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The Essential Project is designed to be a Community project, where the requirements and priorities for its development are geared directly towards the needs of the project Community. The roadmap describes the current direction and future capabilities that we have identified for the Essential Project.

In publishing this roadmap, we aim to help identify the key areas of development for the Project. The roadmap should not, however, be seen as a delivery plan. Rather, we expect that priorities and requirements will change according to the demand from the Community. e.g. the Legal Management area of the meta model has recently been brought forward significantly to meet requirements from Community members.

 

Workstreams

Currently, there are four main workstreams for developing the Essential Project and Essential Architecture Manager in particular.

  • Essential Architecture Manager Software Platform
  • Essential Meta Model
  • Analysis and Reporting
  • Essential Services

Essential Roadmap graphic

Essential Architecture Manager Software Platform

In the software platform, the main activities are:

  • Monitor the Protege platform. An on-going task to ensure compatibility with the latest version of Protege
  • Installation. The development of an automated installer program for the Essential Architecture Manager package, update packs etc.
  • Essential Integration Server. Developing the current alpha-version further to remove the manual steps of the process of performing an integration, including:
    • Server-side scripting to execute the integration processes
    • Selecting the source integration files from a user interface
    • A configuration control panel to add new import scripts, set default values etc.
  • Protege plugins. Developing further plugins for Protege to support things like the server-side scripting, and to selectively export instances from a repository as XML.

Essential Meta Model

In the meta model stream, the main activities identified are:

  • Core Meta Model.
    • Maintaining alignment and coverage for TOGAF compatibility.
    • Support for BPMN and XPDL
  • Support Meta Model Extensions. Defining and implementing new meta model extensions for:
    • Legal Management. Support for managing legal compliance for technology and business services, e.g. licensing
    • Cost Management. Support for managing the costs of elements in the architecture, e.g. technology or business contract costs
    • Strategy Management. Improved support for multiple architecture states and architecture roadmaps
    • Change Management. Addition of generic capabilities for managing architecture dependancies across change initiatives - i.e. projects and programmes
    • Security. Addition of initial, generic classes to define security policies and associate them with core meta-model elements
    • Information Lifecycle Management. Implementing existing design for defining and managing polices for information lifecycle and associating these with elements in the Information Layer.
    • Compliance Management. Develop the initial set of classes for managing compliance and policies and associating these with elements in the core meta model.

Analysis and Reporting

In the reporting stream, the main activities are:

  • Adding a TOGAF view of the Essential Architecture Manager repository. This will take the form of TOGAF-oriented reports and the use of TOGAF terminology to explore and analyse the Essential repository.
  • Producing report components for new meta model enhancements
  • Creating more graphical reports.

Essential Services

There are two main threads to the Essential Services:

  • Training. Using and applying Essential Architecture Manager for specific activities defined by the following questions:
    • How do I manage the complexity and cost efficiency with respect to my Application Portfolio?
    • How do I manage the complexity and cost efficiency with respect to my technology infrastructure?
    • How do I manage the architecture dependencies between projects that are part of an overall programme?
    • How do I define my strategic IT architecture and create a transition plan?
  • Accreditation. Formal processes to ensure the quality of services provided by 3rd parties.
    • Consulting Accreditation: A formal process to certify that a candidate is accredited to consult about Essential Architecture Manager.
    • Training Accreditation: A formal process to certify that a candidate is accredited to give training for Essential Architecture Manager.

Contributing to the Roadmap

We are committed to driving the development of the Essential Project from the needs of the Community. Please contribute your requirements to the Project and become part of the Community via the forums.