EA Content Metamodel

The EA Content Metamodel defines every component within NORA's six domains: business, beneficiary experience, data, applications, technology, and security. It is the basis for documenting the entity's EA and for building the viewpoints that present those components.

What Is the EA Content Metamodel?

Placement in NORA: Section III (7.1.2) - EA Content Metamodel.
A reference that catalogs the components of each of the six EA domains, used to document the entity's current and target EA.
The six national reference models draw their components from it, and EA viewpoints are built on top of it at the level of detail stakeholders need.
The entity can add or modify components to serve its goals, provided each component's relationships are mapped within its domain and across the other domains.

Components of the Six Domains

Business Architecture

Business Capability, Organizational Unit, Processes Group, Service, Business Process, Position, Policy, Role, Activity, Product.

Beneficiary Experience Architecture

Beneficiary, Beneficiary Journey, Persona, Stage, Step.

Data Architecture

Data Entity together with its attributes and the relationships that support services, business processes, and business capabilities.

Application Architecture

Application, Application Component, Integration Interface, with their relationships to business capabilities, services, and data entities.

Technology Architecture

Data Center, Physical Host, Server, Containerization Engine, Network Device, Network Link, Storage, Infrastructure Service, Infrastructure Tool, Peripheral, License.

Security Architecture

Security Hardware, Security Software, Security Service, with their relationships to technology, application, and data architecture components.

Key takeaway

The metamodel goes beyond listing components: it describes how each one relates to the others within its domain and across the other domains. That description is what makes the resulting viewpoints usable by stakeholders.

Role in the EA Development Cycle

Provides one reference for the components of each of the six EA domains, and is the basis from which the six national reference models derive.

Cuts the time it takes to identify the components needed to document the current state and design the target state during the development cycle.

Keeps relationships clear within a domain and across domains, so connected viewpoints can be built at the right level of detail.

Drives the configuration of the EA tools the entity adopts, so the data structures inside those tools match the national methodology.

Guiding Considerations

The metamodel is a reference; the entity's EA team has the authority to add, modify, or remove components in line with how the entity actually works and what it is trying to achieve.

Define each component once and place it in the correct domain, so the same definition is not duplicated across domains.

When designing EA viewpoints, check that all components and relationships needed to deliver the viewpoint at the level stakeholders need are in place.

The EA function coordinates with related units in the entity such as organizational excellence, business process management, service design, policy and HR, among others.

The EA Content Metamodel is one of the six national reference models issued in the Guideline for the National Enterprise Architecture Methodology (NORA) by the Digital Government Authority.

Reference models

National reference models built on the metamodel.

EA viewpoints

Viewpoints that use the model to present the EA.

Six domains

Business, beneficiary experience, applications, data, technology, security.

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What Is the EA Content Metamodel?

Placement in NORA: Section III (7.1.2) - EA Content Metamodel.
A reference that catalogs the components of each of the six EA domains, used to document the entity's current and target EA.
The six national reference models draw their components from it, and EA viewpoints are built on top of it at the level of detail stakeholders need.
The entity can add or modify components to serve its goals, provided each component's relationships are mapped within its domain and across the other domains.

Components of the Six Domains

Business Architecture

Business Capability, Organizational Unit, Processes Group, Service, Business Process, Position, Policy, Role, Activity, Product.

Beneficiary Experience Architecture

Beneficiary, Beneficiary Journey, Persona, Stage, Step.

Data Architecture

Data Entity together with its attributes and the relationships that support services, business processes, and business capabilities.

Application Architecture

Application, Application Component, Integration Interface, with their relationships to business capabilities, services, and data entities.

Technology Architecture

Data Center, Physical Host, Server, Containerization Engine, Network Device, Network Link, Storage, Infrastructure Service, Infrastructure Tool, Peripheral, License.

Security Architecture

Security Hardware, Security Software, Security Service, with their relationships to technology, application, and data architecture components.

Key takeaway

Role in the EA Development Cycle

Provides one reference for the components of each of the six EA domains, and is the basis from which the six national reference models derive.

Cuts the time it takes to identify the components needed to document the current state and design the target state during the development cycle.

Keeps relationships clear within a domain and across domains, so connected viewpoints can be built at the right level of detail.

Drives the configuration of the EA tools the entity adopts, so the data structures inside those tools match the national methodology.

Guiding Considerations

The metamodel is a reference; the entity's EA team has the authority to add, modify, or remove components in line with how the entity actually works and what it is trying to achieve.

Define each component once and place it in the correct domain, so the same definition is not duplicated across domains.

When designing EA viewpoints, check that all components and relationships needed to deliver the viewpoint at the level stakeholders need are in place.

The EA function coordinates with related units in the entity such as organizational excellence, business process management, service design, policy and HR, among others.

The EA Content Metamodel is one of the six national reference models issued in the Guideline for the National Enterprise Architecture Methodology (NORA) by the Digital Government Authority.

EA Content Metamodel

What Is the EA Content Metamodel?

Components of the Six Domains

Role in the EA Development Cycle

Guiding Considerations

Related

Reference models

EA viewpoints

Six domains

Ready to start?

EA Content Metamodel

What Is the EA Content Metamodel?

Components of the Six Domains

Role in the EA Development Cycle

Guiding Considerations

Related

Reference models

EA viewpoints

Six domains

Ready to start?