Adrian Ashdown

Architecture Library

The Architecture Library contains reference material for architecture methods, notations and patterns used in my articles and case studies.

Architecture is about the structure of a business’s systems and how that structure changes over time: what the systems are, how they fit together, and the reasoning behind the decisions. The pages here explain ideas that come up repeatedly, so articles and case studies can link to them instead of explaining them each time.

Glossary

The Architecture Glossary gives plain-English definitions of the terms used across the site, from baseline architecture to work package.

Primers

Short explainers on individual methods, notations and patterns, being added over time:

  • TOGAF ADM in Brief – the Architecture Development Method, and how to tailor it to the problem in hand.
  • ArchiMate in Brief – the modelling language behind the architecture diagrams on this site, with its layers and views.
  • ArchiMate Notation Key – how to read the diagrams: element types, colours and relationship lines.
  • Transition Architectures and Plateaus – planning change as a series of stable, useful steps.
  • Architecture Principles – writing principles that make decisions consistent and easier to explain.
  • Gap Analysis – comparing where things are with where they need to be.
  • Strangler Fig Pattern – replacing a system gradually, without a big-bang switchover.
  • Architecture Decision Records – capturing significant decisions and the reasoning behind them.

Architecture in Practice

Worked case studies that apply these methods to realistic business problems, using a fictional company, ExampleCo. Each case study shows how the method was tailored, with supporting diagrams and artefacts. The first case studies are in preparation.

Related articles

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