ArchiMate 3.0: Improved Usability and Consistency

ArchiMate 3.0: Improved Usability and Consistency

With every iteration of the standard, creators are making ArchiMate ever more closely aligned with TOGAF. Indeed, The Open Group have been clear in their desire to make sure there is a seamless integration between the two EA standards. This is also the case in ArchiMate 3.0. One of the changes in this area refers to the creation of several new elements in the Application and Technology layers – Application Process, Technology Process, Technology Interaction and Technology Collaboration. This was essentially done for the sake of consistency. As users of ArchiMate 2.1 may know, these were present in the other layers.

ArchiMate 3.0 also specifies how the language relates to other standards, including UML, BPMN, and BMM. This is a very useful inclusion because architects and analysts make use of an array of tools in their daily jobs. Apart from helping users solve their tasks quicker, it is interesting to see how concepts from these other standards are integrated in ArchiMate. Another interesting addition was introducing an optional notation meant to identify the layer to which an element belongs. To achieve this, users may place one of the letters M, S, B, A, T, P or I in the top-left corner of the element.