DoD Architecture Framework Version 1.0, Volume 2 - AcqNotes.com

3.2.2 TaxonomiesAV-2 defines the architecture data and their common terms of reference used in creating,maintaining, and using architecture products. The Operational, Systems, and TechnicalStandards View products are interrelated, sometimes very extensively. Because of this interrelationshipamong products and across architecture efforts, it is useful to define commonterminology with common definitions, referred to as taxonomies, in the development of thearchitecture products. These taxonomies are the building blocks for architecture products. Theneed for standard taxonomies derives from lessons learned from early DoD architecturedevelopment issues, including the independent development of multiple operational architecturesthat could not be integrated. Integration was impeded because of the use of differentterminology to represent the same architecture data. Use of taxonomies to build architectureproducts has the following benefits over free-text labeling:• Provides consistency across products• Provides consistency across architectures• Facilitates architecture development, validation, maintenance, and re-use• Traces architecture data to authoritative data sourcesThe critical taxonomies requiring concurrence and standardization for integratedarchitectures are the following:• Operational Nodes that represent Organizations, Organization Types, andOccupational Specialties. The taxonomy minimally consists of names,descriptions, and breakdowns into the parts of the organization, organizationtype, or human role.• Operational Activities (or Tasks). 7 The taxonomy minimally consists of names,descriptions, and decomposition into the constituent parts that comprise aprocess-activity.• Information Elements. The taxonomy minimally consists of names ofinformation elements exchanged, descriptions, decomposition into constituentparts and subtypes, and mapping to system data elements exchanged.• Systems Nodes that represent facilities, platforms, units, and locations. Thetaxonomy minimally consists of names, descriptions, breakdowns intoconstituent parts of the node, and categorizations of types of facilities,platforms, units, and locations.• Systems consisting of family of systems (FoS), system of systems (SoS),networks of systems, individual systems, and items (e.g., equipment hardwareand software). The taxonomy minimally consists of names, descriptions,breakdowns into the constituent parts of the system and categorization of types7 Operational Activities defined and standardized by the Joint Staff are in the form of Mission Essential Tasks[CJCSM 3500.04C, 2002]. Operational Activities are also specified (and sometimes standardized) in the form ofprocess activities arising from process modeling. It is sometimes convenient to merge these sets, either as activitiesor tasks.3-10