My experience with the ArchiMate Enterprise Architecture language dates back to the release of ArchiMate 2.0 in 2012 (we are now in version 3.1). Therefore, when I say it is a must-have language for all Enterprise Architects, this is based on nearly a decade of teaching it and using it in practice. Almost everyone I have trained in ArchiMate around the world begins to really appreciate by Day 3 of what is only a 4-day investment of time to learn the elements and relationships that give the alphabet and grammar of this truly helpful language for communicating about transformation. How complicated can it be if you can get a solid grounding in it in only 4 days? Plus, with that grounding and the free tool Archi, one can start doing professional work in ArchiMate the next day.

ArchiMate is especially great at supporting Capability-Based Planning, as it has motivational and strategy elements to trace to, along with the business, application, and technology layers, the last of which also allows us to model the physical world, i.e., Operational Technology, not just Information Technology. Why are we undertaking the pursuit of this new or enhanced capability? Who wants it? What are the goals, desired outcomes, requirements, constraints, available or needed resources, alternative courses of action, etc.? These are such important questions and they are a whiz to model using the ArchiMate language, provided you have a tool to do so. And we do — a free and powerful tool, Archi, so now a powerful EA modeling language is available as a commodity for everyone in an enterprise/ecosystem to use.

In our combined approach of integrating the use of Archi in the teaching of the language, starting in Day 1, one can become reasonably proficient at basic EA modeling using ArchiMate and Archi in only 5 days and then start rocketing ahead with all your EA initiatives in a much more mature way starting Week 2! Check with us on how to get started right away!

Authored by Dr. Steve Else, Chief Architect & Principal Instructor