Describing Enterprise Architecture to non-architectural folks in a simple way the majority of people can understand. Discusses Architectural Building Blocks and Solution Building Blocks in line with TOGAF - by Rowan Mountford

1. Enterprise Architecture
(in a car park)
Rowan Mountford @ WHISHWORKS

2. Business Requirement:
Make a Car Park
Now:
Think of your solution to this
requirement

3. SolutionsSolutions

4. Employee Car Park
Need to clarify the intended use
Rural
Car dealers car park (stock)
Police car impound
Long term airport car park
Public
Roadside parking
Secure
Safe
Easy to use
Convenient location
High density parking
Private
Free
Pay to use
City Centre
Trailers
Vans
Cars
SUV
Compact cars
Accessibility
Covered
Underground
Overground
24x7

5. Employee Car Park
Need to clarify the intended use
Rural
Car dealers car park (stock)
Police car impound
Long term airport car park
Public
Roadside parking
Secure
Safe
Easy to use
Convenient location
High density parking
Private
Free
Pay to use
City Centre
Trailers
Vans
Cars
SUV
Compact cars
Accessibility
Covered
Underground
Overground
24x7

6. Employee Car Park
Need to clarify the intended use
Rural
Car dealers car park (stock)
Police car impound
Long term airport car park
Public
Roadside parking
Secure
Safe
Easy to use
Convenient location
High density parking
Private
Free
Pay to use
City Centre
Trailers
Vans
Cars
SUV
Compact cars
Accessibility
Covered
Underground
Overground
24x7

7. Employee Car Park
Rural
Car dealers car park (stock)
Police car impound
Long term airport car park
Public
Roadside parking
Secure
Safe
Easy to use
Convenient location
High density parking
Private
Free
Pay to use
City Centre
Trailers
Vans
Cars
SUV
Compact cars
Accessibility
Covered
Underground
Overground
24x7
Describe the Vision & Requirements
(In this respect TOGAF supports Prince 2 projects)

8. This is much better than simply ‘make a car park’ – but we still need to work with
the business to develop the vision and requirement
Capacity Requirements
- Accessible parking?
- Motorbikes?
- Definition of Vans? & Cars?
Top Down – work with the business to find out what they need
Bottom Up – look at the technical design and feed back what can be achieved
EA is meant to be done Top Down but can support a Bottom Up approach
- Approved standards base
- Reusable architectural blocks
- Reusable solutions blocks
Project Mandate / Architecture Vision
Design a public pay-to-use car park which will support the business case
requiring 200 car parking spaces & 10 van parking spaces

9. Intuitive
- Easy to navigate and use for new or infrequent users
- Clearly provide all necessary information to effectively use
- Comply with all legal requirements for layout and signage
- Lighting to see / use the information & navigation signage
Safe & Secure
- Cameras, lighting
- Road traffic and pedestrian interaction
- Regular patrols
- Service inspection (roadway, markings, signage)
Revenue Generating
- Parking ticket purchase on-site (TVMs – cash, card, phone – short term)
- Parking ticket pre-purchase (online – long term)
- Maintenance / repair / redundancy of TVM services
- Cash collection from TVMs
- Revenue collection and accounting (web, phone, card, cash)
- Revenue enforcement
- Inspections, clamping, vehicle removals, punitive damages
Sample Requirements

10. Architectural Building Blocks
…are abstract definitions of ‘things’
Helps to identify and define common blueprint components which may be reusable
A ‘car’ architectural building block:
A rectangular, self propelling carriage on 4 wheels navigated by a human driver
A ‘parking space’ architectural building block:
An accessible demarcation within which a vehicle can comfortably fit with
sufficient space for the occupants to disembark from the vehicle
The ‘car’ architectural building block and then be applied to the ‘parking space’
building block to make a ‘car parking space’ architectural building block
Similarly other vehicles can make other parking space building block variations, such as
the Van parking space requirement

11. Solution Building Blocks
…are more specific definitions of ‘things’
A solution building block
- makes the abstract architectural building block concrete or real
- fulfils requirements
- is reusable or replaceable
- is product or solution aware
A ‘car’ solution building block
Maximum dimensions (LxW) = 3.8m x 1.8m; maximum weight 2t
Is driver controlled and the driver has visibility through front and side facing windows
Self-propelled; capable of speed control, reversing & complete stop; has perma-brake
A ‘car parking space’ solution building block
2m x 4m flat surface with incline <= 1:1.05 and direct access on one narrow edge
A solution can then be sought based on the solution building block definitions:
Car: Honda S2000, VW Golf, Ford Transit?
Car Parking Space: painted lines on road surface, tray in parking cylinder

12. Realised Reusable Solutions
A common definition of a car means we can make a common car parking space
- This leads to layout options
- Which informs capacity

13. Extensible Solutions
Building blocks can be used as components of other building blocks
- In this case 2 car park spaces have been used to make a cabin
- 3 spaces can be used to make a van stop
- 3 normal spaces can be used to create 2 more accessible spaces
- 1 normal space can make 2 motor bike parking spaces

14. Solution’s from Solution Building Blocks

15. Additional Considerations & Solutions
Ad-hoc or tactical solutionsLegacy Integration

16. Let’s try: Pedestrian road crossing
Requirement: Facility for pedestrians to cross the road
Derive various Solution Building Blocks
• How busy the road is
• What warning / visibility is required?
– Young children @ school crossing (lights, signs)
• Can traffic be stopped? If so other SBBs apply
• Adhere to country-specific road law

17. Architectural Repository of
Reusable Solutions