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Getting started with the Orthogramic Metamodel
Start here for Business Architecture practitioners familiar with BIZBOK
Start here if you are new to Business Architecture
For those new to Business Architecture
For practitioners familiar with BIZBOK
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Introduction
The Orthogramic Metamodel is provides a modernstructured, structured approach to business architecture that builds upon and extends the conceptual foundations of BIZBOK. It offers greater formalisation, clearer relationships between domains, and enhanced interoperability through its JSON schema-driven design.
While BIZBOK is highly narrative and conceptual, Orthogramic is deliberately declarative and designed for digital implementation. It enables automation, consistent data quality, and scalable integration across systems—qualities increasingly essential for operating in enterprise environments.
This guide provides a short orientation to help BIZBOK practitioners understand and begin applying the Orthogramic Metamodel.
2. Core similarities and differences
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Conceptual Feature
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BIZBOK
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Orthogramic Metamodel
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Domain coverage
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Broad but informal
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Broad, plus adds Performance and Policy as structured domains
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Data structure
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Primarily narrative
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Fully structured JSON Schemas
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Interrelationships
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Implicit, often described narratively
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Explicit artefacts: e.g. Inter-unit domain relationships
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Scenarios
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Use-case driven
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Strategic Response Model formalised via triggers and structured responses
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Implementation focus
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Often abstract
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Designed for live, API-enabled systems
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Tooling
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Tool-agnostic
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Tool-agnostic, but natively supports digital platform integration
Orthogramic preserves BIZBOK’s strengths—such as clear domain thinking and alignment focus—while addressing limitations around reusability, automation, and analytic depth.
3. Key concepts to explore first
a. Domains as structured artefacts
All core business architecture domains (e.g. Capabilities, Value Streams, Information, Stakeholders) are expressed as structured artefacts in Orthogramic. Each has a JSON Schema defining its attributes, sub-elements, and relationships. This enables consistent use across platforms and teams.
Start by familiarising yourself with:
Capabilities schema
Value Streams schema
Strategy and Performance schemas
b. Inter-unit domain relationships
BIZBOK often refers to capability ownership and use abstractly. Orthogramic formalises this with a distinct artefact: Inter-unit domain relationships.
You can:
Define who owns, uses, supports, or depends on a capability, service, or value stream
Specify relationship strength (1–5 scale)
Link to organisation units and domain entities with traceable IDs
This enables dynamic governance modelling and improved alignment tracking.
c. Strategic Response Model (SRM)
Orthogramic introduces the SRM to formalise how an organisation responds to internal and external triggers (e.g. policy changes, customer demand shifts, regulatory pressure).
An SRM includes:
Triggers – identifiable events or pressures
Target outcomes – desired business objectives
Business response – capabilities, initiatives, and value streams activated
This fills a gap in BIZBOK around structured scenario modelling and strategic planning execution.
4. Applying your BIZBOK knowledge
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BIZBOK Concept
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Orthogramic Equivalent or Enhancement
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Capability map
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Capability artefacts with inter-unit relationships
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Stakeholder map
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Stakeholders artefact, plus traceable stakeholder requirements
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Value stream stage maps
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Value Stream artefact + Trigger integration via SRM
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Information concept model
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Information artefact with data custodianship and access roles
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Governance structure
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Embedded via custodian roles, ownership models, and policy artefacts
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Business scenarios
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Formalised through the SRM and response modelling tools
You can start by converting your existing capability and value stream maps into structured artefacts and layering inter-unit relationships to visualise ownership and dependency.
5. Next steps
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Review the Metamodel schemas
Start with the Capabilities, Information, and Stakeholders domains
→ Model overview
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Use inter-unit relationships to map governance
Apply the Inter-unit relationships schema → Inter-unit domain relationships
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Model a Strategic Response
Use the Strategic Response Model to simulate a business event and the intended architectural response → Strategic Response Model
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Embed automation
With JSON schema conformance, the model can be consumed by APIs, validation engines, and workflow tools. Start with Organization → Organization
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consistent way to describe how an organisation operates, delivers value, and responds to change. It formalises the core concepts of business architecture—such as capabilities, value streams, stakeholders, information, and strategic initiatives—into a digital, schema-driven format designed for clarity, reuse, and integration.
Whether you are new to business architecture or already familiar with frameworks like BIZBOK, the Orthogramic Metamodel offers a practical and scalable way to model your organisation. It supports better decision-making, clearer governance, and stronger alignment between strategy and operations.
This guide introduces the key concepts and artefacts of the Orthogramic Metamodel and outlines a practical pathway to get started, tailored to your background.
Resources
The model at a glance
Provides a high-level overview of the Orthogramic Metamodel, showing how its domains fit together to describe an organisation’s structure and strategy. The model at a glanceNew to Business Architecture
A tailored introduction for users without prior experience in business architecture, explaining key concepts and how Orthogramic simplifies adoption. https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/288948263/New+to+Business+Architecture?atlOrigin=eyJpIjoiOGQ5YzNiZTBiNDBmNGFkNmFhZDgyNDMxM2E4OWRhZDciLCJwIjoiYyJ9Familiar with BIZBOK
Guides experienced practitioners in understanding how Orthogramic differs from and improves upon BIZBOK, with emphasis on digital structure and integration. https://orthogramic.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/OM/pages/288948285/Familiar+with+BIZBOK?atlOrigin=eyJpIjoiYWQ0YjVhZGZhNDkzNDBmNWJkNzRiYzQ3Zjc5NDgzMTYiLCJwIjoiYyJ9Getting started by problem examples
Offers practical entry points based on common organisational challenges, helping users apply the model directly to their situation. Getting started by problem examplesIntro to business architecture terms
Defines the core terminology used throughout the Orthogramic Metamodel in accessible language, supporting clearer communication and understanding. Intro to business architecture termsGetting Started Worksheet
A downloadable worksheet designed to help teams map their current state and begin documenting their business architecture using the Orthogramic approach. Getting Started Worksheet