology forms the foundation.

EA, process management, and AI-driven software development are all built on the same foundation: a model of the organization that is aligned, up-to-date, and well-understood. Once established, it supports both.

Process Management

Process architecture, modeling conventions, and responsibilities, linked to the applications and capabilities already described in your EA model.

View Process Management

Agentic Engineering

AI agents generate code quickly, but without context. Your metamodel, principles, and process models ensure that the results fit into your landscape.

Here's how we implement it

Where do we stand?

A structured EA health check for the operating model, metamodel, data quality, and governance, with prioritized recommendations.

Request a Review

Regardless of the tool

First the method—
—then the platform.

We implement the method within your existing platform and are upfront about it if a simpler solution will suffice. The metamodel, governance, and accountability model come first; the platform configuration follows from these.

SAP LeanIXMetamodel, data collections, and governance configured to match the methodology.

SAP SignavioProcess level, linked to the architecture model.

BizzdesignAlfabet and Unify, including ArchiMate-based modeling.

Tool SelectionRequirements and criteria based on your methodology, not on a list of features.

Existing LandscapeWe work with the platform you already have before suggesting a new one.

CompetencyRole-based training to ensure that the method remains effective even after the handover.

Does this sound familiar?

Where is your practice located
?

Whether you're building an architecture practice from the ground up, realigning a practice that has hit a roadblock, or consolidating a practice that has outgrown its current structure: We'll assess your current situation and develop a practical path forward.

Talk to our EA experts

"We have the tool, but no one knows what to put in it."

"Our metamodel has 40 types of fact sheets. We use six of them."

"The data has not been updated since the go-live."

"None of the exemptions granted has ever expired."

"We don't find out about project decisions until after the fact."