Introduction

This is a detailed overview of the Orthogramic Business Architecture Metamodel. The metamodel is comprised of business architecture domains. These domains are essential for developing strategic plans, managing organizational policies, defining capabilities, optimizing value streams, engaging stakeholders, managing initiatives, overseeing product development, and tracking performance. By understanding and utilizing the metamodel and the domains it contains, users can enhance organizational alignment, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Why Open Source

See a https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137981 for an overview of why we chose to follow an open approach.

Metamodel Domains

Organization

An organization represents the structured entity within which activities and value delivery occur to achieve strategic objectives. It encompasses the interconnected units, roles, and responsibilities that enable the flow of value to customers, stakeholders, or outcomes. By analysing the organization's structure and its alignment with stakeholder needs, inefficiencies can be identified, improvements prioritised, and processes optimised to meet strategic priorities.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137540

Stakeholders

Stakeholders represent the individuals, groups, or entities that influence or are influenced by the value delivered within an organization. They are central to defining outcomes, shaping priorities, and driving alignment with organizational objectives. By focusing on stakeholder needs and expectations, organizations can identify inefficiencies, optimise engagements, and ensure strategic goals are met.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137589

Strategy

Strategies encompasses the overarching objectives, principles, and direction that guide an Organization's efforts to achieve its mission and vision. It defines the high-level priorities and choices that shape resource allocation, capability development, and operational focus. This domain connects an Organization's aspirations to actionable initiatives, ensuring alignment with value creation, stakeholder expectations, and competitive advantage.

Key elements of the strategy domain include strategic objectives, business goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and strategic drivers. It integrates with other domains by directing capabilities, value streams, and initiatives, ensuring coherence across the Organization.

By structuring strategic intent and translating it into measurable outcomes, the strategy domain serves as the foundation for a unified business architecture, enabling dynamic responses to market changes, regulatory shifts, and Organizational growth. Through consistent alignment with this domain, Organizations achieve a holistic view that supports informed decision-making and sustainable success.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137623

Capabilities

Capabilities represent the core functions and competencies that an Organization must develop, maintain, or enhance to deliver value and achieve its strategic objectives. It provides a structured view of what an Organization can do, independent of processes, systems, or people.

Capabilities are defined at various levels of granularity, from high-level business capabilities to more specific sub-capabilities. They act as the bridge between strategy and execution, enabling the alignment of Organizational resources, technology, and processes to achieve desired outcomes.

Key elements include capability maps, maturity assessments, and prioritisation frameworks, which guide investment decisions and resource allocation. The capabilities domain integrates with other business architecture domains, such as value streams, information, and initiatives, to ensure cohesive planning and execution.

By focusing on capabilities, Organizations can identify strengths, address gaps, and build resilience, positioning themselves to adapt to evolving market demands and sustain competitive advantage.

Products

Products are distinct, tangible or intangible offerings created, developed, or delivered by an organization to address specific customer or stakeholder needs. Unlike services, which are activities or processes performed to deliver value, products are self-contained items or solutions that provide value independently or as part of a broader portfolio. Products are typically characterised by defined features, lifecycle stages, and measurable performance, whereas services are ongoing engagements or processes. To differentiate a product from a service: Product: Refers to a tangible or intangible deliverable that serves as a standalone solution to meet specific needs. Products are defined by their features, lifecycle stages, and ability to deliver measurable outcomes independently of ongoing interaction. Examples include software applications, physical goods, or digital tools. Service: Represents an activity or process performed to create or enhance value, often involving direct interaction and collaboration with customers or stakeholders. Services are dynamic, relying on real-time execution or customisation to address specific requirements. Examples include consulting, technical support, or training sessions. This distinction emphasises that products provide self-contained value, while services are centred around interactions and processes that generate or support value.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137691

Services

Services represent the distinct offerings or activities that contribute to delivering value to a customer, stakeholder, or organizational outcome. They illustrate how value is generated and flows through an organization, connecting strategic objectives to tangible deliverables. By focusing on outcomes and stakeholder needs, services enable organizations to identify inefficiencies, optimise service delivery, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities. Keywords to look for include: Services, Offerings, Process, Flow, Customer Journey, and Outcome. To differentiate a service from a product: Service: Represents ongoing activities or processes performed to deliver value. Services are characterised by interaction and experiences, often requiring real-time execution and collaboration with customers or stakeholders. Examples include consulting, maintenance, or training. Product: Denotes distinct, tangible or intangible offerings designed as self-contained solutions. Products are characterised by defined features, lifecycle stages, and measurable performance. Examples include software, devices, or pre-packaged solutions. This distinction clarifies that while products are standalone deliverables, services focus on the processes and experiences leading to value generation.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137730

Information

Information represents the critical data and insights that enable and support the flow of value within a value stream. It encompasses the structures, relationships, and contexts that connect strategic objectives to actionable outcomes. By focusing on the management and utilisation of information aligned with stakeholder and organizational needs, organizations can identify gaps, enhance data quality, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137754

Performance

Performance represents the measurable outcomes and effectiveness of activities within a value stream that contribute to delivering value to a customer, stakeholder, or organizational outcome. It evaluates how efficiently value is generated and flows through an organization, connecting strategic objectives to tangible deliverables. By focusing on performance metrics and stakeholder expectations, organizations can identify inefficiencies, improve operational effectiveness, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities. Within Performance are Performance KPIs.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137808

Initiatives

Initiatives represent the focused efforts or projects undertaken to deliver value to a customer, stakeholder or organizational outcome. They illustrate how value is created and delivered within specific areas of an organization, connecting strategic objectives to tangible outcomes. By focusing on results and stakeholder needs, initiatives enable organizations to identify inefficiencies, prioritise efforts, and ensure alignment with strategic priorities. Within Initiatives is a hierarchy of Initiatives > Programs > Projects.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137842

Policy

Policies are formal statements or principles established by an organization to guide decision-making and operational behaviour. They serve as the foundation for governance and compliance, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. Unlike processes, which detail how activities are performed, policies establish the rules and frameworks under which those processes operate. A strategy describes 'what we want to achieve and how we plan to achieve it' while a policy describes 'what rules must be followed during strategy execution'. Strategies drive change and future outcomes while policies ensure consistent governance and compliance.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137898

Value Streams

Value Streams transform inputs into valuable outcomes for stakeholders. A Value Stream represents an end-to-end series of activities that creates value, whether for external customers (like patients and communities) or internal stakeholders.

See: https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/245137927