What is Business Architecture?
Business architecture is the part of architecture that focuses on the structure, processes, goals, roles and governance of an organisation. It describes what an organisation does, why it does it and how that is organised — independent of IT or technology.
Business architecture is the bridge between strategy and execution, providing direction for changes in processes, systems and people.
🧱 What does a business architecture contain?
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Processes | Core and supporting processes, often based on standard models (such as the GEMMA processes) |
| Organisational units | Roles, teams, departments and their responsibilities |
| Goals and KPIs | Strategic objectives and how performance is measured |
| Products and services | What the organisation delivers to customers, citizens or internal stakeholders |
| Rules and policy | Legal, ethical and policy frameworks |
Business architecture answers the “what”, “why” and “by whom” within the organisational context.
🔁 Relationship to other architecture layers
| Architecture layer | Relationship with business architecture |
|---|---|
| Information architecture | Supports the processes and information flows from the business architecture |
| Application architecture | Automates the business processes and functions |
| Technical architecture | Underlying IT/OT infrastructure for running applications and data |
| Governance | Determines who decides about business capabilities, processes and changes |
Without a clear business architecture, the technical or information architecture is often disconnected from organisational goals.
🧭 Purpose and use of business architecture
| Use case | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Strategic change | Helps organisations with reorganisation, digitalisation, mergers, decentralisation |
| Project and portfolio choices | Ensures IT investments contribute to the right goals |
| Aligning IT/OT with policy | Prevents technology and processes from drifting apart |
| Impact analysis | What changes when processes are altered or new legislation arrives? |
🏛 Business architecture in government architectures
| Framework | Role of business architecture |
|---|---|
| NORA | Describes generic public values, functions and service delivery models |
| GEMMA | Contains standardised municipal processes and functions |
| WILMA | Captures water board goals and management processes |
| MARIJ | Supports central-government policy goals with process and function models |
| PETRA | Provincial variant; links the physical environment with policy processes |
🏭 Business architecture and OT
Although Operational Technology (OT) is often approached technically, it increasingly intersects with business architecture:
| Use case | Business component |
|---|---|
| Water management | Goal: safety and availability → processes for level control, maintenance |
| Mobility management | Goal: throughput and safety → traffic control, incident response |
| Energy supply | Goal: reliability → processes for grid management, fault handling |
Linking OT processes to business goals creates direction and priority for technology and investments.
📌 In summary
Business architecture connects strategy with execution. It helps organisations — from municipalities to ministries and industrial environments — get a grip on processes, goals and change, as the foundation beneath their digital and technological setup.