Application Functionality Context

Purpose: The purpose of the Application Functionality Context template is to document the in which Activities and/or Business Processes a given Application Functionality is used.

Core concerns: The Application Functionality Context template can be used to create graphical views showing where Application Functionalities are used. The template enables you to model Application Functionalities, Activities and Business Processes. The Business Processes and Activities are connected to Application Functionalities using Functionality Usage.

Below, you can see an example of an Application functionality contest diagram, where the context for the DocCom – Create and Store Document functionality is shown:

The diagram shows which Business Processes use the Application Functionality as well as which Information System delivers it.

Relation to other templates: To map applications hardware, the Application Architecture Diagram or Infrastructure Diagram template should be used. The Application Functionality Context template graphically connects functionalities of Information Systems to the Processes and Activities in which they are used. It offers an additional view to Application Architecture Diagrams, Workflow Diagrams, Business Process Diagrams and Business Process Networks.

Properties and metadata: The Application Functionality Context template ­­­­can for example retain the following information:

  • A description of the diagram
  • Audits (auto generated information regarding its current state and access rights)
  • Associated documents, diagrams and other objects
  • Inherent Risk detailing risk considerations
  • Governance information detailing information about the published diagram and who has been involved in the approval of the diagram

The above picture shows the properties dialogue window for the Application Functionality Context template where you can view and edit the diagram’s properties in QualiWare Lifecycle Manager.

Goal Realization Viewpoint: Archimate

Concerns: Architecture mission, strategy and tactics, motivation
Purpose: Designing, deciding
Scope: Motivation

The goal realization viewpoint allows a designer to model the refinement of (high-level) goals into more tangible goals, and the refinement of tangible goals into requirements or constraints that describe the properties that are needed to realize the goals. The refinement of goals into sub-goals is modeled using the aggregation relationship. The refinement of goals into requirements is modeled using the realization relationship.

In addition, the principles may be modeled that guide the refinement of goals into requirements.

Requirements Realization Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Architecture strategy and tactics, motivation
Purpose: Designing, deciding, informing
Scope: Motivation

The requirements realization viewpoint allows the designer to model the realization of requirements by the core elements, such as business actors, business services, business processes, application services, application components, etc. Typically, the requirements result from the goal refinement viewpoint.

In addition, this viewpoint can be used to refine requirements into more detailed requirements. The aggregation relationship is used for this purpose.

Migration Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: History of models
Purpose: Designing, deciding, informing
Scope: Implementation and Migration

The migration viewpoint entails models and concepts that can be used for specifying the transition from an existing architecture to a desired architecture.

Organization Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Identification of competencies, authority, and responsibilities
Purpose: Designing, deciding, informing
Scope: Single layer/Single aspect

The organization viewpoint focuses on the (internal) organization of a company, department, network of companies, or of another organizational entity. It is possible to present models in this viewpoint as nested block diagrams, but also in a more traditional way, such as organizational charts. The organization viewpoint is very useful in identifying competencies, authority, and responsibilities in an organization.

 

Product Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Product development, value offered by the products of the enterprise
Purpose: Designing, deciding
Scope: Multiple layer/Multiple aspect

The product viewpoint depicts the value that these products offer to the customers or other external parties involved and shows the composition of one or more products in terms of the constituting (business, application, or technology) services, and the associated contract(s) or other agreements. It may also be used to show the interfaces (channels) through which this product is offered, and the events associated with the product. A product viewpoint is typically used in product development to design a product by composing existing services or by identifying which new services have to be created for this product, given the value a customer expects from it. It may then serve as input for business process architects and others that need to design the processes and ICT realizing these products.

 

Application Cooperation Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Relationships and dependencies between applications, orchestration/choreography of services, consistency and completeness, reduction of complexity
Purpose: Designing
Scope: Multiple layer/Multiple aspect

The application cooperation viewpoint describes the relationships between applications components in terms of the information flows between them, or in terms of the services they offer and use. This viewpoint is typically used to create an overview of the application landscape of an organization. This viewpoint is also used to express the (internal) cooperation or orchestration of services that together support the execution of a business process.

Abstraction Level
Coherence, details

Layer
Application layer

Aspects
Behavior, active structure, passive structure

ApplicationCoopViewpoint

 

Implement Deployment Viewpoint :ArchiMate

Concerns: Structure of application platforms and how they relate to supporting technology
Purpose: Designing, deciding
Scope: Multiple layer/Multiple aspect

The implementation and deployment viewpoint shows how one or more applications are realized on the infrastructure. This comprises the mapping of applications and components onto artifacts, and the mapping of the information used by these applications and components onto the underlying storage infrastructure.

 

Information Structure Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Structure and dependencies of the used data and information, consistency and completeness
Purpose: Designing
Scope: Multiple layer/Single aspect

The information structure viewpoint is comparable to the traditional information models created in the development of almost any information system. It shows the structure of the information used in the enterprise or in a specific business process or application, in terms of data types or (object-oriented) class structures. Furthermore, it may show how the information at the business level is represented at the application level in the form of the data structures used there, and how these are then mapped onto the underlying technology infrastructure; e.g., by means of a database schema.

Service Realization Viewpoint : Archimate

Concerns: Added-value of business processes, consistency and completeness, responsibilities
Purpose: Designing, deciding
Scope: Multiple layer/Multiple aspect

The service realization viewpoint is used to show how one or more business services are realized by the underlying processes (and sometimes by application components). Thus, it forms the bridge between the business products viewpoint and the business process view. It provides a “view from the outside” on one or more business processes.