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Each link between an organisation unit and a domain entity can be classified using the following roles:
Role | Description |
|---|---|
Owning unit | Accountable for maintaining, governing, and developing the domain entity. |
Utilising unit | Makes active use of the domain entity to perform its own functions. |
Providing unit | Delivers the outputs or services of the domain entity to other units. |
Consuming unit | Receives or depends on the outputs or services of the domain entity. |
Custodian unit | Maintains the authoritative or source record for the domain entity. |
Dependent unit | Relies on the domain entity for operational or strategic execution. |
Supported unit | Gains business value through a domain entity but is not directly consuming it. |
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The following domain types may be used as the focal point for inter-unit relationships:
Domain | Typical inter-unit relationship usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Capability | Owning, utilising, supporting, consuming, dependent, custodian | Most commonly used; a central anchor for inter-unit coordination |
Information | Providing, consuming, custodian, dependent | Typically shared across units with a clear lineage of stewardship |
Service | Owning, providing, consuming | Represents operational service dependencies between units |
Value stream | Shared, contributing, dependent | Highlights collaborative delivery of customer or internal value |
Initiative | Supported by, accountable to | May be indirectly implied rather than structurally modelled as a relationship |
Product | Supported, owned, developed by | Used sparingly in inter-unit context; product-level relationships tend to be value stream mediated |
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To enhance the usefulness of inter-unit domain relationships in organisational analysis, a numeric relationship strength value may be added. This value provides a relative indication of the intensity, criticality, or frequency of interaction between an organisational unit and the domain entity. It is intended to assist in prioritising governance, resource allocation, or change management efforts.
Scale
Value | Description |
|---|---|
1 | Very weak – minor or occasional interaction |
2 | Weak – intermittent or low-impact interaction |
3 | Moderate – regular involvement or mutual dependence |
4 | Strong – frequent and important interaction |
5 | Very strong – mission-critical, embedded, or highly interdependent |
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Note: Relationship strength is subjective and may vary by use case. It is often informed by data (e.g. usage frequency, support tickets, volume of transactions), expert judgement, or stakeholder interviews. |
Relationship with Rationales
Rationales can support the understanding and maintenance of inter-unit dependencies by providing traceable justifications for why specific relationships exist or are being adjusted. For example, a rationale may clarify the strategic driver for one organisational unit depending on another for a critical capability, or explain a planned reduction in dependency due to capability duplication or risk.
Inter-unit domain relationships JSON
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